Ezra 3:10 (ASV)

Passage

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, after the order of David king of Israel.

Nearby Context

Ezra 3:8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the rest of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem, and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to have the oversight of the work of the house of Jehovah.

Ezra 3:9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to have the oversight of the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.

Ezra 3:10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Jehovah, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise Jehovah, after the order of David king of Israel.

Ezra 3:11 And they sang one to another in praising and giving thanks unto Jehovah, [saying], For he is good, for his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Jehovah, because the foundation of the house of Jehovah was laid.

Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers` [houses], the old 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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "builders", "laid", "foundation", "temple", "jehovah", "priests", "apparel", and "trumpets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "builders" and "laid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "Then stood Jeshua with his sons and..." into verse 11's "And they sang one to another in...", so "builders" and "laid" belong inside that flow. In Ezra context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "builders" and "laid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.