9. The kings of Persia. While Ezra deplored the spiritual condition of the people, he is nevertheless grateful for the privileges granted by the Persian kings. Practically every monarch thus far had shown favor to the Jews. Cyrus had granted the first permit to return and build the Temple (Ezra 1), Cambyses had favored the Jews of Egypt, as we know from the Elephantine papyri, Darius I had renewed the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 6), Xerxes had granted unprecedented privileges to the Jews throughout the empire (Esther 8-10), and Artaxerxes I had now made new and far-reaching grants (Ezra 7). The only exception had been the false Smerdis, who actively hindered the Jews during the few months of his reign.
Set up the house. See on 6:14; 7:27.
To give us a wall. It has already been pointed out in the Additional Note on ch. 7 that this statement does not necessarily mean that Ezra found a completed wall upon his arrival at Jerusalem. He refers to the several grants made by the Persian kings, particularly to permission to rebuild the wall. Ezra, who had been invested with authority to work on the wall, could therefore rightly say that God had extended mercy to them “in the sight of the kings of Persia, ââ¬Â¦ to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.” Possibly, as some think, the “wall” is figurative and denotes protection (see Zech. 2:5).