Ezra 4:7

Ezra 4:7

5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of ^aDarius king of Persia.

Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

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

7 In the days of ^aArtaxerxes also, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabel, and the rest of their companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in ^bAramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language.

8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes in this fashion:

9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions—representatives of ^athe Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the people of Persia and Erech and Babylon and Shushan, the Dehavites, the Elamites,

10 ^aand the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond¹ the River —^band so forth.

11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent him)
To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men of the region beyond the River,¹ and so forth:

12 Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the ^arebellious and evil city, and are finishing its ^bwalls and repairing the foundations.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

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Ezra 4:8 >>

Artaxerxes - Gomates, the Pseudo-Smerdis. He succeeded Cambyses (521 BC), and reigned for seven months, when he was deposed and executed by Darius Hystaspis.

Written in the Syrian tongue ... - Or, "written in Syriac characters and translated into Syriac." On the use of this tongue as a medium of communication between the Jews and their Eastern neighbors, see II Kings 18:26 note.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Ezra 4:7:**

Ezra 4:15
Ezra 5:3
Ezra 7:14
Nehemiah 2:10

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Ezra 4:8 >>

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