Altar Rebuilt
Overview
- Testament: Old
- Book: Ezra
- Chapters: Ezra 3:1-7
- Summary: The returned exiles’ first act in Jerusalem was to rebuild the altar of burnt offering and restore the daily sacrifices before the temple foundation was even laid.
Details
In the seventh month after the first return from Babylon, Zerubbabel and Jeshua gathered the people and built the altar of God on its original site. The decision was driven by fear of the surrounding peoples, but the restored worship took priority over every other concern — including rebuilding their own homes or the temple structure.
The Feast of Tabernacles was observed for the first time in the land since before the exile. Burnt offerings were restored morning and evening, the appointed feasts were kept, and preparations were made to bring cedar from Lebanon via Joppa, as Solomon had done.
Only after the altar was rebuilt and regular worship restored did they begin laying the temple foundation. The ordering was deliberate: worship came before building, and the presence of God — symbolized by the daily sacrifice — was established before the house that would contain it.
Key People Involved
- Zerubbabel — Governor; led the rebuilding
- Jeshua — High priest; co-led the restoration of worship
Key Places
- Jerusalem — The altar site
- Tabernacle / Temple Mount — The original location of the altar
Important Verses
“And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD.” — Ezra 3:3
Cross-References
- First Return — The preceding event of the return from exile
- Foundation Laid — The next major step in Ezra
- Related books: Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah
Notes
- The priority of worship over building is a consistent theme in the return narratives: God’s presence must be established before human structures.
- The fear of surrounding peoples (v.3) motivates the rebuilding — a paradoxical but realistic picture of faith under pressure.
- This act of covenant renewal matches the pattern after other crises in Israel’s history (e.g., Joshua’s altar in Joshua 8).