Nehemiah 3, Repairing Walls and Gates

Nehemiah has urged city officials to rebuild the gates and walls of Jerusalem. A description of that work follows. Although I tend to find this list of activities tedious, this chapter has been critical for understanding the ancient geography and development of Jerusalem. Archeological digs in some of these sites continue today.

Nehemiah 3: 1- 4, Sheep Gate and Fish Gate

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.

The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. 

Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired the next section. Next to him Meshullam son of Berekiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs, and next to him Zadok son of Baana also made repairs.

   

The construction of the Sheep and Fish gate are described. And a nearby section. Eliashib is mentioned in Ezra 10: 6 as the father of Jehohanan, in whose room Ezra sought sanctuary to fast and pray. The Sheep Gate is mentioned in John 5: 2, near the Bethesda Pool.

Nehemiah 3: 5-8, Jeshanah Gage and other repairs

The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

Next to them, repairs were made by men from Gibeon and Mizpah--Melatiah of Gibeon and Jadon of Meronoth--places under the authority of the governor of Trans-Euphrates.

Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

A number of sections of wall are repaired, as is the Jeshanah Gate. (NIV footnotes: the term Jeshanah Gate is unclear -- it may mean "Old Gate".) Tekoa was a town five miles south of Bethlehem (says Yamauchi), the home of the prophet Amos (Amos 1: 1.) We will read several times of the hard work of the ordinary people of Tekoa, although their nobles (rich leaders) did no work.

Nehemiah 3: 9-12, Other sections and Tower of the Ovens

Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section. Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house, and Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs next to him.

Malkijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-Moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.

Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

Sections near the Tower of the Ovens are repaired.

Nehemiah 3: 13-15, Valley Gate, Dung Gate, Fountain Gate

The Valley Gate was repaired by Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place. They also repaired five hundred yards of the wall as far as the Dung Gate.

The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.

The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun son of Col-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He rebuilt it, roofing it over and putting its doors and bolts and bars in place. He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam, by the King's Garden, as far as the steps going down from the City of David.

 

The Valley Gate and sections of the wall as far as the Dung Gate are repaired.  Also the Fountain Gate and things nearby. The King's Garden is through which Zedekiah fled in 2 Kings 25: 4 , Jeremiah 39: 4. It is possible that it is the same as the king's forest from the previous chapter.

The son of Recah (Recabites) show up several places in our Old Testament history, as a commune with a variety of dietary laws, including abstention from alcohol.

Both Tekoa and Beth Hakkerem are mentioned in Jeremiah 6: 1, when Jerusalem was under siege more than a century before.

Nehemiah 3: 16-22, More walls, more repairs

Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of a half-district of Beth Zur, made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the House of the Heroes.

Next to him, the repairs were made by the Levites under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district.

 

Next to him, the repairs were made by their countrymen under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other half-district of Keilah.

Next to him, Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section, from a point facing the ascent to the armory as far as the angle.

Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the angle to the entrance of the house of Eliashib the high priest.

Next to him, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the entrance of Eliashib's house to the end of it.

The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.

 

More of Jerusalem is repaired. Presumably the tombs of David was the location where David and his family were buried.

David saves the town of Keilah from the Philistines in 1 Samuel 23, some 550 years before.

Nehemiah 3: 23-26, Repairs to sections to the Water Gate

Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.

Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah's house to the angle and the corner, and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. 

Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower.

  

The author continues to detail all the repairs.  The author assumes we recognize some of these locations. The required work is clearly extensive; the city is large.

The Water Gate (says Yamauchi) was not a gate of the city but a gate of the palace-temple complex

Nehemiah 3: 27-32, Wall of Ophel, Horse Gate, East Gate, Inspection Gate, Sheep Gate

Next to them, the men of Tekoa repaired another section, from the great projecting tower to the wall of Ophel.

Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house.

Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs.

Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. 

Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.

Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs.

Athaliah, Judean queen who murdered all the brothers of Joash (2 Chronicles 22: 10-12), is caught and killed at the Horse Gate (2 Chronicles 23: 15) as she flees Jehoiada and other supporters of Joash.

Our long list of repairs continue. In the next chapter we will see that defending these repairs, while they work, requires swords, spears and trumpets to rally people from other parts of the wall.

One artist, Martin Young, has attempted to recreate the ancient walls and gates of Nehemiah's Jerusalem. That article is online here with this drawn map:

Another site on the dedication of the walls is here at biblemapper.com. We will return to a serious study of the walls and gates of Jerusalem in chapter 12.

Nehemiah 2, A Cupbearer Makes a Request

Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, has been praying about the city of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2: 1-4a, Appearance before the king 

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."
 

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
 

The king said to me, "What is it you want?" 

Nehemiah is apparently one of a number of cupbearers and at a certain time it is his turn to serve the king. Artaxerxes notices Nehemiah's sadness and reacts in sympathy, asking what the problem is.  Nehemiah explains that the city of his fathers (where his ancestors have a sepulchre, suggests Yamauchi) is in ruins. The city is not named here; it is possible that Nehemiah does not name Jerusalem as its reconstruction had been stopped previously (see Ezra 4: 17-24), possibly by this very king.  

Here the king, Artaxerxes, seems to desire to help. Yamauchi puts the date as April, 444 BC.

Nehemiah 2: 4b-8, Request

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" 

It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and  for the residence I will occupy?" 

And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

 

Nehemiah apparently prays silently, quickly for help, before answering the king.  He then gives the king a precise response, with some definite plans. The queen (or a leading concubine) is sitting next to the king when this conversation occurs.

The "king's forest" is not identified. If it is near Jerusalem, it may be the same as the King's garden through which Zedekiah fled in 2 Kings 25: 4 , Jeremiah 39: 4.

Nehemiah 2: 9-10, Letter carried 

So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
 

Nehemiah, supported by Babylonia soldiers, goes to governors of the Trans-Euphrates.  (The Trans-Euphrates is probably the region controlling Jerusalem.)  Ammonite officials do not like this idea of the king sending people to change the status of the region they control. Sanballot and Tobiah will appear at various times in our narrative, as the struggle to rebuild Jerusalem goes forward.

Tobiah is described as an "official" but the Hebrew word there is ebed, translated "slave" or "bond-servant" in other places, including the Mosaic covenant.

There is now considerable historical documentation for this period. Artaxerxes and his role in the region appears in the Elephantine papyri. Flavius Josephus, c. 100 AD, in his Antiquities of the Jews, provides considerable details to this time in Book XI.  (I should do a Sunday essay on each of these sources.)

Nehemiah 2: 11-15, Scouting the wall

I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
 

By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.

Without telling others, Nehemiah goes out at night and checks on the gates. At the Fountain Gate the damage and rubble did not even allow Nehemiah to get through.

According to the NIV footnotes, the "Jackal" Well (verse 13) might be translated "Serpent" or "Fig". As elsewhere, "three days" is often a phrase that means "a small number of days" or "a short time."

Nehemiah 2: 16-18, Ruins 

The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. 

They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

 

Nehemiah encourages the city offices to begin working on the wall.

Nehemiah 2: 19-20, Sanballat 

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?"

I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."

Nehemiah is given grief by the two Ammonite officials and matches their rhetoric. Sanballat will be an ongoing nemesis.

Nehemiah 1, Ruins of Jerusalem

Nehemiah hears about the rebuilding going on in Jerusalem. (It is likely Nehemiah was born in Babylon and has never seen Jerusalem. "Nehemiah" means "the comfort of YHWH" says Yamauchi.)

Nehemiah 1: 1-3, Word of destruction
 The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
 

They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire."
 

The date is around 445 BC. In Kislev, the ninth month of the year (November/December) some men, including a bother of Nehemiah, come from Judah to Susa and are questioned by Nehemiah.  They tell him that the walls and gates of Jerusalem, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar over a century before, are still in ruin.

Susa was a major city in the Babylonian empire and apparently the winter palace during the Archaemedid (First Persian) Empire founded by Cyrus the Great. It is mentioned in Daniel 8: 1-2, It is the setting for the book of Esther (see Esther 1: 1-3.)

Nehemiah 1: 4-7, Fasting and weeping

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Then I said: 

"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you.

 

"We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

Nehemiah weeps and prays. As part of his mourning, he sets aside time for fasting.  In his prayer, he confesses the sins of Israel, especially its abandonment of the Mosaic Covenant. The "covenant of love" mentioned at the start of Nehemiah's prayer is the covenant of hesed.

Nehemiah 1: 8-10, "But if you return..."

 "Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, `If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

"They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.

 

Nehemiah tells God that he is aware of the words of Moses and the promise that if the descendants of Jacob return to God, He will bring them back to His chosen place.

Nehemiah 1: 11, "Let Your ear be attentive..."

"O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man." 

I was cupbearer to the king.

Nehemiah's final prayer turns to his role in Babylon -- he is the king's cupbearer.

Ezra 10, Separation

Many of the Israelites have married pagan wives and even raised children with them. The country will return to idolatry. What should be done?

Ezra 10: 1-4, A dramatic solution
While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites--men, women and children--gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.

Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.

Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it."

Ezra, in pain, is throwing himself onto the ground before the temple. (Yamauchi says that the Hebrew makes this a repetitive action.) Shecaniah responds to Ezra's distress and suggests that the people "put away" (that is, divorce) all their foreign wives (and children from them) and return to an environment in which they only married worshipers of YHWH.

I would hope that some wived, like Ruth long before, are free to become Israelites and to join in worshiping YHWH with their husband. Nothing is said of this option.

Ezra 10: 5-8, Oath and proclamation

So Ezra rose up and put the leading priests and Levites and all Israel under oath to do what had been suggested. And they took the oath.

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.

A proclamation was then issued throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. Anyone who failed to appear within three days would forfeit all his property, in accordance with the decision of the officials and elders, and would himself be expelled from the assembly of the exiles.

Ezra agrees with Shecaniah's suggestion.  Ezra continues to mourn and fast.  A proclamation is made and anyone who refuses to put away his pagan wives will be expelled from the assembly.

Yamauchi says that at this time Judah is small enough that everyone lives within fifty miles of Jerusalem.

Ezra 10: 9-12, Meeting in the rain

Within the three days, all the men of Judah and Benjamin had gathered in Jerusalem. And on the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, greatly distressed by the occasion and because of the rain.

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt. Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives."

The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: "You are right! We must do as you say.

The people return to Jerusalem to gather with Ezra. Yamauchi says that this is in December, when Jerusalem can be cold and rainy. (There has occasionally, but rarely, been snow in Jerusalem in the winter months.) The mention of rain implies a heavy rain -- one should imagine a dripping Ezra, in cold pouring rain, shouting out to a crowd of wet miserable people.

Ezra 10: 13-15, Decision in Jerusalem

But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing.

Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us."

Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite, opposed this.
 

A process is suggested: men across the region will confirm this plan, putting away their foreign wives. They will meet on some schedule in various times, to their elders and judges of their town. Very few (three?) oppose this. Yaumauchi suggests that the name Shabbethai means "Born on the Sabbath."

Ezra 10: 16-17, Investigations 

So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases, and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Across three months the investigations carry on.  In the completion of this time, many men have agreed to give up their wives and children.  A list of these will be given below.

Ezra 10: 18-43, List of names

Among the descendants of the priests, the following had married foreign women: 

    From the descendants of Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. (They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt they each presented a ram from the flock as a guilt offering.)

    From the descendants of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.

    From the descendants of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel and Uzziah.

    From the descendants of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.

    Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.

    From the singers: Eliashib. From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem and Uri.

    And among the other Israelites: From the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah and Benaiah. 

    From the descendants of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth and Elijah.

    From the descendants of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad and Aziza.

    From the descendants of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.

    From the descendants of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Jeremoth.

    From the descendants of Pahath-Moab: Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.

    From the descendants of Harim: Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah.

    From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.

    From the descendants of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasu.

    From the descendants of Binnui: Shimei, Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, Macnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, Shallum, Amariah and Joseph. 

    From the descendants of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.

We have a long list of culprits who have married foreign (pagan) wives but have agreed to give them up. Jeshua, son of Jozadak, is described in Ezra 3: 1-2 as one of the early returnees to Jerusalem.

(NIV footnotes: Both the Septuagint and the aprocryphal text Esdras 1 (sometimes called Esdras 3)  have slightly different names and spellings.  For example, in verse 5, the Hebrew text does not have Zattu; in verse 10 the Hebrew text does not have Bani but in verses 37 and 38, Binnui is replaced by "Jaasu, Bani and Binnui.")

Ezra 10: 44, Foreign wives and children

All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.

Nothing is said here about the support of the divorced women and their children. Yamauchi, in his commentary on Ezra, looks to Nehemiah 7 and computes a total of 28,774 people returning with Zerubbabel of which only 111 had intermarried with pagans. It is suggested, however, that the list above is a list of leaders who had pagan wives and so the count of 111 is probably quite a bit smaller than the total number of exiles in this category.

The prophet Malachi, speaking some time before Ezra, chastises the people of YHWH for divorcing Jewish wives and then marrying pagan women (Malachi 2: 10-16.) 

As the Bible Project video on Ezra-Nehemiah points out, this book is not ending on a high note. Issues related to idolatry continue to rise and at no place do we really seem to have returned to the glory of ancient Israel. This story will continue with the book of Nehemiah, the second half of the scroll of Ezra-Nehemiah.

Ezra 9, Pagan Wives

As Ezra and others engaged in setting up, anew, the covenant law, a problem arises. 

Ezra 9: 1-4, The problem of pagan wives
After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, "The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness."

When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled until the evening sacrifice.

The issue of influence from pagan neighbors is an ancient one. The of "neighboring peoples" echoes previous lists with small differences. For example, in Exodus 3: 17, we have a similar list where the Ammonites and Moabites are replaced by the Hivites. Throughout the Torah, the Jews were warned against marrying wives from other nations, as they would bring pagan idolatry with them. This did happen, repeatedy, throughout the reign of kings, and is a major reason for the nation's defeat and exile.  This appears to be happening again and Ezra is distressed.

The Jebusites were a people group who originally lived in Jerusalem but were ousted by David (1 Chronicles 11: 4-5.)

Ezra's expressions of dismay, tearing his tunic and cloak, were common statements of distress in ancient Israel.  However, according to Yamauchi, this is the only place where the distressed one is described as pulling out his hair! As Yamauchi points out, Ezra is not officially a leader of Israel but the leaders do come to him. Ezra, because of his standing as a priest and in knowledge of the Mosaic Covenant, is a person of influence.

Ezra 9: 5-9,  Ezra's prayer

Then, at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn, and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the LORD my God and prayed: 

"O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 

From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.

"But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Ezra, a "skilled scribe", is very aware of the prohibitions against pagan wives and so throws himself down before YHWH and prays for grace and success for this new nation. The prayer is a mixture of confession, repentance and gratitude. Ezra makes it clear that he has learned the lesson of the exile and ask that this remnant of the ancient Israelite people be restored to Judah and Jerusalem.

Ezra's posture of prayer is hands spread out (palms up, says Yamauchi), on his knees. This also is Solomon's prayer posture at the dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 6: 12-13.

Ezra 9: 10-15, What can we say?

"But now, O our God, what can we say after this? For we have disregarded the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you said: `The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled it with their impurity from one end to the other.

Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.'

"What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this. Shall we again break your commands and intermarry with the peoples who commit such detestable practices? Would you not be angry enough with us to destroy us, leaving us no remnant or survivor?

O LORD, God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence."

Ezra recalls some of the commands of Moses, back when the first entrance to Canaan was to occur.  Here is a second entrance, a second chance, and the educated priest, a descendant of Aaron, wants to get this right!

The marriage prohibition here is not one of race, but of religious worship. The ideal of the Mosaic Covenant is to have husband and wife worshiping YHWH together, raising their children to worship YHWH. (See Deuteronomy 6: 4-15.)

Ezra 8, Caravan to Babylon

Ezra's work in rebuilding the temple has been fully endorsed by Artaxerxes. The date is about 458 BC.

Here Ezra repeats the events of the previous chapter, adding details.

Ezra 8: 1-14, Heads of households registered to travel from Babylon
These are the family heads and those registered with them who came up with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes: 

    of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom; 

    of the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; 

    of the descendants of David, Hattush
    of the descendants of Shecaniah; 

    of the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered 150 men;

    of the descendants of Pahath-Moab, Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;

    of the descendants of Zattu, Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;

    of the descendants of Adin, Ebed son of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;

    of the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;

    of the descendants of Shephatiah, Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;

    of the descendants of Joab, Obadiah son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;

    of the descendants of Bani, Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;

    of the descendants of Bebai, Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;

    of the descendants of Azgad, Johanan son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;

    of the descendants of Adonikam, the last ones, whose names were Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and with them 60 men;

    of the descendants of Bigvai, Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.
 

Ezra reports on those now traveling with him to Babylon.  This is a wave of returnees somewhat later than those under Cyrus in Ezra 1.

Ezra 8: 15-20, Levites

I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there. So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, and I sent them to Iddo, the leader in Casiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his kinsmen, the temple servants in Casiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God.

Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah's sons and brothers, 18 men; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 men. They also brought 220 of the temple servants--a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name.

 

Ezra's part meets at a canal near one of the large rivers, the Tigris or Euphrates. (Both rivers flow out of the northwest, the direction the caravan needs to go if it is to avoid the desert region between Babylon and Judah.)

Ezra discovers that there are no Levites in the group and so recruits them. Although there are few Levites, there are 220 temple servants, assistants to the Levites.

Ezra 8: 21-23, A fast and request for safety

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Before they leave Babylon, the caravan fasts and prays for safety. Ezra has confidently told the king they didn't need soldiers to protect them on this trip but it is a long trip, one of over five hundred miles and the dangers of the campaign is becoming clear to Ezra.

Ezra 8: 24-29, Offering of silver and gold

Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, and I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. I weighed out to them 650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics, and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

I said to them, "You as well as these articles are consecrated to the LORD. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers. Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel."

The gifts from Darius include quantities of silver and gold which are to be guarded carefully as they are transported to Jerusalem.

Ezra 8: 30-34, Expedition completed

Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.

So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui. Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

The caravan completes their trip in only four months, a short time for those days. This material repeats Ezra 7: 8-9.

Ezra 8: 35-36, Thanksgiving

Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering, twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. They also delivered the king's orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

At the end of their travels, they sacrifice with thanksgiving.

Ezra 7, A Trained Priest Sent From Babylon

After a pause forced by local enemies, the building of Jerusalem and the temple is back on. There was a temple dedication (around 515 BC) but now we need a true priest to finish setting up the temple service.

Ezra 7: 1-6, Ezra
After these things, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest-- this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

Some time has passed since chapter 6, maybe as much as sixty years. The Artaxerxes identified here is most likely Artaxerxes I, who began his reign in 465 BC. He was the son of Xerxes the Great whose reign we have skipped over and who is the king in the book of Esther. (See, for example, the online commentary on Ezra 7 at enduringword.com.)

Ezra is an impressive character. He is a direct descendant of Aaron, through at least sixteen generations. (There is a lot of history in this lineage!) Ezra leaves Babylon, with Darius' blessing and prepares to minister in Jerusalem. This is the Ezra after whom the book is named, who is most likely the author of most of Ezra and Nehemiah and possible 1 & 2 Chronicles.

Ezra 7: 7-10,  Ezra arrives
Some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers and temple servants, also came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

Ezra takes only four months to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem.  He would have traveled around the Fertile Crescent, going northwest along the Euphrates into southeastern Turkey and Syria, then traveling southwest through the Syrian grasslands to Israel. The short time (four months) for this travel, with a caravan including children and the elderly, is viewed as evidence of God's grace on him, as Ezra has devoted himself to studying and obeying the Law. This trip will be described in more detail in the next chapter.

From our knowledge of the reigns of Babylonian leaders (and assuming the king identified earlier is Artaxerxes I), we can date Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem to about 458 BC.

Ezra 7: 11-20, Letter of Artaxerxes

This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel:

Artaxerxes, king of kings,  To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem. With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

 

Artaxerxes fully endorses the actions of Ezra. YHWH is described as the God of Israel and the people who are to go to Judah include all Israelites. Ezra will attempt to unite in Judah as many descendants to the twelve tribes as wish to return. (Gleason Archer, in his commentary on Daniel (p. 114), dates this decree to 457 BC.)

The text of Ezra 7:12-26 is in Aramaic. The letter of Artaxerxes continues:

Ezra 7: 21-26, Artaxerxes offers all support

Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you--up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?

You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God. 

And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates--all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Artaxerxes appears here to be fully endorsing the God of the Hebrews and Ezra's plans. Considerable riches travel with Ezra.

Ezra 7: 27-28, Ezra offers praise

Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

These last two verses, returning to Hebrew, are written by Ezra as praise to YHWH Who continues to bring success to this project. More Israelites are returning home, to complete the temple and return it to service!

Ezra 6, What the Archives Reveal

During the reign of Darius there is been local opposition to rebuilding the temple. Prophets Haggai and Zechariah have insisted that the work continue. Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, has then written to King Darius in Babylon asking for a search of Babylonian royal archives to see if there was indeed a previous decree by Cyrus, as claimed by the Jewish leaders.

Ezra 6: 1-5, Archives searched

King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it: 

Memorandum:

 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury. Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.

Darius searches the archives and the original edict by Cyrus is discovered!

Ezra 6: 6-7, "Stay away from there!"

Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you, their fellow officials of that province, stay away from there. Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

Darius instructs Tattenai then to let the Jews build the temple and to not hinder them.

Ezra 6: 8-12, Treasury to be used

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God: The expenses of these men are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed--young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem--must be given them daily without fail, so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone changes this edict, a beam is to be pulled from his house and he is to be lifted up and impaled on it. And for this crime his house is to be made a pile of rubble. May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

 

Furthermore, Tattenai is to support the temple rebuilding! This is a strong message from King Darius in support of "the God of heaven", leaning on previous rulings by Cyrus. We note the "curses" that follow the decree, the punishment to be meted out to anyone who opposes Darius's edict.

Ezra 6: 13-16, Completed!

Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
 

The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. Then the people of Israel--the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles--celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

With the support of Darius and Tattenai, the temple is finished in the sixth year of the reign of Darius.

The Hebrew word translated dedication" here is chanukkah. It appears only four times in the Old Testament, twice here and twice in Daniel 3, where Nebuchadnezzar has a golden image of himself dedicated. A later dedication of the temple in the second century BC gives us the modern holiday of Hanukkah.

Ezra 6: 17-18, Second temple dedicated

For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

After the temple is completed, the sacrifices are made.  Among the sacrifices are twelve male goats, one each for the twelve tribes of Israel.  (It is not clear where those twelve tribes are at this time.)

The passage from Ezra 4: 8 through 6: 18 has been in Aramaic. Now the writing in Ezra switches back to Hebrew. 

Ezra 6: 19-22, Passover

On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

 

The people celebrate the Passover again. It is a rare event, to celebrate the Passover, and has only been done a few times since the days of the judges.  Yamauchi dates this Passover event to around 515 BC.

The exiles who had returned to the land shared the feast with locals who had separated themselves from the practices of the Canaanites around them.

Ezra 5, Appeal to the Archives of Cyrus

The previous chapter detailed local opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem during the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes I.  Here we return to the reign of King Darius,  522 BC - 486 BC, to describe the opposition to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.

Ezra 5: 1-5, Work on the temple
Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?" They also asked, "What are the names of the men constructing this building?"

But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

A number of people, including two prophets, continue to work on the temple. The local governor is disturbed by this and complains to Darius. (The prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah begin with this incident, see Haggai 1 and Zechariah 1.)

Ezra 5: 6-10, Letter from Tattenai to Darius

This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. The report they sent him read as follows: 

To King Darius: Cordial greetings. The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"bWe also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information.

The local governor asks for guidance from Darius.  He is prepared to give a list of names of Jewish leaders in case this is something he is to suppress.

Ezra 5: 11-17, Claim by Jewish leaders.

This is the answer they gave us: 

"We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.

"However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. He even removed from the temple of Babylon the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon. Then King Cyrus gave them to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor, and he told him, `Take these articles and go and deposit them in the temple in Jerusalem. And rebuild the house of God on its site.' So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem. From that day to the present it has been under construction but is not yet finished."

Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

Tattenai's letter includes the response from the Jewish leaders, who cite their people's disobedience as an explanation for the exile and then cite the instructions by an earlier ruler, King Cyrus, granting permission to build the temple. Tattenai finishes with a request that one check the archives to see if Cyrus did indeed approve the temple building.

We know very little about Sheshbazzar. He appears in Ezra 1: 8-11 as a prince of Judah and here as one appointed to lay the foundations of the temple in Jerusalem. Yamauchi believes that Sheshbazzar was quite elderly at this time and probably died in Jerusalem. Some have argued that Shessbazzar was a Babylonian name for Zerubbabel but Yamauchi discounts that.

Apparently the archives (government records) of the Babylonian Empire were extensive. This letter will send Darius's staff into the archives to hunt down old records of a promise of Cyrus from several decades prior.

Ezra 4, Opposition

With enthusiasm, work has begun rebuilding Jerusalem and also rebuilding the temple. The new temple is the "second temple" in Jerusalem and so this is the beginning of the Second Temple Period in Jewish history.

Ezra 4: 1-5, Enemies
When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here."

But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, "You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us."

Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The local people have been practicing their own religious sacrifices and are disturbed by the temple renewal. They claim that they too are part of this renewal and say they have been worshiping in Jerusalem since the reign of Esarhaddon (681-669 BC). However, Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest, aware of the prophetic reasons for the captivity, want to rebuild Jerusalem under the Mosaic Covenant, as specifically commissioned by Cyrus. (These Jewish leaders respond to the request of the local people with a Hebrew idiom, "Not for you, and for us", translated here as "you have no part with us".) The local peoples are angered by this response and oppose the reconstruction in a variety of disputes that continue through the reign of Cyrus (who died in 530 BC) and the reign of Darius (522-485 BC.)

Ezra 4: 6-7, Accusation lodged

At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.
 

We begin a digression to detail later opposition to rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. During the reign of Cyrus any complaints against the people of Judah fall on deaf ears. But during the later reigns of Xerxes (485-465) and Artaxerxes I (465-424 BC), that changes. The enemies of the Jews lodge an accusation against the rebuilding of Jerusalem, complaining first to Xerxes and later to Artaxerxes I.  

The language of the Babylonian Empire was Aramaic, not Hebrew and so the text of the next few chapters, Ezra 4: 8 - Ezra 6: 18, is in Aramaic, not Hebrew. This is one of the few places where the  TaNaKh is not in Hebrew.

Ezra 4: 8-10, Writers against Jerusalem

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates--the judges and officials over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

The local leaders are Rehum And Shimshai, who address the letter to Artaxerxes.

Ezra 4: 11-16, "These rebellious people"

(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates: The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations. Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer.

Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. 

We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

The letter warns Artaxerxes that this city building is just the beginning of rebellion and that he will lose all power over these people.  These Jews in Jerusalem are a threat! The letter writers suggest that the king check the archives to see what a rebellious lot these Jews are.

Yamauchi says that the Aramaic, translated here "we are under obligation to the palace", is literally "we eat the salt of the palace." The preservative salt (from which we get the word "salary") was an important item of trade in the ancient Near East and was used in the ratification of covenants (see Numbers 18: 19 and 2 Chronicles 13: 5.) Thus "eating [the king's] salt" was a statement of allegiance.

Ezra 4: 17-22, Artaxerxes agrees

The king sent this reply: To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates: Greetings. The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.

 Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

After checking the archives, Artaxerxes agrees. Yes, stop this work at once!

Ezra 4: 23-24, Standstill

As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop. Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The response of Artaxerxes forces to a standstill the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word translated "Jews" in verse 23 is Yehudi. Until the exile, it was rarely used (only occuring in 2 Kings 16: 6 and 2 Kings 25: 25) but the term will now occur many times throughout Ezra and Nehemiah and Esther.

The author of our text has been jumping around in the timeline. The opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem begins in the reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes, during the period 485-424 BC. However suddenly the author jumps back to the time of Darius who ruled from 530 to 486 BC. King Darius is the grandfather of Artaxerxes I. We flashback to that time here so that we can describe the construction of the temple.