Ezra 4

Ezra 4:1

E. Opposition to Rebuilding the Temple (Chap. 4)

1. In the Reign of Cyrus (4:1-5, 24)4:1-3 The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin mentioned in verse 1 were descendants of colonists from other countries who had been planted in the land when Assyria took the northern kingdom into captivity. These colonists had intermarried with the Jews who remained in the land, and their offspring became known as Samaritans. They came to Zerubbabel and pretended that they wanted to assist in the rebuilding of the temple. They, too, worshiped Jehovah, but He was only one of many gods in their idolatrous system of religion. So their offer was refused by Israel’s leaders. 4:4-5, 24 The Samaritans then changed their strategy. First they tried to discourage the people of Judah. Then they troubled them in building. They also hired counselors to lobby against Israel at the royal court to frustrate the Jews through the use of scare tactics. The work on the temple thus came to a halt. Verse 24 follows verse 5 chronologically. The enemies of Judah succeeded in having work on the temple stopped until the second year of Darius’s reign.

Ezra 4:6

2. In the Reign of Ahasuerus (4:6)Verse 6 mentions a letter that was written during the reign of Ahasuerus, bringing an accusation against the Jews. Verses 7-23 describe another letter, written in the days of Artaxerxes, accusing the Jews of rebuilding the city and its walls as an act of rebellion. The king thereupon ordered the work to stop.

Ezra 4:7

3. In the Reign of Artaxerxes (4:7-23)The rebuilding of the temple was completed during the reign of Darius, who ruled before Ahasuerus (v. 6) and Artaxerxes (v. 7). Therefore, the letters described in verses 6-23 were written after the temple was rebuilt. They have to do with attempts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, not the temple. But they are placed here, out of their chronological order, as further illustrations of attempts made to obstruct the work of the returned exiles. From 4:6 to 6:8, the language used is Aramaic instead of Hebrew. This was the language used by Persia in official decrees.

Ezra 4:24

4:4-5, 24 The Samaritans then changed their strategy. First they tried to discourage the people of Judah. Then they troubled them in building. They also hired counselors to lobby against Israel at the royal court to frustrate the Jews through the use of scare tactics. The work on the temple thus came to a halt. Verse 24 follows verse 5 chronologically. The enemies of Judah succeeded in having work on the temple stopped until the second year of Darius’s reign.