Ezra 3:4 (ASV)

Passage

And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and [offered] the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

Nearby Context

Ezra 3:2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 3:3 And they set the altar upon its base; for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries: and they offered burnt-offerings thereon unto Jehovah, even burnt-offerings morning and evening.

Ezra 3:4 And they kept the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and [offered] the daily burnt-offerings by number, according to the ordinance, as the duty of every day required;

Ezra 3:5 and afterward the continual burnt-offering, and [the offerings] of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of Jehovah that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill-offering unto Jehovah.

Ezra 3:6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah: but the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was not yet laid.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "kept", "feast", "tabernacles", "written", "offered", "daily", "burnt-offerings", and "number". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "kept" and "feast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And they set the altar upon its..." into verse 5's "and afterward the continual burnt-offering and the...", so "kept" and "feast" 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 "kept" and "feast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.