Darby Bible
Ezra 4:3
3But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our 1God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the 2God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
Ezra 4:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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 to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.
- New International Version (NIV)But Zerubbabel, Joshua 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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, "You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers’ houses of Israel said to them, “You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
Context of Ezra 4:3
1And the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building the temple to Jehovah the God of Israel; 2and they came to Zerubbabel and to the chief fathers, and said to them, We would build with you; for we seek your God, as ye; and we have sacrificed to him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the chief fathers of Israel said to them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God, but we alone will build to Jehovah the God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us. 4And the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building; 5and they hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Read all of Ezra 4Ezra 4:3 word by word
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ לָהֶ֨ם זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל וְיֵשׁ֗וּעַ וּשְׁאָ֨ר רָאשֵׁ֤י הָֽאָבוֹת֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹֽא־לָ֣כֶם וָלָ֔נוּ לִבְנ֥וֹת בַּ֖יִת לֵאלֹהֵ֑ינוּ כִּי֩ אֲנַ֨חְנוּ יַ֜חַד נִבְנֶ֗ה לַֽיהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֔נוּ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ כּ֥וֹרֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָֽס׃Read the interlinear
- Zerubbabelזְרֻבָּבֶ֫לzerûbbâbel · ZerubbabelH2216
- Jeshuaיֵשׁוּעַyêshûa‛ · JeshuaH3442
- restשְׁאָרshe'âr · remnantH7605
- chiefרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- fathersאָב'âb · fatherH1
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: templeH1004
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- Cyrusכּ֫וֹרֶשׁkôresh kôresh · CyrusH3566
- Persiaפָּרַסpâras · PersiaH6539
- commandedצָוָהtsâvâh · to commandH6680
Cross-references for Ezra 4:3
- Nehemiah 2:20And I answered them, and said to them, The God of the heavens, he will prosper us, and we his servants will arise and build; but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial in Jerusalem.
- John 4:22Ye worship ye know not what; we worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews.
- Acts 8:21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not upright before God.
- Romans 9:4who are Israelites; whose [is] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the law-giving, and the service, and the promises;
- 3 John 1:9I wrote something to the assembly; but Diotrephes, who loves to have the first place among them, receives us not.
- Ezra 1:1And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also in writing, saying,
- Ezra 6:3In the first year of king Cyrus, king Cyrus made a decree [concerning] the house of God at Jerusalem: Let the house be built for a place where they offer sacrifices, and let its foundations be solidly laid; its height sixty cubits, its breadth sixty cubits,
- 2 Chronicles 36:22And in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, and he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also in writing, saying,
- Isaiah 44:28that saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and he shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
- Isaiah 45:1Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him — and I will loose the loins of kings; to open before him the two-leaved doors, and the gates shall not be shut:
- Matthew 10:16Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves; be therefore prudent as the serpents, and guileless as the doves.
Commentaries on Ezra 4:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Ye have nothing to do with us - We cannot acknowledge you as worshippers of the true God, and cannot participate with you in anything that relates to his worship.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Ye have nothing to do with us - Because the Samaritans had united idolatrous rites with the worship of Yahweh 2 Kings 17:29-41. To have allowed them a share in restoring the temple would have been destructive of all purity of religion. As king Cyrus commanded us - The exact words of the edict gave the right of building exclusively to those who should “go up” from Babylonia to Judaea Ezra 1:3.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3The main political, religious, and tribal leaders united against the foreigners' proposal. They believed it would introduce idolatrous beliefs. The Jews wanted to avoid repeating their ancestors' mistake of worshiping Canaanite false gods, which led to exile. as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us: See Ezra 1:2–4.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua ... said ... Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God--This refusal to co-operate with the Samaritans, from whatever motives it sprang, was overruled by Providence for ultimate good; for, had the two peoples worked together, familiar acquaintanceship and intermarriage would have ensued, and the result might have been a relapse of the Jews into idolatry. Most certainly, confusion and obscurity in the…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezra 4:3
In the dictionaries
Notes
Commentaries on Ezra 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Darby Bible — 1889 — Public Domain
Commentaries