Ezra 4

NOw when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin The Samaritans, as appears from v. 2, 10., heard that the children of the captivity built the temple unto the LORD God of Israel:

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, let us build with you This they spake not sincerely, as appears from their disposition and designs discovered in the following History, but that by this conjunction with them they might pierce into their counsels, and thereby get an opportunity to sin... me matter or pretences of Accusation against them.; for we seek your God, as ye do For so they did though in a mongrel way see 2 Kin. 17. 26, &c., and we do sacrifice unto him, since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur Son of Sennacherib, and after him King of Assyria, 2 Kin. 19. 37. Who brought or sent these persons hither, either 1. In the days of Salmanasar, who lived and reigned in Assyria but Eight years before Esarhaddons Reign; and so Esarhaddon might be one of his most eminent Commanders, and the man by whom that colony was sent. Or 2. In the reign of Esarhaddon, who sent this second Colony to supply and strengthen the first., which brought us up hither.

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 As being of another Nation and Religion, and therefore not concerned in Cyrus his Grant, which was confined to the Israelites and to the worshippers of the true God., to build an house unto our God, but we our selves together i. e. Who are united together by Cyrus his Grant in this work. Or, alone, as this word is somtimes used, as Iob 34. 29. Psal. 33. 15. Hos. 11. 7. will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.

Then the people of the land Heb. of that land; the present Inhabitants of that Province, to wit, the Samaritans. weakned the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building By false Reports, and Threats, and other means described.

And hired counsellers against them Who by their Artifices and Interests in the Persian Court should give some stop to their work., to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus King of Persia For though Cyrus still favoured the Jews, yet he was then diverted by his Wars, and his Son Cambyses was left his Vice-roy, who was a very wicked Prince, and an Enemy to the Jews and their Religion., even until the reign of Darius king of Persia Heb. and until, &c. i. e. Not only in the Reign of Cyrus, but also of Cambyses, and of the Magician, after whom was this Darius, of whom see chap. 5, & 6..

And in the reign of Ahasuerus Which is supposed by divers learned men to be from this time a common Name to divers succeeding Kings of Persia. And this makes it seem doubtful who this was. This was either 1. Xerxes the fourth and rich King of Persia, as he is called Dan. 11. 2. Or rather 2. Cambyses the Son and Successor of Cyrus, as may appear, 1. Because none but he and S... nerdis were between Cyrus and this Darius. 2. Because Cambyses was known to be no friend to the Jewish Nation nor Religion; and therefore it is very improbable that these crafty, and malicious, and Industrious Enemies of the Jews would omit so great an opportunity when it was put into their hands., in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the days of Artaxerxes Either 1. Artaxerxes, the Son of Xerxes. Or 2. Smerdis the Magician. Or rather 3. The same Cambyses, called by his Chaldee name Ahashuerus, v. 6. and here by his Persian name Artaxexes: By which name he is here called in the Inscription of this Letter, because so he was called by himself and others in the Letters written either by him, or to him. wrote Bishlam, Mithridath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companies, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted Or, exposed or declared. The sense is, It was written in the Chaldee or Syrian Language, and in the Syrian Character: for sometimes the Chaldee or Syrian words are written in the Hebrew Character, and Hebrew words are oft written in an English Character. in the Syrian tongue.

Rehum the chancellour, and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort.

Then wrote Rehum the chancellour, 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 Several people thus called from the several places of that vast Assyrian Empire, from whence they were fetched, and who were united together into one Body, and sent as one Colony by the Assyrian Monarchs into these parts.,

And the rest of the nations, whom the great and noble Asnappar Either Esarhaddon, or some other Person then of great eminency, especially with his Subjects and Followers, who was Captain of this Colony, and conducted them hither. brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria: and the rest that are on this side the river To wit, Euphrates. and at such a time The date of the Epistle was particularly expressed in the Epistle, but here it was sufficient to note it in the general..

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.

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 Either 1. The Jews had begun to build or repair some part of the Walls which Nebuchadnezzar had left, which they aggravate in this manner. Or 2. This is a mere fiction, which being confidently affirmed, they thought would easily find belief with a King whose Heart and Ears they possessed by their hired Counsellours, and others of their Friends, or the Enemies of the Jews., and joined the foundations.

Be it known now unto the king, that if this city be built, 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.

Now because we have maintenance from the kings palace and it was not meet for us to see the kings dishonour Thus they pretend the Kings service to their own malicious designs and private Interests.: therefore have we sent and certified the king;

That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers Political Fathers, i. e. thy Predecessors, the former Emperours of this Empire, namely in the Assyrian and Babylonish Records, which together with the Empire were now in the hands of the Persian Kings, to be searched or read, as the Kings pleasure was, or as the affairs of the Empire required.: 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.

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

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.

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

And I commanded, and search has been made, and it is found, that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that Rebellion and sedition have been made therein.

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.

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

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

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

Then ceased the work of the house of God For they neither could nor might proceed in that work against their Kings Prohibition, without a special command from the King of Heaven, which they had ch. 5. 1, 2., which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia To wit, Darius the Son of Hystaspes, Successor of Cambyses: not, as some would have it, Darius Nothus, the Son of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was not Emperour till above 100 years after Cyrus, and consequently from the beginning of the building of the Temple to the finishing of it must be about 130 years, which is not credible to any one that considers; 1. That the same Zerubbabel did both lay the Foundations and finish the work, Zech. 4. 9. 2. That some of the same persons who saw the finishing of this second house, had seen the glory of the first house, Hag. 2. 3..