Ezra / Chapter 4

Ezra 4

24 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin approach Zerubbabel offering to help rebuild the Temple, claiming they have worshipped the same God since the Assyrian resettlement. Zerubbabel refuses. The opponents then hire counselors to frustrate the building throughout the reigns of Cyrus and Darius. The narrative jumps forward to the reign of Artaxerxes, where Rehum and Shimshai write an Aramaic letter warning the king that Jerusalem has a history of rebellion. Artaxerxes orders the work stopped, and the rebuilding ceases until the second year of Darius.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This chapter contains one of the most significant linguistic transitions in the Hebrew Bible. At verse 8 the text shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic — the diplomatic language of the Persian Empire — and remains in Aramaic through 6:18. The shift is not accidental: the narrator switches to Aramaic precisely when quoting official Persian correspondence, as if presenting the documents in their original administrative language. The chapter also performs a complex chronological compression, jumping from the early opposition under Cyrus (verses 1-5) forward to the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes (verses 6-23) before returning to the Cyrus-Darius period in verse 24. The opponents' letter to Artaxerxes is a masterpiece of political manipulation — they frame the rebuilding as sedition, invoke Jerusalem's rebellious history, and threaten the king's tax revenue, knowing exactly which arguments will move a Persian bureaucrat.

Translation Friction

The chronological structure of this chapter is the most debated issue in Ezra scholarship. Verses 6-23 describe opposition during the reigns of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I, 486-465 BCE) and Artaxerxes I (465-424 BCE), but the Temple was completed in 515 BCE under Darius I. The opposition in verses 6-23 therefore concerns the city walls, not the Temple — the narrator has grouped all opposition episodes thematically rather than chronologically. We render the text sequentially as the narrator presents it, noting the chronological shift. The identity of the 'adversaries' in verse 1 is also contested: the narrator calls them people resettled by Esarhaddon of Assyria, linking them to the mixed-religion population of 2 Kings 17:24-41. Their offer to help may have been genuine, but Zerubbabel's refusal reflects the returnees' determination to maintain ethnic and religious boundaries.

Connections

The Assyrian resettlement background (verse 2) reaches back to 2 Kings 17:24-33, where foreign peoples brought to Samaria by the Assyrians adopted a syncretistic form of YHWH worship. Zerubbabel's refusal anticipates the stricter boundary-maintenance of chapters 9-10. The appeal to Jerusalem's rebellious history (verse 15) references the revolts of Hezekiah against Assyria (2 Kings 18:7), Jehoiakim against Babylon (2 Kings 24:1), and Zedekiah against Babylon (2 Kings 24:20). The Aramaic correspondence genre will recur in chapters 5-6 and 7, establishing a pattern of imperial letters that shape the community's fate.

Ezra 4:1

וַיִּשְׁמְע֗וּ צָרֵ֤י יְהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן כִּֽי־בְנֵ֥י הַגּוֹלָ֖ה בּוֹנִ֣ים הֵיכָ֑ל לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel,

KJV Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The narrator immediately labels these people tsarei Yehudah u-Vinyamin ('adversaries of Judah and Benjamin') — the reader is told their character before hearing their words. This editorial framing shapes how we read their offer in verse 2. The term tsarim (from tsarar, 'to bind, press, be hostile') leaves no ambiguity about the narrator's assessment.

Ezra 4:2

וַיִּגְּשׁ֗וּ אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל֙ וְאֶל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הָֽאָב֔וֹת וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם נִבְנֶ֣ה עִמָּכֶ֔ם כִּ֣י כָכֶ֗ם נִדְר֤וֹשׁ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיכֶם֙ וְל֣וֹ ׀ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ זֹבְחִ֗ים מִימֵי֙ אֵסַ֤ר חַדֹּן֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר הַמַּעֲלֶ֥ה אֹתָ֖נוּ פֹּֽה׃

they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the ancestral houses and said to them, 'Let us build with you, for we seek your God just as you do. We have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.'

KJV Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Esarhaddon (681-669 BCE) continued the Assyrian policy of population transfer begun by Sargon II after the fall of Samaria in 722 BCE (2 Kings 17:24). These settlers had adopted YHWH worship — but according to 2 Kings 17:33, they 'feared the LORD and also served their own gods.' Their claim 'we seek your God as you do' may have been sincere from their perspective, but the returnees understood it as syncretism, not genuine covenant commitment.
The verb nidrosh ('we seek/inquire of') is significant — darash implies deliberate, sustained seeking of God, the same verb used in 2 Chronicles 15:2 ('if you seek him, he will be found by you'). The opponents use theologically correct vocabulary.

Ezra 4:3

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם זְרֻבָּבֶ֤ל וְיֵשׁ֙וּעַ֙ וּשְׁאָ֞ר רָאשֵׁ֣י הָאָבוֹת֮ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֒ לֹא־לָכֶ֣ם וָלָ֔נוּ לִבְנ֣וֹת בַּ֔יִת לֵאלֹהֵ֖ינוּ כִּ֣י ׀ אֲנַ֣חְנוּ יַ֗חַד נִבְנֶה֙ לַיהוָ֔ה אֱלֹהֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֔נוּ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ כּ֥וֹרֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרַֽס׃

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the ancestral houses of Israel said to them, 'You have no part with us in building a house to our God. We alone will build for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus king of Persia commanded us.'

KJV But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The refusal is absolute: lo lakhem valanu ('not for you and for us'). The justification is Cyrus's decree, which authorized specifically the returned exiles to build. Zerubbabel reframes the question politically — this is not merely a religious disagreement but a matter of imperial authorization. The phrase anachnu yachad ('we ourselves together') emphasizes the exclusivity of the building community.

Ezra 4:4

וַיְהִי֙ עַם־הָאָ֔רֶץ מְרַפִּ֖ים יְדֵ֣י עַם־יְהוּדָ֑ה וּֽמְבַהֲלִ֥ים אוֹתָ֖ם לִבְנֽוֹת׃

Then the people of the land set about weakening the hands of the people of Judah and intimidating them from building.

KJV Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The phrase am ha-arets ('people of the land') here refers to the non-exilic population — those who had remained in the land during the exile or been resettled there. The idiom merappim yedei ('weakening the hands of') describes systematic demoralization, the same expression used of those who undermined Jerusalem's defense before the Babylonian siege (Jeremiah 38:4). The verb mevahalim ('terrifying, alarming') adds a note of active intimidation beyond mere discouragement.

Ezra 4:5

וְסֹכְרִ֤ים עֲלֵיהֶם֙ יוֹעֲצִ֔ים לְהָפֵ֖ר עֲצָתָ֑ם כׇּל־יְמֵ֗י כּ֚וֹרֶשׁ מֶ֣לֶךְ פָּרַ֔ס וְעַד־מַלְכ֖וּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרַֽס׃

They hired advisors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and into the reign of Darius king of Persia.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word sokherim ('hiring') indicates a sustained, funded campaign — these were paid political operatives working within the Persian bureaucratic system to block the Jews' building permit. The phrase kol yemei Koresh ('all the days of Cyrus') means the opposition persisted from the initial return (538 BCE) through the early reign of Darius I (522 BCE), roughly sixteen years of bureaucratic warfare.

Ezra 4:6

וּבְמַלְכ֖וּת אֲחַשְׁוֵר֑וֹשׁ בִּתְחִלַּ֣ת מַלְכוּת֔וֹ כָּתְב֣וּ שִׂטְנָ֔ה עַל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃

In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

KJV And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Ahasuerus is the Hebrew form of Xerxes (Xerxes I, 486-465 BCE). The word sitnah ('accusation, hostility') shares the same root as satan ('adversary, accuser'). This verse and the next jump forward chronologically to show that opposition continued across multiple reigns. The content of this specific accusation is not preserved — only the fact of its filing.

Ezra 4:7

וּבִימֵ֣י אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֗שְׂתָּא כָּתַ֣ב בִּ֠שְׁלָ֠ם מִתְרְדָ֨ת טָבְאֵ֜ל וּשְׁאָ֤ר כְּנָוֹתָיו֙ עַל־אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣שְׂתָּ֔א מֶ֖לֶךְ פָּרָ֑ס וּכְתָ֤ב הַנִּשְׁתְּוָן֙ כָּת֣וּב אֲרָמִ֔ית וּמְתֻרְגָּ֖ם אֲרָמִֽית׃

In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic script and composed in the Aramaic language.

KJV And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This verse is the hinge point: it announces that the following letter is in Aramaic, and from verse 8 onward the biblical text itself shifts to Aramaic. The phrase katuv Aramit u-meturgam Aramit ('written in Aramaic and translated/composed in Aramaic') may mean 'written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language' — distinguishing script from language, since Aramaic script was used for multiple languages in the Persian period.
Bishlam may be a name or the Aramaic phrase be-shelam ('in peace, with greetings') — a salutation mistaken for a personal name. Tabeel means 'God is good' in Aramaic.

Ezra 4:8

רְח֣וּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵ֗ם וְשִׁמְשַׁי֙ סָֽפְרָ֔א כְּתַ֛בוּ אִגְּרָ֥ה חֲדָ֖ה עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶ֑ם לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥שְׂתְּא מַלְכָּ֖א כְּנֵֽמָא׃

Rehum the royal deputy and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

KJV Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The text switches to Aramaic here and will remain in Aramaic through 6:18. Rehum's title be'el te'em ('lord of decree/command') designates a high-ranking provincial official — a royal commissioner or deputy governor. Shimshai the safra ('scribe, secretary') was the professional letter-writer. The Aramaic iggera chada ('one letter') is the standard term for an official dispatch.

Ezra 4:9

אֱדַ֜יִן רְח֣וּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵ֗ם וְשִׁמְשַׁי֙ סָֽפְרָ֔א וּשְׁאָ֖ר כְּנָוָתְה֑וֹן דִּ֠ינָיֵ֠א וַאֲפַרְסַתְכָיֵ֞א טַרְפְּלָיֵ֣א אֲפָֽרְסָיֵ֗א אַרְכְּוָיֵ֤א בָבְלָיֵא֙ שֽׁוּשַׁנְכָיֵ֔א דְּהָוֵ֖א עֵלָמָיֵֽא׃

Then Rehum the royal deputy, Shimshai the secretary, and the rest of their associates — the judges, the envoys, the officials, the Persians, the people of Erech, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, the Elamites),

KJV Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The list of co-signers represents a coalition of peoples resettled in Samaria from across the Assyrian and Persian empires. Many of these terms are titles rather than ethnic names: dinaye ('judges'), afarsat-khaye ('envoys' or 'investigators'). The Babylonians, Susanians (from Susa, the Persian capital), and Elamites represent the diverse population that the Assyrians had transplanted into the former northern kingdom.

Ezra 4:10

וּשְׁאָ֣ר אֻמַּיָּ֗א דִּ֤י הַגְלִי֙ אָסְנַפַּ֣ר רַבָּ֣א וְיַקִּירָ֔א וְהוֹתֵ֣ב הִמּ֔וֹ בְּקִרְיָ֖ה דִּ֣י שָׁמְרָ֑יִן וּשְׁאָ֥ר עֲבַר־נַהֲרָ֖ה וּכְעֶֽנֶת׃

and the rest of the peoples whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River — and so forth.

KJV And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnappar brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Osnappar (Asnappar) is almost certainly Ashurbanipal (669-631 BCE), the last great Assyrian king. The Aramaic form is a corruption of the Akkadian Ashur-bani-apli. The phrase Avar Naharah ('Beyond the River') is the official Persian name for the satrapy west of the Euphrates, encompassing Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine. The closing phrase ukhe'enet ('and so forth' or 'at this time') is a formulaic letter ending.

Ezra 4:11

דְּנָה֙ פַּרְשֶׁ֣גֶן אִגַּרְתָּ֔א דִּ֚י שְׁלַ֣חוּ עֲל֔וֹהִי עַל־אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֖שְׂתְּא מַלְכָּ֑א עַבְדָ֗ךְ אֱנָשׁ֙ עֲבַ֣ר נַהֲרָ֔ה וּכְעֶֽנֶת׃

This is a copy of the letter they sent to him: 'To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River — greetings.

KJV This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word parshegen ('copy') is a Persian loanword (from Old Persian *patigarana) that entered Aramaic and appears also in Esther 3:14; 4:8. The self-designation 'your servants' (avdakh) is standard courtly address to the king. The letter format follows Persian epistolary conventions.

Ezra 4:12

יְדִ֣יעַ ׀ לֶהֱוֵ֣א לְמַלְכָּ֗א דִּ֣י יְ֠הוּדָיֵ֠א דִּ֤י סְלִ֙קוּ֙ מִן־לְוָתָ֔ךְ עֲלֶ֕ינָא אֲת֖וֹ לִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם קִרְיְתָ֨א מָֽרָדְתָּ֤א וּבִֽאִשְׁתָּא֙ בָּנַ֔יִן וְשׁוּרַיָּ֣א שַׁכְלִ֔לוּ וְאֻשַּׁיָּ֖א יִתְיַצָּֽאוּ׃

Let the king be informed that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city; they are completing the walls and repairing the foundations.

KJV Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The accusation is carefully crafted: qiryeta maradeta u-vi'ishta ('the rebellious and wicked city') is designed to trigger Persian suspicion. The words are Aramaic but the political calculation is universal — label the enemy as disloyal, and the empire will respond. The claim that they are completing walls (shuraya shakhlelilu) specifically alleges military fortification, not mere urban construction.

Ezra 4:13

כְּעַ֗ן יְדִ֙יעַ֙ לֶהֱוֵ֣א לְמַלְכָּ֔א דִּ֞י הֵ֣ן קִרְיְתָ֥א דָךְ֙ תִּתְבְּנֵ֔א וְשׁוּרַיָּ֖ה יִשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן מִנְדָּ֤ה בְלוֹ֙ וַהֲלָ֔ךְ לָ֣א יִנְתְּנ֔וּן וְאַפְּתֹ֥ם מַלְכִ֖ים תְּהַנְזִֽק׃

Let the king know that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed, they will not pay tribute, tax, or toll, and the royal revenue will suffer loss.

KJV Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Three types of taxation are named: mindah (land/property tax), belo (commodity/excise tax), and halakh (road/transit toll). The letter writers know their audience — the threat to revenue is more persuasive to a Persian king than religious arguments. The phrase appetom malkin tehanziq ('the treasury of kings you will damage') makes the financial stakes personal.

Ezra 4:14

כְּעַ֗ן כׇּל־קֳבֵל֙ דִּ֣י מְלַ֤ח הֵיכְלָא֙ מְלַ֔חְנָא וְעַרְוַ֣ת מַלְכָּ֔א לָ֥א אֲרִ֖יךְ לָ֣נָא לְמֶחֱזֵ֑א עַל־דְּנָ֥ה שְׁלַ֖חְנָא וְהוֹדַ֥עְנָא לְמַלְכָּֽא׃

Now since we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, we have sent to inform the king,

KJV Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The idiom melach heikhala melachna ('we eat the salt of the palace') is a covenant expression — sharing salt signified loyalty and obligation (compare Numbers 18:19, 'a covenant of salt'). The letter writers present themselves as loyal subjects motivated by duty, not malice. The phrase ervat malka ('the king's dishonor/nakedness') uses ervah, a word that in Hebrew means 'nakedness, shame, vulnerability' — they frame Jerusalem's rebuilding as an exposure of royal weakness.

Ezra 4:15

דִּ֡י יְבַקַּר֩ בִּסְפַ֨ר דָּכְרָנַיָּ֜א דִּ֣י אֲבָהָתָ֗ךְ וּתְהַשְׁכַּח֙ בִּסְפַ֣ר דָּכְרָנַיָּ֔א וְתִנְדַּ֕ע דִּ֚י קִרְיְתָ֣א דָ֔ךְ קִרְיָ֣א מָֽרָדָ֔א וּמְהַנְזְקַ֥ת מַלְכִ֖ין וּמְדִנָ֑ן וְאֶשְׁתַּדּ֗וּר עָבְדִ֤ין בְּגַוַּהּ֙ מִן־יוֹמָ֣ת עָלְמָ֔א עַל־דְּנָ֕ה קִרְיְתָ֥א דָ֖ךְ הׇחָרְבָֽת׃

so that a search may be made in the book of records of your predecessors. You will find in the book of records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that sedition has been stirred within it from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.

KJV 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 destroyed.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The appeal to sefer dakhranaya ('the book of records/memorials') invokes the Persian archive system — royal chronicles were meticulously maintained and could be consulted to verify claims (see also Esther 2:23; 6:1). The letter writers weaponize Jerusalem's own history: the revolts of Hezekiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah are all on record. The phrase min yomat alma ('from days of eternity, from ancient times') is a sweeping generalization designed to make rebellion seem like Jerusalem's permanent character.

Ezra 4:16

מְהוֹדְעִ֤ין אֲנַ֙חְנָה֙ לְמַלְכָּ֔א דִּ֞י הֵ֣ן ׀ קִרְיְתָ֣א דָ֗ךְ תִּתְבְּנֵ֔א וְשׁוּרַיָּ֖ה יִשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן לׇקֳבֵ֣ל דְּנָ֔ה חֲלָק֙ בַּעֲבַ֣ר נַהֲרָ֔ה לָ֥א אִיתַ֖י לָֽךְ׃

We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls completed, you will have no portion left in the province Beyond the River.

KJV We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

This is the letter's most dramatic claim — that a rebuilt Jerusalem would cost the king the entire province of Beyond the River (Avar Naharah), encompassing all of Syria-Palestine. The claim is wildly exaggerated, but it plays on Persian anxieties about western revolts. The province Beyond the River was strategically vital as the approach route to Egypt.

Ezra 4:17

פִּתְגָמָ֞א שְׁלַ֣ח מַלְכָּ֗א עַל־רְח֤וּם בְּעֵל־טְעֵם֙ וְשִׁמְשַׁ֣י סָפְרָ֔א וּשְׁאָ֖ר כְּנָוָתְה֑וֹן דִּ֥י יָתְבִ֛ין בְּשָׁמְרַ֖יִן וּשְׁאָ֥ר עֲבַר־נַהֲרָ֖ה שְׁלָ֥ם וּכְעֶֽת׃

The king sent this reply: 'To Rehum the royal deputy, Shimshai the secretary, and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and the rest of the province Beyond the River — greetings, and furthermore:

KJV Then sent 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 unto the rest beyond the river, Peace, and at such a time.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The Aramaic pitgama ('edict, official reply') is a Persian loanword (Old Persian *patigama). The formulaic shlam ukhe'et ('peace and now') is standard Persian-Aramaic epistolary greeting. Artaxerxes responds directly to the named officials, confirming the bureaucratic chain of command.

Ezra 4:18

נִשְׁתְּוָנָ֕א דִּ֥י שְׁלַחְתּ֖וּן עֲלֶ֑ינָא מְפָרַ֥שׁ קֱרִ֖י קׇדָמָֽי׃

The letter you sent to us has been read and translated in my presence.

KJV The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word meforash ('plainly, clearly, translated') indicates that the letter was both read and interpreted — possibly translated from Aramaic into Old Persian for the king, or simply read with explanation. The verb qeri ('read') is passive, indicating a court reader performed the reading.

Ezra 4:19

וּמִנִּ֣י שִׂ֣ים טְעֵ֔ם וּבַקַּ֖רוּ וְהַשְׁכַּ֑חוּ דִּ֣י קִרְיְתָ֣א דָ֗ךְ מִן־יוֹמָת֙ עָלְמָ֔א עַל־מַלְכִ֣ין מִתְנַשְּׂאָ֔ה וּמְרַ֥ד וְאֶשְׁתַּדּ֖וּר מִתְעֲבֶד־בַּֽהּ׃

I issued an order and a search was made. It was found that this city has from ancient times risen up against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been carried out within it.

KJV And I commanded, 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Artaxerxes confirms the accusation through archival research — the Persian bureaucratic system worked exactly as the letter writers intended. The phrase min yomat alma ('from days of eternity') echoes the accusers' language in verse 15; the king has adopted their framing.

Ezra 4:20

וּמַלְכִ֣ין תַּקִּיפִ֗ין הֲווֹ֙ עַל־יְר֣וּשְׁלֶ֔ם וְשַׁלִּיטִ֖ין בְּכֹ֣ל עֲבַ֣ר נַהֲרָ֑ה וּמִנְדָּ֥ה בְל֛וֹ וַהֲלָ֖ךְ מִתְיְהֵ֥ב לְהֽוֹן׃

Mighty kings have ruled over Jerusalem with authority over the entire province Beyond the River, and tribute, tax, and toll were paid to them.

KJV There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

Artaxerxes acknowledges what the accusers implied — Jerusalem once hosted an independent monarchy (David, Solomon) that controlled the very territory now under Persian rule. The irony is that the king recites Israelite royal glory as evidence of danger. The three-tax formula (mindah, belo, halakh) reappears, reinforcing the fiscal anxiety.

Ezra 4:21

כְּעַ֗ן שִׂ֤ימוּ טְעֵם֙ לְבַטָּלָ֣א גֻבְרַיָּ֣א אִלֵּ֔ךְ וְקִרְיְתָ֥א דָ֖ךְ לָ֣א תִתְבְּנֵ֑א עַד־מִנִּ֖י טַעְמָ֥א יִתְּשָֽׂם׃

Now issue an order to make these men stop. This city is not to be rebuilt until I issue a further decree.

KJV Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The phrase ad minni ta'ama yittsam ('until a decree is issued by me') leaves a legal opening — the stop-work order is not permanent but suspended pending royal review. This nuance matters: it allows for the possibility of reversal, which will come under Darius in chapter 6.

Ezra 4:22

וּזְהִירִ֣ין הֱו֔וֹ שָׁלוּ֖ לְמֶעְבַּ֣ד עַל־דְּנָ֑ה לְמָ֛ה יִשְׂגֵּ֥א חֲבָלָ֖א לְהַנְזָקַ֥ת מַלְכִֽין׃

Be careful not to be negligent in this matter. Why should damage increase to the detriment of the king?'

KJV Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The word chavala ('damage, harm') carries the sense of financial loss and political injury. Artaxerxes frames the urgency in terms of escalating risk — delay means compounding damage to royal interests.

Ezra 4:23

אֱדַ֗יִן מִן־דִּ֞י פַּרְשֶׁ֤גֶן נִשְׁתְּוָנָא֙ דִּ֚י אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣שְׂתְּא מַלְכָּ֔א קֱרִ֧י קׇדָם־רְח֛וּם וְשִׁמְשַׁ֥י סָפְרָ֖א וּכְנָוָתְה֑וֹן אֲזַ֨לוּ בִבְהִ֤ילוּ לִירוּשְׁלֶם֙ עַל־יְה֣וּדָיֵ֔א וּבַטִּ֥לוּ הִמּ֖וֹ בְּאֶדְרָ֥ע וְחָֽיִל׃

As soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the secretary, and their associates, they went in haste to Jerusalem and forced the Jews to stop by armed power.

KJV Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The phrase be-edra ve-chayil ('by arm and force') indicates military enforcement — this was not a polite request but an armed shutdown. The adverb bi-vehilu ('in haste, urgently') shows the eagerness of the opponents to execute the order. They had the legal backing they needed and acted immediately.

Ezra 4:24

בֵּאדַ֗יִן בְּטֵלַת֙ עֲבִידַ֣ת בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֔א דִּ֖י בִּירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם וַהֲוָת֙ בָּֽטְלָ֔א עַ֣ד שְׁנַ֣ת תַּרְתֵּ֔ין לְמַלְכ֖וּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָֽס׃

At that time the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

KJV Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

The narrative returns to the main chronological thread after the Artaxerxes digression (verses 6-23). The second year of Darius I is 520 BCE — the year when Haggai and Zechariah prophesied and the rebuilding resumed (chapter 5). The work had been stalled for approximately sixteen years. This verse is still in Aramaic, bridging into the Aramaic section that continues through chapter 6.

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