Rebuilding Temple And Wall Amidst Adversity
The rebuilding of the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile was a significant undertaking, frequently characterized by adversity and opposition. The prophet Daniel foretold that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, "even in times of affliction" [1]. This prophecy found fulfillment in the historical accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah.
After the return from captivity, the Jewish community began the work of rebuilding the Temple, which had been originally constructed by King Solomon [3, 4, 6]. However, this effort immediately faced resistance. Adversaries, identified as the people whom Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, had settled in the region, sought to prevent the construction [8]. They initially offered to participate, claiming to worship the same God, but their offer was rejected by Zerubbabel and the leaders, who recognized their intent to hinder the work [8, 15]. When their attempts to join were rebuffed, these adversaries actively discouraged the builders and misrepresented their intentions to the Persian king, leading to a cessation of the work for a period [15].
Later, Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem to find the city's walls desolate and its gates burned [2]. He rallied the people, urging them to rebuild the wall so they would no longer be a "reproach" [2]. This project also encountered significant opposition from neighboring peoples [14]. Despite these challenges, the wall was eventually rebuilt, and gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed [5]. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on Zechariah notes that "all adversities formerly attended them when neglecting to build the temple," but God promised blessings as an encouragement to energy in the work [9].
Augustine observed that the Jewish nation experienced continuous adversity after the rebuilding of the Temple, from that time until the birth of Christ, suggesting that this period of affliction served to prove a deeper spiritual truth [7]. The Babylonian Talmud discusses the practicalities of rebuilding walls, noting that a wall leaning dangerously into the public domain may be demolished and rebuilt immediately due to the danger it poses [11, 12, 13]. This highlights a rabbinic understanding of necessary reconstruction, even if it implies urgency over other considerations. The command to rebuild Jerusalem and its Temple is seen by some interpreters as marking the beginning of Daniel's seventy "weeks" prophecy, with various decrees from Persian kings (Cyrus, Artaxerxes) considered as potential starting points for this prophetic timeline [10].
Sources
- Daniel “Daniel 9:25 (LITV) — Know, then, and understand that from the going out of a word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction.”
- Nehemiah “Nehemiah 2:17 (NASB) — Then I said to them, "You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem is desolate and its gates burned by fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach."”
- I Kings “I Kings 6:5 (LEB) — and he built a structure against the wall of the temple running all along the walls of the house, for the outer sanctuary and for the inner sanctuary, and made side rooms all around.”
- Ezra “Ezra 5:11 (BSB) — And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.”
- Nehemiah “Nehemiah 7:1 (NASB) — Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed,”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, CHAPTER 5, section 1: . A Description Of The Temple. 1. Now this temple, as I have already said, was built upon a strong hill. At first the plain at the top was hardly sufficient for the holy house and the altar, for the ground about it was very uneven, and like a precipice; but when king Solomon, who was the person that built the temple, had built a wall to it on its east side, there was then added one cloister founded on a bank cast up for it, and on the other parts the holy house stood naked. But in future ages the people added new banks, 12 and the h”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 45.--THAT THE JEWS CEASED TO HAVE PROPHETS AFTER THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE, AND FROM THAT TIME UNTIL THE BIRTH OF CHRIST WERE AFFLICTED WITH CONTINUAL ADVERSITY, TO PROVE THAT THE BUILDING OF (part 1): The Jewish nation no doubt became worse after it ceased to have prophets, just at the very time when, on the rebuilding of the temple after the captivity in Babylon, it hoped to become better. For so, indeed, did that car- 388 nal people understand what was foretold by Haggai the prophet, saying, "The glory of this latter house ”
- Ezra (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Ezra 4 (introduction): The adversaries of the Jews prevent the building of the temple till the reign of Darius (Ezr 4:1, Ezr 4:2). When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the community which had returned from captivity were beginning to rebuild the temple, they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chiefs of the people, and desired to take part in this work, because they also sacrificed to the God of Israel. These adversaries were, according to Ezr 4:2, the people whom Esarhaddon king of Assyria had settled in the neighbourhood of Benjamin and Judah. If we compare wi”
- Zechariah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Zechariah 8:9: All adversities formerly attended them when neglecting to build the temple: but now God promises all blessings, as an encouragement to energy in the work. hands . . . strong--be of courageous mind (Sa2 16:21), not merely in building, but in general, as having such bright prospects (Zac 8:13, &c.). these days--the time that had elapsed between the prophet's having spoken "these words" and the time (Zac 8:10; compare Hag 2:15-19) when they set about in earnest restoring the temple. the prophets--Haggai and Zechariah himself (Ezr 5:1-2). The same ”
- Daniel (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Daniel 9:25: 9:25 The command . . . to rebuild Jerusalem and its Temple marks the beginning of the seventy sets of seven. The event that best fits this description is the decree of Cyrus the Great in 538 BC that allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding (see 5:31; 9:1; Ezra 1:2-4). Less likely are the decrees of Artaxerxes I in 458 BC (see Ezra 7:12-26) and 445 BC (see Neh 2:5-8). • a ruler—the Anointed One: Many interpreters see Christ as fulfilling this prophecy, so they understand this passage as describing history from the time of Daniel to the time of C”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Moed Katan 7a.7: And some say that this baraita was cited not to support Rav Ḥisda’s opinion but in order to refute it, as follows: Come and hear that which is taught in a baraita : With regard to a wall that is leaning toward the public domain and is likely to fall, one may demolish and rebuild it in his usual manner, due to the danger that it poses to passersby. The Gemara explains: The baraita indicates that if the need to build the wall is due to the danger that it poses, yes, he is permitted to rebuild the wall, but if the reason is not due to the danger, no, he is not ”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Moed Katan 58b.13:7: And some say that this baraita was cited not to support Rav Ḥisda’s opinion but in order to refute it, as follows: Come and hear that which is taught in a baraita : With regard to a wall that is leaning toward the public domain and is likely to fall, one may demolish and rebuild it in his usual manner, due to the danger that it poses to passersby. The Gemara explains: The baraita indicates that if the need to build the wall is due to the danger that it poses, yes, he is permitted to rebuild the wall, but if the reason is not due to the danger, no, he is ”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Moed Katan 58a.13:7: And some say that this baraita was cited not to support Rav Ḥisda’s opinion but in order to refute it, as follows: Come and hear that which is taught in a baraita : With regard to a wall that is leaning toward the public domain and is likely to fall, one may demolish and rebuild it in his usual manner, due to the danger that it poses to passersby. The Gemara explains: The baraita indicates that if the need to build the wall is due to the danger that it poses, yes, he is permitted to rebuild the wall, but if the reason is not due to the danger, no, he is ”
- Zechariah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Zechariah 8:10: 8:10 enemies: The neighboring peoples opposed the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 4). Later, enemies opposed Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem (Neh 4).”
- Ezra (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ezra 4 (introduction): The good work of rebuilding the temple was no sooner begun than it met with opposition from those that bore ill will to it; the Samaritans were enemies to the Jews and their religion, and they set themselves to obstruct it. I. They offered to be partners in the building of it, that they might have it in their power to retard it; but they were refused (Ezr 4:1-3). II. They discouraged them in it, and dissuaded them from it (Ezr 4:4, Ezr 4:5). III. They basely misrepresented the undertaking, and the undertakers, to the king of Persia, by a memorial they se”