Ezra4

Ezra chapter 4 details the opposition faced by the returned Jewish exiles as they began rebuilding the temple. Local adversaries initially offered to help but were rejected by Zerubbabel and the leaders. Consequently, these adversaries actively hindered the work and later wrote accusations to Persian kings, alleging that Jerusalem was a rebellious city. King Artaxerxes, after consulting historical records, confirmed Jerusalem's history of sedition and issued a decree to stop the building. This royal command was then forcibly enforced, halting the temple construction until the second year of Darius's reign.

Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

When the enemies of Y'hudah and Binyamin heard that the people from the exile were building a temple to ADONAI the God of Isra'el,

they approached Z'rubavel and the heads of fathers' clans and said to them, "Let us build along with you; for we seek your God, just as you do; and we have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esar-Hadon king of Ashur, who brought us here."

But Z'rubavel, Yeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' clans in Isra'el answered them, "You and we have nothing in common that you should join us in building a house for our God. We will build by ourselves for ADONAI the God of Isra'el, as Koresh king of Persia ordered us to do."

Then the people of the land began discouraging the people of Y'hudah, in order to make them afraid to build.

They also bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the lifetime of Koresh king of Persia and on into the reign of Daryavesh king of Persia.

Administrative Opposition Through Letters

During the reign of Achashverosh, at the beginning of his reign, they brought a charge in writing against the people living in Y'hudah and Yerushalayim.

Then, during the time of Artach'shashta, Bishlam, Mitr'dat, Tav'el and their other colleagues wrote Artach'shashta; the letter was written in Aramaic, using Aramaic script.

Rechum the district governor and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Yerushalayim to Artach'shashta the king as follows:

"From Rechum the district governor, Shimshai the secretary, their other colleagues, the judges, the officials, the Dina'im, the Afarsat'khim, the Tarp'lim, the Afarsim, the Ark'vim, the Bavlim, the Shushan'kayim, the Dehayim, the 'Elma'im,

the other nations whom the great and noble Asnapar deported and settled in Shomron, and the others who remain in the country beyond the [Euphrates] River."

The Accusation Letter to Artaxerxes

(This is the text of the letter they sent him.) "To Artach'shashta the king from his servants the people beyond the River:

"Let the king know that the Judeans who left you to come to us in Yerushalayim are building this rebellious and wicked city. They have finished the walls and are now digging the foundations.

So let the king know that if this city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, they will refuse to pay tribute, tax or toll; and this will reduce the royal revenue.

Now, because we eat the king's salt, and it is not right for us to see the king dishonored, we therefore are sending to inform the king,

so that a search can be made in the archives of your ancestors; in these archives you will find and ascertain that this city is indeed a rebellious city, the bane of kings and provinces, and that sedition has been fostered there since ancient times - which is why this city was destroyed.

We submit to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls are finished, you will soon lose possession of all territories beyond the River."

Artaxerxes Halts the Work

The king sent this answer: "To Rechum the district governor, Shimshai the secretary, their other colleagues living in Shomron, and the rest beyond the River: "Shalom!

"The letter you sent us has now been translated for me.

I ordered a search made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings, that rebellion and sedition have been fostered there;

also that there have been powerful kings over Yerushalayim who ruled all the territory beyond the River; and tribute, taxes and tolls were paid to them.

"So now, order that these men stop work and that this city not be rebuilt until I order it.

Take care not to neglect your duty; otherwise the harm may increase, to the damage of the king."

When the text of King Artach'shashta's letter was read before Rechum, Shimshai the secretary and their colleagues, they hurried to Yerushalayim to the Judeans and stopped their work by force of arms.

So the work on the house of God in Yerushalayim ceased; it remained at a standstill until the second year of the reign of Daryavesh king of Persia.

Study Notes for Ezra 4

Verse 1

The 'adversaries' refers primarily to the people who had settled in Samaria after the Assyrian deportations. They feared the re-establishment of a strong, independent Jewish state.

Verse 2

The offer to help build was rejected because their worship (claiming to seek 'your God') was syncretistic, mixing true Yahwism with pagan practices, which would compromise the purity of the rebuilding effort (cf. 2 Kings 17:33).

Verse 3

Zerubbabel and Jeshua maintained theological integrity by insisting that the temple must be built solely by the covenanted people, according to the specific commands of God and King Cyrus.

Verse 4

When political co-option failed, the adversaries resorted to active sabotage, using intimidation and psychological tactics to discourage the returning exiles from continuing the work.

Verse 5

This verse highlights the extreme longevity of the opposition, which successfully frustrated the work for approximately 16 years, spanning the entire remainder of Cyrus’s reign and the reign of Cambyses, until the second year of Darius I.

Verse 6

Verses 6–23 constitute a chronological insertion to show the continuous nature of opposition against Jerusalem across different Persian kings (Ahasuerus/Xerxes and Artaxerxes), even though the temple was finished under Darius (v. 24).

Verse 7

The focus here shifts from the temple to the rebuilding of the city walls, which occurred later. The letter was written in Aramaic (described as 'Syrian tongue'), the official administrative language of the western Persian Empire.

Verse 8

Rehum and Shimshai held high provincial authority (chancellor and scribe, respectively), indicating that the opposition was official, bureaucratic, and highly organized.

Verse 9

This extensive list names the various ethnic groups settled in Samaria by Assyrian kings, forming a multi-national coalition that opposed the restoration of Jewish identity and power.

Verse 10

Asnappar is generally identified with the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. This detail emphasizes that the 'people of the land' were foreign transplants whose loyalty was tied to the imperial power, not to the local traditions.

Verse 12

The adversaries strategically use inflammatory language, labeling Jerusalem a 'rebellious and bad city.' They focus on the rebuilding of the walls, which was interpreted as an act of political self-determination and rebellion against Persia.

Verse 13

This accusation employs a powerful economic argument: a fortified Jerusalem would inevitably withhold imperial taxes (toll, tribute, custom), thereby damaging the king’s financial interests.

Verse 14

The phrase 'we have maintenance from the king’s palace' (literally, 'we eat the salt of the palace') signifies their obligation as officials to protect the king’s honor and revenue, lending authority to their claims.

Verse 15

The request to search the royal records (the 'book of the records of thy fathers') demonstrates their knowledge of Jerusalem's history of rebellion against previous empires, appealing to established legal precedent.

Verse 16

The final threat elevates the political stakes, suggesting that if Jerusalem is rebuilt, the Persian king will lose all control over the entire Trans-Euphrates province ('this side the river').

Verse 19

The king's official investigation confirmed that Jerusalem had historically been a center of insurrection. This historical finding provided the legal justification necessary for him to issue a decree against the rebuilding.

Verse 20

The records also showed that powerful Jewish kings had once ruled the entire province, validating the fear that a rebuilt, fortified Jerusalem would seek regional dominance.

Verse 21

Artaxerxes did not issue a permanent edict, but a temporary suspension ('until another commandment shall be given from me'), indicating caution rather than outright hostility toward the Jews.

Verse 23

The officials immediately enforced the king’s decree, using official 'force and power' to halt the rebuilding of the city walls (the action addressed in the correspondence).

Verse 24

This verse returns to the main chronological narrative begun in verse 5, concluding that the original *temple* work was stopped until 520 BC, when the prophet Haggai and Zechariah encouraged its resumption.

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Ezra4

Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple

Administrative Opposition Through Letters

The Accusation Letter to Artaxerxes

Artaxerxes Halts the Work

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