Ezra Chapter 3    

“the seventh month.” The fact that the Jews were celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month shows that at that time they were using a Nisan-based calendar like the Babylonians.

“the children of Israel were in the cities.” The Judeans who returned to Judah mostly returned to their ancestral homes in the various towns of Judah.

“as one man.” This is an idiom meaning that the people were unified.

“Jeshua.” The High Priest (see commentary on Zech. 3:1, “Joshua”).

“and offered burnt offerings on it.” The Jews started offering sacrifices on the altar long before the Temple was finished. It is always nice to do God’s work in exactly the way He prescribes, but sometimes, such as here, the right thing to do is to do the best you can even if things are not exactly as they should be.

“Feast of Booths.” This is one of the three annual feasts that the Israelites were to celebrate in Jerusalem each year. It is traditionally referred to as the “Feast of Tabernacles,” but “Booths” is more accurate (Exod. 23:14-17; Lev. 23:34-43).

“Joppa.” Until Herod the Great built Caesarea into a port city and the finest deep water port on the Mediterranean, Joppa was the only port Israel had on the Mediterranean Sea. Solomon had the cedar logs for the Temple brought from Lebanon to Jerusalem via the port of Joppa (2 Chron. 2:16).