Bible Strands
Ezra 3:6
On the first day of the seventh month, the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD, although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been laid.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The returning Israelites initiate prescribed worship on the first day of the seventh month while the temple foundation remains unlay. This moment follows their commitment to present regular burnt offerings and sacred feasts and precedes their logistical preparations for temple construction.
The words — הֵחֵ֕לּוּ (he.Che.lu) means "they began," and עֹל֖וֹת (o.Lot) denotes "burnt offerings," marking the formal resumption of the sacrificial calendar.
The thread — The text states that worship resumed before construction completed, linking Ezra 3:6 to the ongoing sacrificial rhythm of Ezra 3:5 and the parallel rebuilding efforts of Ezra 3:7.
Why it lands — The passage records that covenant worship proceeded despite physical incompleteness, requiring the reader to acknowledge that obedience to the sacrificial system does not wait for structural perfection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.