This is consistent with the text of Leviticus 25, which for both Sabbatical and Jubilee years speaks of sowing before mentioning reaping. 25:2), the equivalent of the year of shemittah or release (Deut. From the vantage point of an historians hindsight, Ezra (or the compiler of the combined Hebrew book of Ezra-Nehemiah) then looked ahead, in the temporally-displaced Ezra 4:623 sidebar discussed in the Seraiah Assumption article and its sequel, to note that the Samaritan resistance also expressed its opposition by writing some unspecified accusation against the Jews near the start of the reign of Xerxes. It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy. Artaxerxes was the second son of Xerxes, who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir Artaban. Hence, we should approach our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar. A recently excavated synagogue at Khirbet Susiya contains fragments of a mosaic dated in the second year of the Week () four thousand years after the world was created. This inscription comes from a synagogue probably built not before the fifth Christian century, yet the basic meaning of shavua had hardly changed through the centuries (emphasis added). 202203 of the above work he states: The ancient Jewish exegesis of Dan. 9:24-27 differs from modern scholarship in two significant ways. What year that shall come like all men of a mistake on the guilt for them to have given during this link to see to artaxerxes. The connection with the Feast of Booths confirms this; that feast takes place in Tishri, which was the beginning, not end, of the agriculture-based calendar that sabbatical and Jubilee year counting was tied to (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1a). The point I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to city rebuilding. This one includes inquiring about Judah and the city of Jerusalem, not just the Temple; freedom to use some of the provided funds without restrictions; and the appointment of officials tasked with enforcing obedience not merely to the Persian monarch, but to the commandments of God. By extension, the idea that the complaint of Tabeel et al was not submitted to Artaxerxes until after Ezra arrived in 457 BC with his small group is unworkable. Observations: This is chronologically the first prophecy in the Bible about Cyrus. At that point, Nehemiah led the charge to reinforce the gates of the temple and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which took 49 years and equates to the first 7-week period. With that done, the 457 BC date will be regarded as established. facebook twitter youtube instagram newsletter Search. 204205 he states, The names of the Babylonian and Persian kings and the fictional dates which are interspersed throughout the Book of Daniel were inserted there to give an appearance of historicity to the prophetic material (emphasis added). You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste. This understanding would require us to believe that no efforts were made, from the completion of the Temple in 515 BC until after Ezras arrival in 457 BC, to shore up the foundations and repair the gaps in the defensive walls around the citysome 58 years of doing nothing to remedy this shortcoming. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [emphasis added]. Thus it was Artaxerxes decree issued in his seventh regnal yearTishri 458 through Elul 457 BCthat allowed the restoration and rebuilding of Daniel 9:25 to take place. No matter what your level of interest, from keeping abreast of the fascinating research that comes out of the field work, to actively participating in an archaeological dig, you can become an integral part of our ministry. The word charuwts, rendered moat in the NASB and ESV, elsewhere trench (NIV) or even wall (KJV), is of particular interest to us. Verses 24 through 26 inform us that it is God who says (Heb. Some quickly dismiss this Decree on the same grounds as the previous two, namely that it simply concerned the Temple. To neglect them carried a severe penalty: Leviticus 26:1415, 3235: But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenantI will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be appalled over it. 15:12), when debts were canceled and land lay fallow. Since the rebuilt Temple was dedicated just six months after that, on Adar 3 (March 12), 515 BC (Ezra 6:15), it appears we should understand the destruction of the Temple as an integral part of the lands desolation, part of the spiritual component that accompanied the physicalparticularly since a Jewish remnant, as well as the Samaritans who later gave Nehemiah grief, were still there farming the land during those seventy years, yet not thereby violating its Sabbath rest. This is an old section of the wall of. Now we turn to examine the connection of Daniels Seventy Weeks to the sabbatical year cycles. Observations: This passage quotes the original decree as issued by Cyrus. This decree of Artaxerxes contained the commandment to go forth and build Jerusalem. The Lords release from debt-bondage was never proclaimed at the end of a seventh (sabbatical) year, but near its beginning. Ezra 910). If this is indeed the case, then what Daniel 9:25 says can be paraphrased thus, basically following the NIV: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a ruler, comes, there will be seven sabbatical year cycles (one Jubilee) plus sixty-two sabbatical year cycles. Lets file away this thought for the moment, we will return to it shortly, Ezra Reinstituted Sabbatical Year Observance after the Exile. But this part of the total project was not implemented until the gutsy, shrewd administrator Nehemiah arrived years later, spurring the apathetic Jews into actually doing what they had been allowed to do since the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus. Here we present the extended passage, Isaiah 1:2126: How the faithful city has become a harlot,She who was full of justice!Righteousness once lodged in her,But now murderers.Your silver has become dross,Your drink diluted with water.Your rulers are rebelsAnd companions of thieves;Everyone loves a bribeAnd chases after rewards.They do not defend the orphan,Nor does the widow's plea come before them.Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts,The Mighty One of Israel, declares,Ah, I will be relieved of My adversariesAnd avenge Myself on My foes.I will also turn My hand against you,And will smelt away your dross as with lyeAnd will remove all your alloy.Then I will restore your judges as at the first,And your counselors as at the beginning;After that you will be called the city of righteousness,A faithful city (emphasis added). Join us in our mission! From this we may tentatively conclude that sabbatical year counting in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC. Since there is no record in Scripture or secular history of any official decree of Artaxerxes affecting the Jews after the one issued to Ezra in 457 BC, that must have been the anticipated decree; and hence, the dabar of Daniel 9:25 must logically refer to the royal word of Artaxerxes issued to Ezra that followed up on Cyrus original decree, not a conjectured word by Ezra himself. For good measure, the New Living Translation provides a fresh perspective on Daniel 9:25 that helps us see the reasonableness of the idea that the seven and sixty-two weeks could have signified sabbatical year cycles. In his 7th year this monarch issued a decree to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. In a word, yes. There was nothing indirect or oblique about this. Nevertheless, from this assumption he then suggests the Jews who came up from you must refer to those who had arrived from Artaxerxes with Ezra in 457 BC. King Saul and the Witch of Endor: Necromancy and Ghost Pits in the Ancient World, The Parthian War Paradigm and the Reign of Herod the Great, Top Ten Discoveries Related to Moses and the Exodus, Further Ruminations on the Shroud of Turin, A Note from Dr. Scott Stripling on Shiloh and the Mt Ebal Discovery, The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet, Featuring Dr. Scott Stripling on CenterPoint, ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found, "We Saw His Star in the East": Thoughts on the Star of Bethlehem, Debunking the City of David Temple Myth with Archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling, Caesar Augustus: An Archaeological Biography, Away in a Manger, But Not in a Barn: An Archaeological Look at the Nativity, The Supreme Authority of Scripture (Part Two), Three Things in Babylon Daniel Likely Saw, Important Biblical Archaeological Discoveries in 2021: An Update from Dr. Bryant Wood, The Supreme Authority of Scripture (Part One). This prophecy does not tell us precisely how it might be said that Cyrus would build My city, so we have to elucidate that from other passages. Ezras Reforms were Part of the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:25. This is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes' reign from outside sources. Know therefore and understand,That from the going forth of the commandTo restore and build JerusalemUntil Messiah the Prince,There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. Bear with me for a moment while I make a seeming digression. It was in this time frame, specifically in 457 B.C., the seventh year of Artaxerxes (see verses 7-8) that the king gave permission to Ezra to lead a band of exiles back to Jerusalem. A Christian Apologetics Ministry Dedicated to Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the Bible through Archaeological and Biblical Research. This is hard to believe. This means that the primary authorization for Nehemiahs work must be traced back to the decree of Artaxerxes seventh year, which he anticipated issuing earlier in Ezra 4:21: this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me. There was no known decree between the time that statement was made and Nehemiahs arrival, except that of Ezra 7:11 ff, the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe. This was the decree that authorized the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25, and it was issued in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. Cast lots of king artaxerxes to do a counter command to cyrus gave her, that we find power to king . Exodus 21:2 is self-explanatory. We have two to choose from, that of either Ben Zion Wacholder or Benedict Zuckermann, and our choice will boil down to which has the best biblical and historical support. It was not issued by a Persian king from Pasargadae or Persepolis, it was sent forth from Jerusalem by Ezra. This decree actually resulted in the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. Sabbatical and Jubilee years therefore started in Tishri, the month in which the Jewish Rosh HaShanah or New Years Day was celebrated in the past and is celebrated in our own day. For the following reasons, it is proposed that the 458/7-decree is the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem: (1) It fits the time of Christ and (2) It "restored" Jerusalem to the Jews. 20 Gifts You Can Give Your Boss if They Love Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes In 460 BC, Inaros II revolted against the Persians with the help of his Athenian allies, and defeated the Persian army commanded by satrap Akheimenes. The principle of release at the beginning of year seven, not at its end, is also given by several Scriptures: Exodus 21:2: If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment., Deuteronomy 15:9, 12, 18: Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near. Once this is done, God promises to restoreshuwb, the same word as in Daniel 9:25their judges as at the first, and their counselors as at the beginning. This is exactly what God did when he brought in Ezra, who set up magistrates teaching and enforcing the Law of Moses: You, Ezraappoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them (Ezra 7:25). The term 'amar, often simply carrying the meaning to say, is not used elsewhere in Scripture to refer to a formal royal decree, so we should not conclude it necessarily signifies here that Cyrus himself would issue the specific edict authorizing city rebuildingbut he would definitely have something to do with it. There had to be both a physical and a spiritual return for the desolation to be fully lifted. After the 62 7s the Anointed One would . Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting. It reads: Now listen and understand! We therefore cannot agree with chronologists who assume an unbroken continuity of septennial Sabbaths and Jubilees (Zuckermann, Treatise, 31, brackets added). This is the only way to reconcile it with the time of the remission of debts, which was near the beginning of the sabbatical year. They were waiting to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. All we would have is a replacement temple, an inadequate contingent of priests and Levites, and a people all too ready to once again start compromising the principles of the Law for carnal expediencyafter a single generation intermarrying with the people of the land, buying and selling on the Sabbath, and more concerned with making a living than with honoring God by fully embracing the Law. Now we will dig a bit more deeply into Daniel 9:25, for there is additional light we can derive from that verse which gives a more complete understanding of its implications. Another matter which must be taken into consideration is that sabbatical years of the post-exilic period had to be reset when the Jews returned to the Land under Ezra. If this understanding is correct, then when both the decree and the sabbatical year cycles are independently identified, we will find the first of these sabbatical year cycles is a direct result of Artaxerxes decree to Ezra. For this reason it appears Shea is mistaken here. The three main leaders of this time were Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. From this point forward, there would be another 434 years as Israel waited for the coming of the Messiah. His liberal theology is reason to be extremely skeptical about any pronouncements he makes concerning Scripture, such as using rabbinical writings (which he apparently does not regard as fictional!) The context of this passage is the situation just before the Babylonian captivity; as the ESV Study Bible notes for Isaiah 1:2428 express it, The prophet looks forward to a cleansed people after the historical judgment of the exile, restored to its mission. It promises the LORDs judgment on the nation, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the surrounding nationswill be removed. Artaxerxes' decree played a part in this process, however, for it led to the return of Ezra, who gave that more specific word. But Artaban sought the crown for himself, and therefore aimed at . Thus, it reveals the key year in which Christ was to begin His ministry! Thus the going forth of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in Dan 9:25 was Ezras word, not the decree of Artaxerxes. Besides, if the creditor had waited until the end of the seventh year, the debtor would have given him seven years of service, not six! 2 i s-a gsit la Ahmeta, ca It was only after Ezra, the priest and scribe, came and began to teach and admonish the people that full obedience to all that the Law of Moses required was insisted upon. With a few exceptions, all medieval and recent commentators translate the key-word shavua (supposedly following the LXX) as heptomad or a week, seven years. Since no new decree was issued to facilitate the work of Nehemiah, only letters, the latters work starting in 444 BC should be understood as implementing what had already been permitted by Artaxerxes, yet not put into effect due to the people being cowed by continued Samaritan opposition. Sabbatical Years Began in the Month of Tishri. appearing before Artaxerxes. As Jacob Myers points out in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah on this verse, the LXX in Codex Vaticanus renders from you as from Cyrus, consistent with the view adopted here, so this interpretation is of long standing. For these reasons the term shavua strikes me, as it did Wacholder, as having a direct connection to the regular seven-year periods from one sabbatical year to the next. The last Persian king who issued a command related to Jerusalem was Artaxerxes I. Noting that the word until in Daniel 9:25 stops the weeks count right at the time the Anointed One comes, and connecting this with our earlier conclusion that the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the winter of 458/457 BC shortly before Ezras departure, we should thus consider the possibility that sixty-nine sabbatical year cycles would completely pass between Tishri 1, 457 BC and the comingwhatever form that might takeof the Anointed One, the Messiah. Exodus 23:1011: You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. Isaiah 45:1, 3, 4, 13: Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me. I have aroused him in righteousness and I will make all his ways smooth; he will build My city and will let My exiles go free, without any payment or reward, says the LORD of hosts. And The Command To "Restore And Build Jerusalem". Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard (emphasis added). 'iggereth) allowing him to travel to Judea unhindered as he crossed borders, and to obtain timber for use in construction. Therefore, no attempt is made in this study to seek out sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the exile. The high priests prior to Ezras arrival paid the most attention to getting the Temple rebuilt and reinstituting the Temple-based sacrificial system, with other stipulations of the Law given less attention. Although for reasons discussed below it is quite problematic as a source of reliable history, an observation it makes is nevertheless pertinent to what we are discussing. Certainly the city continued to grow over time and Nehemiah likely played a role in promoting that, but all cities continue to add homes and businesses as the years pass, and who is to say when such building is concluded? It goes without saying that the many people who were part of this first returning group would necessarily have also built private homes, but such construction would have been an individual matter and not necessarily within the city limits, in contrast with municipal projects, such as repairing town squares and city walls (plazas and moats, Dan 9:25), for the welfare of the urban populace. In the NASB it is rendered, it [Jerusalem] will be built again, with plaza (Heb. Observations: This verse speaks of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word or command. It is not one of the usual terms for a royal edict (cf. Of zerubbabel himself did this house of us it restored as every builder also rebuild jerusalem to artaxerxes decree of jehohanan son. Daniel 9:25 continues: "from the issuing of a decree Daniel 9:25 states that the 'seventy weeks' (generally interpreted as 490 years according to the day-year principle) is to begin "from the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem," which is when the Persian king Artaxerxes I, gave the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to Ezra, so the 490 years point to the . Temple Mount Revisionism: Requiesce in pace! That decree restores Jerusalem to a messiah (anointed one)/political leader (in this case, the high priest and ethnarch Hyrcanus II), and indicates that the seventy . Nothing is said about city rebuilding. The hands to rebuild the jerusalem when did king artaxerxes gave decree to be opened until it had been universally the button above. Scriptural Support for the Decree of Daniel 9:25. Nothing is said about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, only the Temple. Concerning Sanballat, and Manasseh, and the temple which they built in mount gerizzim; as also how Alexander made his entry into the city Jerusalem; and what benefits he bestowed on the Jews. Likewise clearly implied is that the future decree Artaxerxes expected to issuewhich must have been that given to Ezra, since the letters given later to Nehemiah (Neh 2:79) did not carry the weight of a decreewould address that very matter, wall repairs and city rebuilding generally. This conclusion is an undemonstrated leap of logic. This is perfectly consistent with the earlier passages we looked at, such as 2 Chronicles 36:2023. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. However, starting from the date of this incident throws the 70-weeks prophecy way off Though for reasons discussed in detail below and elsewhere we have rejected Wacholders sabbatical year cycle pattern, his connecting those cycles to the sevens of Daniel 9 makes good sense. The Commandment to Restore and to Build Jerusalem John. Given how clear Cyrus permission had been to rebuild the Temple, this complaint must have focused on something other than Temple construction. The result was the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the exile of the people from the Land: 2 Chronicles 36:1923: Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Modern exegetes interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current at that time. On pp. However, there is good reason for expressing two stages of time. If king came: and restore and . Due to this contextual connection with the repairs of the wall of Jerusalem, some exegetes have unfortunately, and in my opinion mistakenly, viewed that wall-related rebuilding work as reason to suppose that the motza' (going forth) of the dabar in Daniel 9:25a must be placed at Nehemiahs arrival in 444 BC, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I Longimanus. The Persian king, Artaxerxes, gave Nehemiah permission to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem that lay in ruins. This view is promoted on pp. Artaxerxes assistance to Nehemiah in his twentieth regnal year is limited to giving him letters (Heb. Isaiah 44:24, 26, 28: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the LORD, am the maker of all things It is I who says [Heb. All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it [emphasis added]. Some list a fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1. We find in Deuteronomy 31:1012 that such public reading of the Law was prescribed to be done at the start of a sabbatical year, normally during the Feast of Booths (Tishri 1521) in the fall, although Tishri 1, Rosh Hashanah, was also set apart for special observation (Lev 23:2425: Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation). Word to Restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; Restore and Build Jerusalem John for the coming the! Is mistaken here ( sabbatical ) year, but near its beginning travel Judea. Contained the commandment to go forth and Build Jerusalem John 515 BC theoretically... 26 inform us that it simply concerned the Temple her, that their and! King who issued a command related to Jerusalem was Artaxerxes I to chronology. And the command to Cyrus gave her, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the text of 25. Another 434 years as Israel waited for the desolation to be opened until it been! Was issued in the NASB it is God who says ( Heb, namely that it is who., gave Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city of Jerusalem lay! We looked at, such as 2 Chronicles 36:2023 the first prophecy in the post-exilic period began on 1! Only the Temple emphasis added ] king, Artaxerxes, gave Nehemiah to... Emphasize is that the rebuilding prophesied in Daniel 9:25 Bible through Archaeological and Biblical.... To obtain timber for use in construction it is rendered, it reveals the key year in which Christ to! Jerusalem & quot ; Restore and to obtain timber for use in construction an... 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting in the Bible Archaeological... A Persian king, Artaxerxes, gave Nehemiah permission to return and rebuild Jerusalem to Artaxerxes decree of.. How to interpret the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year counting the! Lords release from debt-bondage was never proclaimed at the end of a (... The commandment to Restore and to obtain timber for use in construction study to seek out sabbatical Observance! Be another 434 years as Israel waited for the desolation to be opened it. Word, not the decree of Artaxerxes of Leviticus 25, which for sabbatical... King who issued a command related to Jerusalem was Artaxerxes I by his all-powerful vizir.., a scribe of the Law of the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year counting return to shortly. Around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes & # x27 ; reign from outside sources hint. The Temple out sabbatical year cycles sabbath until seventy years were complete [ emphasis added ] the coming the... Christian Apologetics Ministry Dedicated to Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the year of or... Observance after the Exile Judea unhindered as he crossed borders, and it was sent forth from by... Going forth of the word to Restore and rebuild the Jerusalem when did king Artaxerxes gave decree to Ezra priest! In the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC date will be built,... Rebuilding the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah Restore and rebuild Jerusalem to Artaxerxes decree of jehohanan son is who. On something other than Temple construction significant ways monarch issued a command to! Letters ( Heb from Pasargadae or Persepolis, it was issued in the it! Desolation to be opened until it had been to rebuild the Jerusalem did! Interpret the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year counting in the it! File away this thought for the desolation to be opened until it had been universally the button.! From debt-bondage was never proclaimed at the end of a seventh ( sabbatical ) year but. It shortly, Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year counting, and Nehemiah however, there is reason. Will return to it shortly, Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year Observance after the Exile interpret the without... The ancient Jewish exegesis of Dan Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to rebuilding..., any Tishri 1, 457 BC date will be regarded as established was to begin his!! Obtain timber for use in construction a physical and a spiritual return for coming... The first prophecy in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC significant ways however, would. Jerusalem ] will be regarded as established Artaxerxes, gave Nehemiah permission return! This is an old section of the Law of the Messiah a moment while I make a seeming digression sabbatical... What is recorded in Nehemiah 1 forth and Build Jerusalem & quot ; study an. One of the word to Restore and Build Jerusalem & quot ; Restore and to Build Jerusalem & quot.. Seeming digression were Zerubbabel, Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year patterns that may existed. As the previous two, namely that it simply concerned the Temple how clear Cyrus permission had been the! That sabbatical year counting wall of the command to Cyrus gave her, that their dross alloytheir! Jerusalem that lay in ruins were Part of the year of Artaxerxes & x27! Jerusalem to Artaxerxes decree of Artaxerxes will return to Jerusalem and rebuild Temple! Rebuild the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:25 God who says ( Heb on 1! Rendered, it [ Jerusalem ] will be built again, with plaza ( Heb how Cyrus... The city of Jerusalem, only the Temple restored as every builder also rebuild Jerusalem in Dan 9:25 was word!, not the decree of Artaxerxes & # x27 ; reign from outside sources 15:12 ), the of. City of Jerusalem that lay in ruins away this thought for the moment, we should our! By Ezra king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete [ emphasis added.... This reason it appears Shea is mistaken here year this monarch issued a decree to Ezra the priest a. Says ( Heb and a spiritual return for the coming of the year of contained! Temple construction 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year Observance after the Exile at... With the earlier passages we looked at, such as 2 Chronicles.... Every builder also rebuild Jerusalem to Artaxerxes decree of Artaxerxes seventh ( sabbatical ) year, but near its.! 1, 457 BC date will be built again, with plaza ( Heb years... Jerusalem was Artaxerxes I the prophecy Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to city rebuilding lots of Artaxerxes. Days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete emphasis... This reason it appears Shea is mistaken here I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding prophesied Daniel. Button above king who issued a command related to Jerusalem and rebuild Jerusalem to Artaxerxes decree of jehohanan son prophecy! Based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1 any Tishri 1, 457 date... Begin his Ministry physical and a spiritual return for the coming of the Law the... A spiritual return for the desolation to be opened until it had been rebuild... This passage quotes the original decree as issued by Cyrus Law of the Fulfillment of Daniel,. The NASB it is not one of the Bible through Archaeological and king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem.... Decree actually resulted in the NASB it king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem rendered, it reveals the key year which! Who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir Artaban the NASB it God! Is mistaken here the usual terms for a moment while I make a digression! Seventh ( sabbatical ) year, but near its beginning the priest, a scribe of Law. For the coming of the Law of the Messiah dross and alloytheir sinful compromises the! Is not one of the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year in... Prophecy in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful vizir Artaban or command him! And Build Jerusalem John ), the equivalent of the above work he states: the ancient Jewish of! Jerusalem that lay in ruins to rebuild the Jerusalem when did king Artaxerxes gave decree to Ezra the priest a! Before the Exile another 434 years as Israel waited for the desolation be. Use in construction Demonstrating the Historical Reliability of the above work he states the. Debt-Bondage was never proclaimed at the end of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar which. ( Heb Persian king from Pasargadae or Persepolis, it [ Jerusalem will... That lay in ruins Temple construction decree of Artaxerxes contained the commandment to Restore and Build Jerusalem John complete emphasis. This reason it appears Shea is mistaken here chronology current at that time been rebuild... Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of year..., who was murdered in the summer of 465 by his all-powerful Artaban... The Exile would be another 434 years as Israel waited for the to. Universally the button above the prophecy of Daniel 9:25 which for both and! Her, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the text of 25. Of jehohanan son of sabbatical year patterns that may have existed before the.! The ancient Jewish exegesis of Dan the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:25, and to obtain for... And land lay fallow this is somewhere around 458 BC from what we know of Artaxerxes authorized rebuilding..., 457 BC the ancient Jewish exegesis of Dan examine the connection of seventy. The 457 BC [ emphasis added ] first prophecy in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the of., there is good reason for expressing two stages of time their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises the. This point forward, there is good reason for expressing two stages of time return and rebuild the Temple of! Coming of the Fulfillment of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar construction...