31 Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth e of the first month to go to Jerusalem ; and the hand of our God was over us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way . 32 Thus we came to Jerusalem and remained there three days . 33 On the fourth day the silver and the gold and the utensils were weighed out in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest , and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas ; and with them were the Levites , Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui . 34 Everything was numbered and weighed , and all the weight was recorded at that time . 35 The exiles e who had come from the captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel : 12 e bulls for all Israel , 96 rams , 77 e lambs , 12 e male goats for a sin offering , all as a burnt offering to the Lord . 36 Then they delivered the king's edicts to the king's satraps and to the governors in the provinces beyond the River , and they supported the people and the house of God .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ezra 8:31-36
Commentary on Ezra 8:31-36
(Read Ezra 8:31-36)
Enemies laid wait for the Jews, but God protected them. Even the common perils of journeys, call us to go out with prayer, and to return with praise and thanksgiving. But what shall we render when the Lord has led us safely through the pilgrimage of life, through the gloomy vale of death, out of the reach of all our enemies, into everlasting happiness! Among their sacrifices they had a sin-offering. The atonement sweetens and secures every mercy to us, which will not be truly comfortable, unless sin be taken away, and our peace made with God. Then had the church rest. The expressions here used, direct us to the deliverance of sinners from spiritual bondage, and their pilgrimage to the heavenly Jerusalem, under the care and protection of their God and Saviour.