Ezra 3:1-3

Amplified Bible

Altar and Sacrifices Restored

3 When the seventh month came and the sons of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. ²Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the ^[a]Law of Moses, the man of God. ³So they set up the altar on its [old] foundation, ^[b]for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, morning and evening.

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Footnotes

Ezra 3:2 The Hebrew word here is torah, usually translated “law.”
Ezra 3:3 Lit for a state of terror was upon them. Some prefer “in spite of the hostility [or fear] upon them,” indicating that setting up the altar was an act of bravery in the face of external threats. But the real problem seems to be that they had delayed construction of the temple, even on the foundation (vv 6, 10), for fear of their neighbors. So now they conducted services in the open, with the bare minimum of the altar in its proper position. One can credit Zerubbabel and his associates (v 2) for taking the initiative to begin worship services and festivals, but having to do so with nothing more than the altar paints a pathetic picture, especially since the nation had the full support of Cyrus.