Ezra 3:12

Ezra 3:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
• New International Version (NIV)But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy,

Context of Ezra 3:12

10When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by King David of Israel. 11With antiphonal response they sang, praising and glorifying the Lord: “For he is good; his loyal love toward Israel is forever.” All the people gave a loud shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established – were weeping loudly, and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 13People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly that the sound was heard a long way off.

Ezra 3:12 word by word

וְרַבִּ֡ים מֵהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהַלְוִיִּם֩ וְרָאשֵׁ֨י הָאָב֜וֹת הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר רָא֜וּ אֶת־הַבַּ֤יִת הָֽרִאשׁוֹן֙ בְּיָסְד֔וֹ זֶ֤ה הַבַּ֙יִת֙ בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם בֹּכִ֖ים בְּק֣וֹל גָּד֑וֹל וְרַבִּ֛ים בִּתְרוּעָ֥ה בְשִׂמְחָ֖ה לְהָרִ֥ים קֽוֹל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But manyרַבrab · manyH7227
• of the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• and Levitesלֵוִיlêvîyîy lêvîy · LeviH3881
• and chiefרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: leaderH7218
• of the fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
• ancient menזָקֵןzâqên · oldH2205
• that had seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the firstרִאשׁוֹןri'shôn ri'shôn · firstH7223
• houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
• when the foundationיָסַדyâsad · to foundH3245
• before their eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
• weptבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• with a loudגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• shoutedתְּרוּעָהterû‛âh · shoutH8643
• aloudרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
• for joyשִׂמְחָהώimchâh · joyH8057

Cross-references for Ezra 3:12

• Haggai 2:3‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison?
• Job 8:7Your beginning will seem so small, since your future will flourish.
• Isaiah 41:14Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, men of Israel. I am helping you,” says the Lord, your protector, the Holy One of Israel.
• Isaiah 60:22The least of you will multiply into a thousand; the smallest of you will become a large nation. When the right time comes, I the Lord will quickly do this!”
• Daniel 2:34You were watching as a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces.
• Zechariah 4:10For who dares make light of small beginnings? These seven eyes will joyfully look on the tin tablet in Zerubbabel’s hand. (These are the eyes of the Lord, which constantly range across the whole earth.)
• Matthew 13:31He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
• Psalms 126:6The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.
• Jeremiah 31:8Then I will reply, ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north. I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth. Blind and lame people will come with them, so will pregnant women and women about to give birth. A vast throng of people will come back here.

Commentaries on Ezra 3:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Wept with a loud voice - They saw that the glory had departed from Israel; in their circumstances it was impossible to build such a house as the first temple was; and had this been even possible, still it would have been greatly inferior, because it wanted the ark of the covenant, the heavenly fire, the mercy-seat, the heavenly manna, Aaron's rod that budded, the Divine shechinah, the spirit of prophecy, and most probably the Urim and Thummim. Many…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Wept … shouted … for joy - Compare the marginal reference and Zechariah 4:10. It is implied that the dimensions of the second temple were smaller than those of the first. Hence, the feeling of sorrow which came upon some. They, however, who had not seen the former temple, and so could not contrast the two, naturally rejoiced to see the sanctuary of their religion begin to rise from its ruins.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-13Verses 8-13 There was a remarkable mixture of affections upon laying the foundation of the temple. Those that only knew the misery of having no temple at all, praised the Lord with shouts of joy. To them, even this foundation seemed great. We ought to be thankful for the beginnings of mercy, though it be not yet perfect. But those who remembered the glory of the first temple, and considered how far inferior this was likely to be, wept with a loud voice…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12Some people cried loudly because they were disappointed that the new temple's foundation was not as impressive as the old one (see Haggai 2:3). Others cried because they were very happy to see the Lord's temple restored.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers ... wept with a loud voice--Those painful emotions were excited by the sad contrast between the prosperous circumstances in which the foundations of the first temple had been laid and the desolate, reduced state of the country and city when the second was begun; between the inferior size and less costliness of the stones used in the foundations of the second (1Ki 7:9, 10), and the much…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 3:12

• Jeshua
• Joy
• Priest
• Shouting
• Temple
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Priests and Levites
• Ordinance
• Apocalyptic Literature
• Ezra-Nehemiah
• Senaah
• Temple
• Psalms, Book of
• patriarch

Commentaries on Ezra 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings