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Ezra 4

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Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple 1–5

1
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel; ​
2
then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. ​
3
But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. ​
4
Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, ​
5
and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. ​

Administrative Opposition Through Letters 6–10

6
And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ​
7
And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian character, and set forth in the Syrian tongue. ​
8
Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: ​
9
then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, ​
10
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth. ​

The Accusation Letter to Artaxerxes 11–16

11
This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.
12
Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations. ​
13
Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings. ​
14
Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king; ​
15
that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste. ​
16
We certify the king that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the River. ​

Artaxerxes Halts the Work 17–24

17
Thensent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.
18
The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.
19
And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. ​
20
There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll, was paid unto them. ​
21
Make ye now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until a decree shall be made by me. ​
22
And take heed that ye be not slack herein: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?
23
Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. ​
24
Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Ezra 4

Verse 1

the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin — Tsar is a foe or adversary. The two tribes are the ones named in 1:5. The newcomers are the peoples whom the king of Assyria 'placed… in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel' (2 Kgs 17:24), and the 'captivity' (golah) is the community of the returned exiles, as in 1:11.

Verse 2

we seek your God, as ye do — 'Seek' is darash, the verb for seeking the LORD, as when Judah 'entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers' (2 Chr 15:12). Esarhaddon followed Sennacherib (2 Kgs 19:37), and the worship of the peoples settled in that period is described in 2 Kgs 17:33: 'They feared the LORD, and served their own gods.'

Verse 3

Ye have nothing to do with us — The answer rests on the proclamation itself: Cyrus invited 'all his people' to 'go up to Jerusalem' and build (1:3), and the leaders say the king 'hath commanded us'. 'Together' is yachad, as one body. With Zerubbabel and Jeshua, who had built the altar (3:2), 'the rest of the chief of the fathers' give the answer.

Verse 4

weakened the hands of the people of Judah — Raphah, to let hang slack, the verb of Jer 38:4, 'he weakeneth the hands of the men of war'. 'Troubled' is bahal, to alarm. The same aim is heard in Nehemiah's day: 'Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done' (Neh 6:9). The 'people of the land' recall the 'people of those countries' of 3:3.

Verse 5

hired counsellors against them — 'Frustrate' is parar, to break or annul, the verb of Neh 4:15, where 'God had brought their counsel to nought'. The opposition runs 'all the days of Cyrus… even until the reign of Darius', and the work resumes in Darius's second year (4:24; 5:1–2).

Verse 6

in the reign of Ahasuerus — Esther's king bears the same name, ruling 'from India even unto Ethiopia' (Esth 1:1). 'Accusation' is sitnah, from the root of satan, 'adversary'. From here to v.23 the chapter follows the opposition through later reigns, and v.24 returns to the work under Darius.

Verse 7

in the Syrian tongue — Aramith, Aramaic. The letter was 'written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue', and from v.8 the book itself is in Aramaic, as the Chaldeans speak 'to the king in Syriack' in Dan 2:4. In Hezekiah's day the king's officials ask for it as the language they understand (2 Kgs 18:26). 'Mithredath' is also the name of Cyrus's treasurer (1:8).

Verse 8

Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe — 'Chancellor' is ba'al te'em, literally 'master of the decree', the officer who reported to the king, and the scribe wrote it out. The king's reply is addressed to the same two men, with 'the rest beyond the river', 'Peace, and at such a time' (v.17).

Verse 9

the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites… the Elamites — A roll of peoples settled in Samaria, with 'Babylonians' and 'Elamites' among them, beside those brought 'from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim' (2 Kgs 17:24). Verse 10 adds 'the rest of the nations', and the whole company writes together with 'the rest that are on this side the river'.

Verse 10

the great and noble Asnappar brought over — 'Asnappar' is named only here. 'Brought over' is the Aramaic galah, the verb of exile, from the root that gives golah, 'the captivity' of 1:11. These nations were removed from their own lands as Judah was, and 'set… in the cities of Samaria', as in 2 Kgs 17:24; v.2 names Esarhaddon as the king who brought some of them up.

Verse 12

the rebellious and the bad city — 'Rebellious' is Aramaic marad, corresponding to the Hebrew verb used of Zedekiah, who 'rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar' (2 Chr 36:13). The Jews 'which came up from thee' are a return under this king (Ezra 7:6–7). The work the letter accuses is the walls and foundations of the city, not the temple.

Verse 13

toll, tribute, and custom — The three levies come again in v.20, and in Artaxerxes' own decree for Ezra, which forbids imposing 'toll, tribute, or custom' on the priests, Levites and ministers of the house of God (Ezra 7:24). The accusation argues from the king's revenue: a walled city, they say, will not pay.

Verse 14

maintenance from the king's palace — The Aramaic is melach, literally 'to eat salt', and is rendered 'have maintenance'; salt is also the Scripture image of a lasting pledge, the 'covenant of salt' (Num 18:19; 2 Chr 13:5). The writers give their bond to the king as their reason for writing: they will not stand by while he is dishonoured.

Verse 15

the book of the records of thy fathers — The accusers send the king to his archive, and 'search hath been made' (v.19). Under Darius a search in 'the house of the rolls' (6:1) finds Cyrus's decree at Achmetha (6:2). The letter gives rebellion as the reason the city was destroyed; 2 Chr 36:14–16 gives another reason.

Verse 16

no portion on this side the river — 'Portion' is Aramaic chalaq, the word corresponding to the Hebrew cheleq of Neh 2:20, where Nehemiah tells these same opponents, 'ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem'. 'This side the river' is the province west of the Euphrates whose governor Tatnai appears in Ezra 5:3 and 6:6.

Verse 19

this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings — The records could name such cases: Hezekiah 'rebelled against the king of Assyria' (2 Kgs 18:7), Jehoiakim 'turned and rebelled' against Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kgs 24:1), and Zedekiah (2 Chr 36:13). 'Made insurrection' is Aramaic nesa, literally to lift oneself up.

Verse 20

mighty kings also over Jerusalem — The reference is to David and Solomon: 'Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines' (1 Kgs 4:21), 'the river' being the Euphrates that gives 'beyond the river' its name here. 'Toll, tribute, and custom' repeats v.13.

Verse 21

until another commandment shall be given from me — The prohibition has its own limit written in. Under this same king Nehemiah later asks to be sent 'unto Judah… that I may build it' (Neh 2:5), and writes, 'the king granted me' (Neh 2:8). The order concerns the city, and the temple, begun under Cyrus, is not mentioned in it.

Verse 23

by force and power — 'Force' is Aramaic edra, an arm, and 'power' chayil, strength or an army: the order was carried out with strength in hand. The result is the wall Nehemiah hears of later: 'The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire' (Neh 1:3).

Verse 24

it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius — The verse takes up the thread dropped at v.5. The work resumed when 'Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo' prophesied (Ezra 5:1–2), and Haggai's word is dated 'the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month' (Hag 1:1).