There have been debates in the past about who wrote the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Both books contain first person accounts, but in Ezra 7:6, we read, “He asked to be allowed to return to Jerusalem, and the king granted his request; for the Lord his God was blessing him.” This happened in 449 BCE under Artaxerxes 1.
Chapter 1 is an account of King Cyrus’ proclamation allowing the Jews to return home if they chose to do so. Many probably thought they were too old or maybe had found careers they didn’t want to lose. Verses 2-4 give us a copy of the decree Cyrus made. Cyrus realized that some of the people were probably too old to travel the distance and many of the younger people had never been to Israel, but he did suggest that those who decided to stay should support the people who were returning.
Verses 5-6 give us a hint that it was primarily the tribal leaders, priests, and Levites who mostly wanted to return. Evidently, those who decided to stay contributed to the cause.
King Cyrus was not above contributing to the cause shown in verses 7-10. While many of these items contributed were those Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple and Jerusalem, it appears Cyrus may have made a considerable contribution himself.
The significance of this chapter gives us enough information to place the date of Cyrus’ proclamation at 537 BCE and the migration at 535 BCE. We can compare this with chapter 7 and find that Ezra entered the picture about 449 BCE.