Opposition to the building of the temple
4
📚Now when the adversaries 📖 of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel, 2 📚they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we seek your God, just as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here”. 3 📚But Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ households of Israel, said to them, “You can have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God, but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us”.
4:3 The leaders of the Jews wanted no help from those who worshiped other gods and did not follow the instructions God gave in the law of Moses. Believers now should have the same concern to be a holy, separate people – 2 Cor 6:14-18.⚜
4 📚Then the people of the land attempted to discourage the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 📚and hired counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
4:4-5 If the enemies of a work of God do not succeed in hindering it in one way they will try another. Cyrus reigned 559-530 B.C. Darius began his reign in 522.⚜
6 📚And in the reign of Ahasuerus 📖, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote to him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 📚And in the days of Artaxerxes Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, wrote to Artaxerxes 📖 king of Persia, and the text of the letter was written in the Syrian script, and translated into the Syrian language 📖.
8 📚Rehum the chancellor 📖 and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, of the following kind. 9 📚Then 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, 10 📚and the rest of the nations whom the great and honourable Osnapper 📖 brought over and placed in the cities of Samaria, and the rest who are at this time on this side of the river, wrote.
11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king: “We are your servants, men who are at this time on this side of the River. 12 📚Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem, and are building that rebellious and evil city, and are restoring its walls and repairing the foundations.
13 📚“Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls restored, then they will not pay tax, tribute, and duty, and so the kings’ revenue will be damaged. 14 📚Now because we are receiving support from the king’s palace, and it is not right for us to see the king’s dishonour, we have sent and informed the king, 15 📚that search may be made in the record books of your fathers so you can discover in the record books and know that this city is a rebellious city, and harmful to kings and provinces, and that within it in former times they have incited rebellion. For this reason this city was destroyed. 16 📚We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt, and its walls restored, through this you will have no portion on this side of the River”.
4:13-16 These enemies of the Jews tried to get the king to support them by using this economic argument. What ruler wants to suffer financial loss?⚜
17 📚Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor and to Shimshai the scribe and to the rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and to the rest living beyond the River, “Peace at this time.
18 📚“The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read in my presence. 19 📚And I gave a command, and a search has been made, and it has been found that in former times this city made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and revolt were made in it. 20 📚There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the countries beyond the River, and tax, tribute, and duty were paid to them. 21 Now give an order to stop these men, that this city not be built, until another command is given by me. 22 📚Now take heed that you do not fail to do this. Why should the damage increase to the harm of the kings?”
4:22 The economic argument (vs 13-16) was successful, as it usually is in the world’s affairs. The world always cares more for money than for truth and justice. See 1 John 2:16.⚜
23 📚Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read in the presence of Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they quickly went up to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop 📖 work by force of arms.
4:6-23 This section deals with opposition to the Jews’ plan for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Chronologically it belongs between chapters 6 and 7 and is like a parenthesis in the narrative here. Verse 24 takes up the story from v 5.⚜
24 📚Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem stopped. So it stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
4:24 The author returns to events of vs 4,5 which took place prior to the reign of Artaxerxes.⚜