Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
Cyrus does not just free the captives — he also hands back the gold and silver articles Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the temple. Who is this Sheshbazzar, and why does Scripture give so much space to a list of bowls and dishes?
The man who received them
Two names, one man. Commentators explain the name in this verse as a Babylonian name given during the exile.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThis prince was Zerubbabel. Sheshbazzar was the name the Babylonians had given him. He was born in Babylon, and his name means "stranger in Babylon." He became the princely leader of the returning exiles... In all there were 5,400 vessels of gold and silver which were handed over to Zerubbabel to take back to Jerusalem. It all shows that God had not forgotten His people. When His appointed time came, He showed His power on their behalf.
He was more than one exile among many.
Morrish Bible DictionaryHe was a "prince of Judah," and he seems to have held some office in Persia, since he is called Sheshbazzar... He led the Jews who volunteered to return from exile under the decree of Cyrus.
Why a list of dishes matters
The list of vessels looks like a minor detail. It actually sets the clock on the whole captivity.
Michael HardtThere had been three deportations... The last of these three was the most significant one in terms of the damage done. The temple was burnt, and very large numbers led captive. But the 70 years of captivity run from the first deportation — the one we would call minor. Why was this first one the important one in God's eyes? Well, it's because of the vessels.
Take away the vessels and something more than property is lost.
Michael HardtWithout vessels, it was impossible to bring sacrifices as prescribed. No vessels, no worship! This is the tragedy. Doesn't this remind us of a sad fact? Much of the Christian world has lost the whole idea of worship, and above all of worship together. Concerts, performances, and all sorts of other things have taken the place of meetings for worship.
Out of the idol's house, counted item by item
Cyrus had to fetch these things out of a pagan temple before he could hand them back. Someone kept the record down to the last item.
Leslie M. GrantKing Cyrus had all the articles Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem brought out of the temple of his idols. He sent them back to their rightful place. He knew that Babylon's idols were not God. The Persian treasurer, Mithredath, counted these out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. The record of them was faithfully kept.
What the list leaves out
One thing is missing from the list, and it is the most valuable of all.
The Bible TreasuryThe holy vessels were counted and restored, as far as was fitting, for Jehovah's house in Jerusalem. The ark was not there — the centre, the most valuable, the nearest to the glory. Sadly, the glory itself had gone. But on the day when the salvation of Israel comes out of Zion, the glory will return, never to leave again.
Every instrument at the right moment
A foreign king, the builders, and those who stayed behind all move in step. No one organised it.
Edward DennettThe Lord produced the same heart and the same aim in everyone involved. Cyrus was one of them, and without his permission the captives could not have returned. Another group was the leading fathers of Judah and Benjamin, who were needed for the actual building work. A third was those who stayed behind... There were no meetings beforehand to arrange things and reach agreement. The union of heart and purpose came from the Lord's action on the hearts of all alike... So every instrument that is needed comes forward at the right moment, for the work is of God, and it must be done.
This pattern was not limited to Ezra's day.
F. B. HoleAlongside the spiritual work of God in the souls of His people ran a providential work of God in the world around them. So it has been again in more recent times.
Summary
- Taken. The vessels went to Babylon first. God dated the seventy years from that loss, not from the burning of the temple.
- Emptied. No vessels meant no sacrifices, so the real loss was worship itself. The same loss happens wherever performance takes the place of worship.
- Kept. They sat in an idol's temple, yet they were still there when Cyrus went looking. God had not forgotten His people.
- Counted. Mithredath counted them out item by item to the prince of Judah, and the record was kept. What God restores, He restores in order and into named hands.
- Incomplete. The ark is missing from the list, and the glory had gone. The return under Zerubbabel is real but partial; the glory comes back in full only when salvation comes out of Zion.