Ezra 7:19, commentary and pictures

The vessels given for the service of the house of God were to be delivered before the God of Jerusalem, brought to the temple in Jerusalem and placed under His care and set apart for worship in the reorganization of the temple services. This direction belongs to the decree of Artaxerxes authorizing Ezra's return to Jerusalem and the restoration of the city and its temple services. That decree in its complete form was issued by Artaxerxes in his seventh year, in 457 B.C., taking effect in autumn near the end of the year, completing what was begun under Cyrus and continued under Darius. That 457 B.C. date is the starting point for reckoning the 2,300 years of Daniel 8:14, and the same commandment to restore and build Jerusalem begins the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:25-27, whose stated events were fulfilled on schedule. The 2,300 years were counted in so plain a way that even children could understand it, first bringing the close to 1843 with the coming of the Lord, but because the decree went into effect near the end of 457 B.C. the period reached to the fall of 1844, and the apparent delay past 1843 did not mean the vision had failed.

Temple Gifts and Return

The verse belongs to the decree in Ezra 7 authorizing Ezra's return to Jerusalem and the restoration of Jerusalem and its temple services. In its complete form that decree was issued by Artaxerxes in 457 B.C., and together with what was begun under Cyrus and continued under Darius it authorized the restoration. It took effect in autumn near the end of that year. The command directs that the vessels given for the service of the house of God be delivered before the God of Jerusalem, to the temple in Jerusalem, placing the gifts under God's care and setting them apart for worship and supporting the reorganization of the temple services.

Artaxerxes bestowed rich gifts for the temple service, including vessels to be delivered before the God of Jerusalem, because Ezra declared his perfect trust in the God of Israel as abundantly able to protect and care for His people. Ezra had asked to return to Jerusalem to revive interest in the study of God's word and to help his brethren restore the holy city, and the king understood that the Israelites were returning to serve Jehovah. Being deeply impressed and having great confidence in Ezra's integrity, the king granted his request and showed him marked favor. He made him a special representative of the Medo-Persian kingdom and gave him extensive powers to carry out the purposes in his heart. The king's provision of resources for the temple service and enabling of the Jews to return from seventy years of captivity in Babylon gave renewed opportunity to serve God in their own country, showing the Lord's forbearance toward His wayward people.

Prophecy of Twenty-Three Hundred Years

The decree to which the verse belongs was issued by Artaxerxes in his seventh year, in 457 B.C., and in its complete form it completed what was begun under Cyrus and continued under Darius, authorizing the restoration of Jerusalem and its temple service. It took effect in autumn near the end of the year. That 457 B.C. date serves as the starting point for reckoning the 2,300 years of Daniel 8:14. The same commandment to restore and build Jerusalem also begins the seventy weeks and the prophetic periods in Daniel 9:25-27, whose stated events were fulfilled on schedule.

Counting 2,300 years from 457 was calculated in so plain a way that even children could understand it, and was first taken to bring the close of the period to the year 1843 with the coming of the Lord. Because the decree was issued near the end of 457 B.C., the period did not end in 1843 as first expected but reached the fall of 1844. The apparent delay past 1843 did not mean the prophetic vision had failed.