Bible Strands
Ezra 6:16
Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the conclusion of the second temple's reconstruction during the sixth year of Darius's reign. The account addresses the returned exiles immediately following the building's completion on the third day of Adar.
The words — וַעֲבָדוּ (va'avadu) translates literally as "they made" or "they performed," indicating the execution of the dedication ceremony. בְּנֵי הַגָּלוּתָה (benei haggalutah) means "the people of the exile," specifying the exact group that participated in the event.
The thread — This dedication mirrors Solomon's temple consecration in 1 Kings 8:63 and 2 Chronicles 7:5, where large sacrificial offerings accompanied the ritual. The directive to rejoice in the Lord's presence later appears in Philippians 4:4.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to acknowledge that covenant restoration demands both organized worship and communal participation. It establishes that ritual observance follows historical fulfillment and divine provision.
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
And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy,
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 7:5 And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
- 1 Kings 8:63 And Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.
- Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
- Ezra 6:22 For seven days they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of Israel.
- Psalms 122:1 A song of ascents. Of David. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
- John 10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
- Deuteronomy 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
- 1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first to resettle their own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.
- 1 Chronicles 15:28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.
- 2 Chronicles 7:9 On the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven days, and the feast seven days more.