Question: who built the second temple in the bible
Answer: According to the closing verses of the second book of Chronicles and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah , when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem following a decree from Cyrus the Great ( Ezra 1 : 1 -- 4 , 2 Chron 36 : 22 -- 23 ) , construction started at the original site of Solomon 's Temple .