Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 6:19
And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth [day] of the first month.
19. The Hebrew is here resumed.
the children of the captivity ] cf. Ezr 6:16, Ezr 8:35.
kept the passover ] on the 14th of the 1st month (Nisan) as was commanded in Exo 12:6. Very few celebrations of the Passover are recorded. Besides the original occasion of the Passover, we only read in the O.T. of its being kept (1) under Moses on the second year after the Exodus (Num 9:5), (2) under Joshua at Gilgal after the reconsecration of the people by the rite of circumcision (Jos 5:10), (3) in the reign of Hezekiah, after the purification of the Temple (2Ch 30:1-2, ff.), (4) in the reign of Josiah, after the religious reformation (2Ki 23:21; 2 Chronicles 35), (5) under Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
On each of these occasions the celebration of the Passover marks a new or a restored order of worship, and the solemn rededication by the people of their Covenant relation with God.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
With this verse the writer resumes the use of the Hebrew language, which he had discarded for the Chaldee from Ezr 4:8. With the exception of the letter of Artaxerxes Ezr 7:12-26, all the remainder of the book is in Hebrew.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. The month Nisan or Abib, which was the month following that in which the temple was finished, Ezr 6:15, this passover was kept at the exact time the law commanded, Ex 12:2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Celebration of the feast of the passover, and of the feast of unleavened bread, in the year following the dedication, as an historical testimony to the fact that the worship of God with its festivals was regularly carried on in the new temple.
Ezr 6:19-20 The feast of the passover, on the fourteenth day of the first month, took place only a few weeks after the dedication of the temple. The reason given in Ezr 6:20 – for the priests and Levites had purified themselves without exception ( , like Ezr 3:9); they were all clean, and they killed the passover for all the sons of the captivity (i.e., the laity who had returned from exile), and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves – has in this connection the meaning: Then the congregation celebrated the passover, and they were able to keep and to eat the passover, because the priests had purified themselves that they might be qualified for performing the office incumbent upon them of sprinkling the blood; and the Levites were also clean, that they might be able to kill the lambs for the whole congregation (comp. the remarks on 2Ch 30:17, etc., and 2Ch 35:11, 2Ch 35:14). From the days of Josiah, it seems to have been customary for the Levites to take the place of the heads of families (Exo 12:6, etc.) in slaughtering the passover lambs for the whole community, both priesthood and laity: for the laity, that no person who was unclean might kill the paschal lamb; for the priests, that their labours might be lightened, the sprinkling of blood and the offering of sacrifices occupying them far into the night (2Ch 35:11, 2Ch 35:14-15). And this custom was followed at this time also. The priests are called , brethren of the Levites, as in 2Ch 29:34; 2Ch 35:15.
Ezr 6:21 Thus the sons of Israel who had returned from captivity, and all that had separated themselves unto them from the uncleanness of the heathen of the country to seek Jahve the God of Israel, could eat the passover. = , Ezr 10:2, Ezr 10:11, are the heathen races dwelling in Palestine. The expression is not essentially different from , Ezr 9:1., Ezr 3:3, and is only distinguishable therefrom, inasmuch as the latter appellation includes not merely the heathen inhabitants of Palestine, but also the heathen of other lands, as the Moabites, Ammonites, Egyptians, etc. (Ezr 9:1.). Those who had separated themselves from the uncleanness of the heathen to them (the Jews) to seek Jahve, are not proselytes from heathenism (Aben Ezra, Rashi, Clericus, and others), but Israelites, who had till now lived in Palestine, and mingled with the heathen inhabitants of the land. They were descended from those Israelites whom the kings of Assyria and Babylon had not carried away from the realms of Israel and Judah, and who with respect to religion had combined heathenism and the worship of Jahve (2Ki 17:32, etc.), and thus defiled themselves with heathen impurity, but who now, after the erection of the temple, joined themselves to the new community, for the purpose of worshipping with them the God of their fathers in His temple, according to the law of Moses. For, as Bertheau rightly remarks, “in the days of Ezra the princes of the new community complain that the laity, the priests, and Levites do not separate from the people of the lands (Ezr 9:1); reference is made to the dangers which threaten the Israelites, because they dwell in the holy land among the unclean (Ezr 9:10). To separate from the uncleanness of the nations means to renounce intermarriage and other connection with them. Ezr 10:2, Ezr 10:10. They are Israelites who are summoned, Ezr 10:11, to separate from the peoples of the land; the seed of Israel is, in Neh 9:2, separated from the sons of the stranger, and in Neh 10:29 they who separate from them are evidently Israelites, for, when they bind themselves to walk according to the law of God, they are said to join their brethren, i.e., their fellow-countrymen.” Hence in this passage also we cannot but regard those who separated themselves as Israelites, dissolving their connection with the heathen for the sake of the God of Israel.
Ezr 6:22 Hereupon they kept the feast of unleavened bread for seven days with joy; for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned to them (i.e., had made them joyful by turning to them) the heart of the king of Assyria. With regard to the expression, comp. 2Ch 20:27; Neh 12:43. The king of Assur is the Persian king Darius, who as ruler of the former realm of Assyria is thus designated. The turning of this king’s heart to them consisted in this, that their hands were strengthened for the work of the house of God, i.e., that through the goodwill of the king they were enabled to complete the building of their temple, and to restore the worship of the God of Israel. On , comp. 1Sa 23:19.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Passover, Verses 19-22
There does not seem to be any evidence that the Jews were able to observe the passover while in captivity, although they may have. Now, however, they are able to observe this most significant of all their feasts again in their own land. What an impressive experience it must have been! The sincerity of the people in their worship and devotion to God is demonstrated in the statement in verse 20 that every one of the priests and Levites had purified themselves to officiate in and observe the passover. This had not always been true in past times (2Ch 29:3).
The 21st verse indicates that the returned Jews from the captivity were ceremonially cleansed for the passover, but that some of those who were already in the land before the return, had to separate themselves from filthiness acquired by association with the heathen people dwelling in the land. So the passover was observed, then succeeded by the week of unleavened bread as provided in the law (Exo 12:14 ff). The Scripture says the people were happy because the Lord made them joyful, for He had “turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.” Here Darius is called the king of Assyria, though Persia was the dominant nation at that time. Assyria had been the first of the great Gentile kingdoms to overrun Israel, and is often used to stand for the heathen power opposed to God’s people.
The joyful experience of these returned Jews is in keeping with God’s promises to all who serve Him. Jesus stated to His disciples, “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (Joh 16:20).
Some practical points: 1) There are no obstacles too great for the Lord to accomplish His will; 2) God will supply all that is needful for the work of His people; 3) terrible is the judgment on those who would oppose God’s work; 4) the Lord’s work goes smoothly forward when people are in accord; 5) there is a “morning of joy” for God’s people (Psa 30:5).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
4. The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread observed
TEXT, Ezr. 6:19-22
19
And the exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month.
20
For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
21
And the sons of Israel who returned from the exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the LORD God of Israel, ate the Passover.
22
And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the Lord had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
COMMENT
Ezr. 6:19 takes us to the next major event at the Temple: the observance of the Passover in the following month, after the pattern of Exodus 12. We see the appropriateness of the feast for the occasion as it is a reminder of the event which gave birth to their nation; now they were celebrating its rebirth.
Ezr. 6:20 reports a deviation from previous practice relating to the Passover: the Levites now slaughtered the lambs as a service to the people and even the priests.
In Ezr. 6:21, it is not clear whether the sons of Israel and those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations are the same or two different groups. This could refer to Israel and to the Gentile proselytes or else Jewish backsliders. Or it could be commenting on the fact that Israel was now at last cleansed from her impure associations with the heathen. Since the second group joined the first, to seek Israels God, it would be more reasonable to see here a host of foreigners, similar to the mixed multitude (Exo. 12:38) when Israel left Egypt, who joined with them now in the worship of the true God.
In Ezr. 6:22, the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread followed and was a continuation of the Passover. As the removal of all leaven from their houses symbolized the purging out of all their old sins, so now they were wiping the slate clean of heathen involvement going all the way back to the Canaanites and the conquest under Joshua, and which had reached its logical end in their being led away by foreigners.
The prayer of Solomon (1Ki. 8:50) was now answered, as God turned the heart of the king in sympathy toward them.
One problem remains: what is the king of Assyria doing here? This may be a way of referring to the king of the Persian empire, which had conquered the conquerors of Assyria and whose empire now succeeded and encompassed theirs. This loose kind of reference was common in that day, so it is possible. But why would the author choose the confusing term, king of Assyria, in place of the simple term which he. had been using previously, i.e., the king of Persia? It may be a deliberate effort to remind the reader of that series of events that began with the Assyrian invasion of Israel, and that the entire era had now come to a welcome close. What one king of Assyria had begun to destroy; God caused another king over the land of Assyria to repair.
One. further comment on the chapter: note the joy in Ezr. 6:16; Ezr. 6:22. This we are assured was the result of their keeping the Lords commands, and will be the result equally of our attention to His Word.
WORD STUDIES
DARIUS: Preserver, conservator. His name very aptly describes the character of his reign. Cyrus had brought the nation to greatness, and Darius preserved and extended that which Cyrus had begun.
BURNT OFFERING: that which ascends. (The base of this word appears in the second component of the name of the Israeli airline, EL AL.) Two ideas may be present: (1) the total offering ascended in smoke to God, or (2) the priest ascended to the altar with the offering.
PASSOVER: (Pasach: the word, Paschal, comes from this.) To leap over, or pass over (a stream, for example). When God passed over the doors of the Israelites, they were spared, or delivered (Exo. 12:13; Exo. 12:27). Therefore the word almost always refers to this sparing or deliverance.
UNLEAVENED: (The word, matzoth, comes from this): the word imitates the sound of sucking something out with relish: hence, something sweet, i.e., unleavened or unfermented.
SUMMARY
Darius initiated a search that turned up Cyrus original order for the rebuilding of the Temple with government funds, He therefore ordered the co-operation of the officials in the total Beyond-Euphrates area, of which Israel was a part, in collecting funds and in permitting the reconstruction.
Violators were to be punished with the full severity of which the law was capable. All ranks of leaders in Israel, religious and secular, institutional (priests) and individual (prophets), got behind the project and speeded it to completion in a little more than four years. With joy the citizens of Israel celebrated at the dedication ceremonies, sin offerings, and renewal of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. All of these were done to follow the pattern of worship handed down by Moses.
Because this chapter marks the end of an era, some regard it as the end of the seventy years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. The beginning would be counted from 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was finally overthrown and the last of the captives carried off.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(19) Upon the fourteenth day of the first month.Recording the special celebration of the Passoverafter the precedent of Hezekiah and JosiahEzra returns to the Hebrew language. The occasion was, as it were, a renewal of the redemption from Egypt, and another wilderness had been passed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE PASSOVER OBSERVED, Ezr 6:19-22.
19. The fourteenth day The day of old appointed for the killing of the paschal lamb. Exo 12:6.
The first month Nisan, which followed immediately after Adar. Compare Ezr 6:15. The year is not mentioned, but it was, doubtless, the very next month after the feast of dedication, which the writer had just described. As Israel improved the first opportunity after they entered Canaan to celebrate the passover, (Jos 5:10,) so now they do the same at the earliest opportunity after they have returned from exile and finished the house of God. Then the reproach of Egypt had just been rolled away, (Jos 5:9,) now the reproach of Babylon had ceased.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Writer Now Commences Again In Hebrew.
The writer now changes back from using Aramaic to using Hebrew. This is in order that the whole passage from Ezr 4:1 to Ezr 6:22, although written mainly in Aramaic, might be enveloped in Hebrew. In the opening and closing passages, which are in Hebrew (Ezr 4:1-7 and Ezr 6:19-22) the emphasis is on what God’s people were doing. In the Aramaic section the emphasis is on the activities of the Persians, even though in relation to the people of God. It was partly necessary, and more convenient, because the primary documents cited were in Aramaic.
The Celebration Of The Passover ( Ezr 6:19-22 ).
This would not have been the first Passover celebrated since the return, it would have been observed every year. But this was an unusually joyous one, for it was the first Passover that they had celebrated in connection with their new Temple. Now they really felt that Israel was established in the land. We can compare how Israel had first observed the Passover on entering the land after the Exodus (Jos 5:10-11). They now met as a pure people free from the taints of foreign surroundings, and with their worship established. It was now over a month since the Temple had been dedicated.
Ezr 6:19
‘And the children of the captivity kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.’
As was required in the book of Moses they who had returned from exile observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of Nisan, the first month of their religious calendar, along with all in the land who had maintained their pure worship of YHWH (Ezr 6:21).
Ezr 6:20
‘For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together. All of them were pure. And they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brothers the priests, and for themselves.’
It had become the custom at this time for the Levites to have a part to play in the celebration of the Passover. This comes out in 2 Chronicles 35 where Josiah called on them to sanctify themselves in readiness for their service at the Passover (see 2Ch 35:6). In readiness for this service the priests and Levites here purified themselves together. This would partly be through avoiding all that was unclean, and partly by washing their clothes and abstaining from sex. The result was that all of them were pure. Thus they were in a position to kill the passover lambs for all those who had returned from exile, and for any of their brothers the priests who were not in a state to be able to kill the lambs, for example the ones who had not been able to prove their ancestry, and those who were disabled. They were also able to kill then for themselves.
Ezr 6:21
‘And the children of Israel who were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves to them from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek YHWH, the God of Israel, did eat,’
Thus all the returned exiles partook of the Passover, along with all in the land who had either remained faithful to YHWH, and all, either Jew or Gentile, who had forsaken their unclean ways and their idolatry in order to seek YHWH, the God of Israel. All such ate of the Passover.
Ezr 6:22
‘And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy. For YHWH had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.’
And following the Passover they observed the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread as was the usual practise (Lev 23:4-8). And they did it with especial joy because they had been enabled to complete the building of the Temple, and were now able to use it for worship. And this was because YHWH had ‘turned the heart of the king of Assyria’, namely Darius.
But why should he be called the King of Assyria here? We have seen Cyrus called, in this book, the King of Persia (Ezr 1:1-2). And he is also called King of Babylon (Ezr 5:13) because he righted what the former king of Babylon had done. And this did, of course, mean that he was the King of Assyria, for he ruled over the former Babylonian empire which had conquered Assyria. He was also in non-Biblical records called King of Egypt, King of Sumer and Akkad, and King of Anshan to name but three. However, we still have to ask the question, why the writer should use this title of Darius here? One probable reason is that it was the kings of Assyria who had initially defiled the Temple. It was they who had ‘persuaded’ Ahaz to introduce a false altar into it, certainly connected with false gods (2Ki 16:10-15; 2Ch 28:23; 2Ch 28:25). Equally certainly it was the Assyrians who had caused Manasseh to install the worship of the host of heaven in the Temple (2Ki 21:3-5; 2Ch 33:3). Furthermore the kings of Assyria are mentioned in Nehemiah as ones who had initially ‘brought trouble on Israel’ (Neh 9:32). Thus, comparing the situation with that of Babylon in Ezr 5:13, it would have been seen as only poetic justice that a king who was ‘King of Assyria’, should be the one who assisted in the building of a new pure Temple. It revealed the hand of God.
There are also grounds for thinking that at this time Assyria had become the symbol of great and proud empire (as Babylon would later), and certainly the Persian kings saw themselves as successors to both the Assyrian and the Babylonian empires. This would tie in with what is said above.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Ezr 6:19 And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth [day] of the first month.
Ver. 19. And the children of the captivity ] So the returned captives are called, first, to keep still afoot the remembrance of their late misery, lest they should despise the chastening of the Lord, Heb 12:5 . Secondly, to remind them of that signal mercy of their return to their own country. Hence doth the evangelist Matthew so oft mention their transportation to Babylon, and rings it in the ears of his ungrateful countrymen, Mat 1:11-12 ; Mat 1:17 .
Kept the passover
Upon the fourteenth day of the first month
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Ezr 6:19-22
19The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth of the first month. 20For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure. Then they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, both for their brothers the priests and for themselves. 21The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the LORD God of Israel, ate the Passover. 22And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Ezr 6:19 The Aramaic section concludes at Ezr 6:18 and the Hebrew resumes until Ezr 7:12-26, which again is Aramaic.
Ezr 6:20 all of them were pure This phrase is similar in purpose to Ezr 3:1 (i.e., gathered as one man), which denotes the unity of the Jews during this difficult but victorious period.
Ezr 6:21 all those who had separated themselves God demanded that His people be different from the nations (cf. Deuteronomy 7). They were to love and obey the covenant God of Israel. This separation involved those who never compromised with pagan cultures and those who repented and turned from their involvement with pagan culture. Either of these could eat the Passover. God is the compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in covenant loyalty (cf. Neh 9:17) One!
Israel was meant to disclose YHWH to the world, but she failed (cf. Eze 36:22-38). Covenant obedience is crucial!
to seek the LORD God of Israel The opposite of separate from (Ezr 6:21) is to seek (BDB 205, KB233, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT). Good parallels of the necessity of seeking and the promise of finding are 1Ch 28:9 and 2Ch 7:14. Humans seek and YHWH reveals Himself. He satisfies the human longing and searching for fellowship and intimacy with the God in whose image we were created (cf. Deu 4:29). However, there are covenant conditions (cf. 1Ch 15:2).
Ezr 6:22 the king of Assyria If literal, this seems to be out of place and unexplainable! This may refer to Cyrus or Darius (cf. Josephus’, Antiq. 11.4.8). The Persian king used several titles (i.e., Ezr 5:13, Cyrus is called King of Babylon). Nehemiah uses this title as a collective term for all the kings of the eighth through fifth centuries in Neh 9:32.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. Why is there such a delay between the starting of the temple in 538 B.C. and its finishing in 516 B.C.?
2. Why did the Jews object to the Samaritan’s help?
3. Why did the Persian king need to have the Aramaic translated?
4. Why is Ezr 4:6-23 thought to be a parenthesis?
5. Why is the Day of Atonement never mentioned in the Books of Ezra or Nehemiah?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
And, &c. Here recommences the Hebrew language. See note on Ezr 4:8.
kept the passover. One of the ten so recorded. See note on Exo 12:28.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Ezr 6:19-22
Ezr 6:19-22
THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL KEPT THE PASSOVER
“And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were pure: and they killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. And the children of Israel that were come again out of the captivity, and all such as had separated themselves from the filthiness of the nations of the land, to seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, did eat, and kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for Jehovah had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”
“With Ezr 6:19, the writer resumes the Hebrew language, which he had discarded for the Chaldee, beginning at Ezr 4:8. With the exception of the letter of Artaxerxes (Ezr 7:12-26), the remainder of the book is in Hebrew.”
“All of them were pure” (Ezr 6:20). It is not exactly clear, as the translation reads, but Cook assures us that a contrast is drawn between the universal purity of the Levites and the more general purity of the priests. “This made it fitting that the Levites should slaughter all the consume.”
“And all such as had separated themselves from the filthiness of the nations of the land” (Ezr 6:21). Here, these are contrasted with the returnees from captivity. “These were those who were left in Palestine by Nebuchadnezzar and had become mixed with the heathen population.”
“Jehovah … turned the heart of the king of Assyria” (Ezr 6:22). This is a reference, of course, to Darius I the king of Persia. However it is definitely not “a scribal error” as charged by Cundall. Darius was king of Persia and also king of Babylon, but as the ruler of the former Assyrian Empire, he was also “King of Assur,” as Keil stated it.
E.M. Zerr:
Ezr 6:19. Children of the captivity means the children of Israel that had just come back from the land of the captivity, having been released by Cyrus.
Ezr 6:20. Purified together refers to the law of Moses that required all persons to be clean, both actually and ceremonially, before they were permitted to partake of the feasts. See Num 9:6-11 and Num 19:11-22. These passages give the general requirements as to uncleanness, all conditions coming under the rule must comply with the law for ceremonial cleansing. These members of the tribe of Levi had attended to the demands of the law, thereby qualifying them to prepare the passover for the others as well as for partaking of it themselves.
Ezr 6:21. The children of Israel who had come up from Babylon had to be purified according to the law. There were others who had been living in the land of Palestine and thus in connection with the heathen of the land. These last named persons had separated themselves unto them. This means the ones who had been living in Palestine in the midst of the idolaters of the country, complied with the law of purification, then joined themselves to the ones lately come in from Babylon. All of them together took part in the great feast, mutually rejoicing in the favorable situation.
Ezr 6:22. The feast of unleavened bread was kept immediately following the passover. (Exo 12:18-20; Exo 13:7-9; Deu 16:3.) Politically speaking, the “land of the captivity” was a Persian territory and ruled by Persian kings. But from a geographical standpoint it was the old country of Assyria. That is why we have the expression king of Assyria, really meaning the Persian king. He had strengthened their hands as we have seen in this chapter, by furnishing them materials, and it was a time of great rejoicing among the people of God. Not only because their term of exile had been terminated, but the former oppressors were in power no more.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
first month
i.e. April.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
the children: Ezr 6:16
kept: Exo 12:6-36, Jos 5:10, 2Ch 30:1 – 2Ch 35:27
Reciprocal: Num 9:2 – his appointed 2Ch 35:1 – the fourteenth Ezr 4:1 – children of the captivity Dan 5:13 – the children
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ezr 6:19. And the children, of the captivity kept the passover Now they were newly delivered out of their bondage in Babylon, it was seasonable to commemorate their deliverance out of their bondage in Egypt. Fresh mercies should put us in mind of former mercies. We may suppose that they had kept the passover, after a sort, every year since their return; for they had an altar and a tabernacle. But they were liable to frequent disturbances from their enemies, were straitened for room, and had not conveniences about them, so that they could not do it with due solemnity, till the temple was built; and now they made a joyful festival of it, it falling out in the next month after the temple was finished and dedicated.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ezr 6:19-22. The Celebration of the Passover.Hebrew is resumed here.
Ezr 6:19. the fourteenth day of the first month: cf. Exo 12:6-20. The leading part taken by the Levites here is not in accordance with earlier practice; this had, however, been gradually modified (see Exo 12:6, 2Ch 30:17; 2Ch 35:10-14).
Ezr 6:21. all such . . . the land: i.e. the descendants of those who had not gone into captivity, but had remained in the land.
Ezr 6:22. the king of Assyria: one expects the king of Persia, but cf. Neh 13:6, where Artaxerxes is called the king of Babylon; cf. Ezr 7:6.