Ezra 4:6

Official Complaints Are Lodged Against the Jews

4:6 ¹ At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus ²  they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. ³ 

Ezra 5:3

5:3 At that time Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and asked, “Who gave you authority ⁴  to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?” ⁵ 

Ezra 8:34

8:34 Everything was verified ⁶  by number and by weight, and the total weight was written down at that time.

Ezra 4:11

4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)

“To King Artaxerxes, ⁷  from your servants in ⁸  Trans-Euphrates:

Ezra 4:24

4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. ⁹ 

Ezra 5:13

5:13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, ¹⁰  King Cyrus enacted a decree to rebuild this temple of God.

Ezra 6:15

6:15 They finished this temple on the third day of the month Adar, which is the sixth ¹¹  year of the reign of King Darius.

Ezra 7:12

7:12 ¹² “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:

Ezra 8:1

The Leaders Who Returned with Ezra

8:1 These are the leaders ¹³  and those enrolled with them by genealogy who were coming up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:

Ezra 10:14

10:14 Let our leaders take steps ¹⁴  on behalf of all the assembly. Let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at an appointed time, and with them the elders of each town and its judges, until the hot anger of our God is turned away from us in this matter.”

Ezra 1:5

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

1:5 Then the leaders ¹⁵  of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready ¹⁶  to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ 

Ezra 3:4

3:4 They observed the Festival of Temporary Shelters ¹⁸  as required ¹⁹  and offered the proper number of ²⁰  daily burnt offerings according to the requirement for each day.

Ezra 4:10

4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal ²¹  deported and settled in the cities ²²  of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates. ²³ 

Ezra 4:17

4:17 The king sent the following response:

“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings! ²⁴ 

Ezra 5:1-2

Tattenai Appeals to Darius

5:1 Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son ²⁵  of Iddo ²⁶  prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem ²⁷  in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began ²⁸  to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Ezra 5:16

5:16 Then this Sheshbazzar went and laid the foundations of the temple of God in Jerusalem. From that time to the present moment ²⁹  it has been in the process of being rebuilt, although it is not yet finished.’

Ezra 6:22--7:1

6:22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion ³⁰  of the king of Assyria ³¹  toward them, so that he assisted ³²  them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

The Arrival of Ezra

7:1 Now after these things had happened, during the reign of King Artaxerxes ³³  of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. ³⁴  Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah,

Ezra 7:7

7:7 In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, Ezra brought ³⁵  up to Jerusalem ³⁶  some of the Israelites and some of the priests, the Levites, the attendants, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants.

Ezra 8:29

8:29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, ³⁷  in the storerooms of the temple of the Lord.”

Ezra 2:59

2:59 These are the ones that came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify ³⁸  their family connection ³⁹  or their ancestry, ⁴⁰  as to whether they really were from Israel):

Ezra 3:5

3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord.

Ezra 3:9-10

3:9 So Jeshua appointed both his sons and his relatives, ⁴¹  Kadmiel and his sons (the sons of Yehudah ⁴² ), to take charge of the workers in the temple of God, along with the sons of Henadad, their sons, and their relatives ⁴³  the Levites. 3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, ⁴⁴  and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by ⁴⁵  King David of Israel. ⁴⁶ 

Ezra 6:3

6:3 In the first year of his reign, ⁴⁷  King Cyrus gave orders concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: ⁴⁸  ‘Let the temple be rebuilt as a place where sacrifices are offered. Let its foundations be set in place. ⁴⁹  Its height is to be ninety feet and its width ninety ⁵⁰  feet, ⁵¹ 

Ezra 9:8

9:8 “But now briefly ⁵²  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ⁵³  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ⁵⁴  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

Ezra 10:2

10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, ⁵⁵  addressed Ezra:

“We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying ⁵⁶  foreign women from the local peoples. ⁵⁷  Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard. ⁵⁸ 

Ezra 10:16

10:16 So the exiles proceeded accordingly. Ezra the priest separated out ⁵⁹  by name men who were leaders in their family groups. ⁶⁰  They sat down to consider this matter on the first day of the tenth month,

[4:6]  ¹ sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522–486 b.c. and in whose time the rebuilt temple was finished. The material in between is from later times (v. 16 describes the rebuilding of the walls, not the temple), and so appear to be a digression. Even recognizing this, there are still questions, such as why Cambyses (530-522 b.c.) is not mentioned at all, and why events from the time of Xerxes (486-465 b.c.) and Artaxerxes (464-423 b.c.) are included here if the author was discussing opposition to the building of the temple, which was finished in 516 b.c. Theories to explain these difficulties are too numerous to mention here, but have existed since ancient times: Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, rearranged the account to put Cambyses before Xerxes and replacing Artaxerxes with Xerxes (for further discussion of Josephus’ rearrangement see L. L. Grabbe, “Josephus and the Reconstruction of the Judean Restoration” JBL 106 [1987]: 231-46). In brief, it seems best to view the author’s primary concern here as thematic (the theme of opposition to the Jewish resettlement in Jerusalem, including the rebuilding of the temple and restoration of Jerusalem’s walls) rather than purely chronological. In the previous verses the author had shown how the Jews had rejected an offer of assistance from surrounding peoples and how these people in turn harassed them. The inserted account shows how, in light of the unremitting opposition the Jews experienced (even extending down to more recent times), this refusal of help had been fully justified. Some of the documents the author employed show how this opposition continued even after the temple was rebuilt. (The failure to mention Cambyses may simply mean the author had no documents available from that period.) For detailed discussion of the difficulties presented by the passage and the various theories advanced to explain them, see H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah (WBC), 56-60.

[4:6]  ² sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464 b.c.

[4:6]  ³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:3]  ⁴ tn Aram “who placed to you a command?” So also v. 9.

[5:3]  ⁵ tn The exact meaning of the Aramaic word אֻשַּׁרְנָא (’ussarna’) here and in v. 9 is uncertain (BDB 1083 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it to mean “wall.” Here it is used in collocation with בַּיְתָא (bayta’, “house” as the temple of God), while in 5:3, 9 it is used in parallelism with this term. It might be related to the Assyrian noun ashurru (“wall”) or ashru (“sanctuary”; so BDB). F. Rosenthal, who translates the word “furnishings,” thinks that it probably enters Aramaic from Persian (Grammar, 62-63, §189).

[8:34]  ⁶ tn The words “everything was verified” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ⁷ tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.

[4:11]  ⁸ tn Aram “men of.”

[4:24]  ⁹ sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522–486 b.c.

[5:13]  ¹⁰ sn Cyrus was actually a Persian king, but when he conquered Babylon in 539 b.c. he apparently appropriated to himself the additional title “king of Babylon.” The Syriac Peshitta substitutes “Persia” for “Babylon” here, but this is probably a hyper-correction.

[6:15]  ¹¹ sn The sixth year of the reign of Darius would be ca. 516 B.C.

[7:12]  ¹² sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.

[8:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the heads of their families.”

[10:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “stand.”

[1:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[1:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “arose.”

[1:5]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:4]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew phrase אֶת חַג־הַסֻּכּוֹת (’et khag-hassukot, “festival of huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.

[3:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “according to what is written.”

[3:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “by number.”

[4:10]  ²¹ tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.

[4:10]  sn Ashurbanipal succeeded his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria in 669 B.C. Around 645 B.C. he sacked the city of Susa, capital of Elam, and apparently some of these people were exiled to Samaria and other places.

[4:10]  ²² tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bÿquryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.

[4:10]  ²³ tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.

[4:17]  ²⁴ tn Aram “peace.”

[5:1]  ²⁵ tn Aram “son.” According to Zech 1:1 he was actually the grandson of Iddo.

[5:1]  ²⁶ tn Aram “and Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet.”

[5:1]  ²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:2]  ²⁸ tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[5:16]  ²⁹ tn Aram “from then and until now.”

[6:22]  ³⁰ tn Heb “heart.”

[6:22]  ³¹ sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612 b.c., long before the events of this chapter. Perhaps the expression is intended subtly to contrast earlier kings of Assyria who were hostile toward Israel with this Persian king who showed them favor.

[6:22]  ³² tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”

[7:1]  ³³ sn If the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I Longimanus (ca. 464–423 B.C.), Ezra must have arrived in Jerusalem ca. 458 B.C., since Ezra 7:7-8 connects the time of his arrival to the seventh year of the king. The arrival of Nehemiah is then linked to the twentieth year of the king (Neh 1:1), or ca. 445 B.C. Some scholars, however, have suggested that Ezra 7:7 should be read as “the thirty-seventh year” rather than “the seventh year.” This would have Ezra coming to Jerusalem after, rather than before, the arrival of Nehemiah. Others have taken the seventh year of Ezra 7:7-8 to refer not to Artaxerxes I but to Artaxerxes II, who ruled ca. 404–358 B.C. In this understanding Ezra would have returned to Jerusalem ca. 398 B.C., a good many years after the return of Nehemiah. Neither of these views is certain, however, and it seems better to retain the traditional understanding of the chronological sequence of returns by Ezra and Nehemiah. With this understanding there is a gap of about fifty-eight years between chapter six, which describes the dedication of the temple in 516 b.c., and chapter seven, which opens with Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem in 458 b.c.

[7:1]  ³⁴ tn The words “came up from Babylon” do not appear in the Hebrew text until v. 6. They have been supplied here for the sake of clarity.

[7:7]  ³⁵ tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּעֲל (vayya’al, “he [Ezra] brought up”) rather than the Qal plural וַיַּעַלוּ (vayya’alu, “they came up”) of the MT.

[7:7]  tn Heb “he brought”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:7]  ³⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:29]  ³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:59]  ³⁸ tn Heb “relate.”

[2:59]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”

[2:59]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “their seed.”

[3:9]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:9]  ⁴² sn The name יְהוּדָה (Yehudah; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “Judah”) is probably a variant of Hodaviah (see Ezra 2:40; cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[3:9]  ⁴³ tn Heb “brothers.”

[3:10]  ⁴⁴ sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).

[3:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “according to the hands of.”

[3:10]  ⁴⁶ sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.

[6:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Aram “In the first year of Cyrus the king.”

[6:3]  ⁴⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:3]  ⁴⁹ tn Aram “raised”; or perhaps “retained” (so NASB; cf. NLT), referring to the original foundations of Solomon’s temple.

[6:3]  ⁵⁰ tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “twenty cubits” here, a measurement probably derived from dimensions given elsewhere for Solomon’s temple. According to 1 Kgs 6:2 the dimensions of the Solomonic temple were as follows: length, 60 cubits; width, 20 cubits; height, 30 cubits. Since one would expect the dimensions cited in Ezra 6:3 to correspond to those of Solomon’s temple, it is odd that no dimension for length is provided. The Syriac has apparently harmonized the width dimension provided here (“twenty cubits”) to that given in 1 Kgs 6:2.

[6:3]  ⁵¹ tn Aram “Its height sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) long.

[9:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

[9:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “a peg” or “tent peg.” The imagery behind this word is drawn from the experience of nomads who put down pegs as they pitched their tents and made camp after times of travel.

[9:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “to cause our eyes to shine.” The expression is a figure of speech for “to revive.” See DCH 1:160 s.v. אור Hi.7.

[10:2]  ⁵⁵ tc The translation reads with the Qere, many medieval Hebrew MSS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate עֵילָם (’elam, “Elam”) rather than the reading עוֹלָם (’olam, “eternity”) found in the MT.

[10:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “in that we have given a dwelling to.” So also in vv. 14, 17, 18.

[10:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[10:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “upon this.”

[10:16]  ⁵⁹ tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּבְדֵּל לוֹ (vayyavdel lo, “separated for himself”) rather than the Niphal plural וַיִּבָּדְלוּ (vayyibbadÿlu, “were separated”) of the MT.

[10:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers, to the house of their fathers, and all of them by name.”