עזרא, פרק ו׳, פסוק ז׳

A decisive royal decree changes the course of the Temple's reconstruction. The king issues a strict order to his officials, demanding an immediate end to any interference in the building process in Jerusalem. The officials are commanded to step away and completely leave the work on the House of God. Authority over the construction is explicitly transferred to the local Jewish leadership, specifically the governor and the elders.

There are varying perspectives on how this newly granted authority is structured between the governor and the elders. One approach suggests that the king simply orders his own officials to hand over the responsibility to both the governor and the elders, allowing them to build the House of God without disruption [רלב״ג]. Another perspective views the governor and the elders as working in a direct, unified partnership to build the Temple together [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A third view divides the royal directive into two distinct roles, where the governor is tasked with the actual physical construction, while a separate command is given to the elders to oversee and ensure the completion of the work [רש״י].

Regardless of the exact division of labor within the local leadership, the outcome is clear. The royal decree ensures that the Jewish leaders are fully empowered to rebuild the Temple on its original site.