EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Ezra 4:1
1The Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem from exile were building the temple for the Lord, Israel's God. The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Israelites had begun to build.
Ezra 4:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel;
- New International Version (NIV)When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the Lord God of Israel,
Context of Ezra 4:1
The Israelites who had returned to Jerusalem from exile were building the temple for the Lord, Israel's God. The enemies of the people of Judah and Benjamin heard that the Israelites had begun to build. 2They went to speak to Zerubbabel and to the leaders of the Israelite families. They said, ‘Let us help you to build the temple. We also want to worship your God. We have lived in this country since Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, brought us here. All this time we have made sacrifices to your God.’ 3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the other leaders of Israel's people said, ‘No. You cannot help us to build the temple for our God. We must build it by ourselves for the Lord, Israel's God. That is what Cyrus, king of Persia, has commanded us to do.’
Read all of Ezra 4Ezra 4:1 word by word
וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ צָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וּבִנְיָמִ֑ן כִּֽי־בְנֵ֤י הַגּוֹלָה֙ בּוֹנִ֣ים הֵיכָ֔ל לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now when the adversariesצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- and Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
- heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- that the childrenבֵּןbên · son: type ofH1121
- of the captivityגּוֹלָהgôlâh gôlâh · captivityH1473
- buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- the templeהֵיכָלhêykâl · templeH1964
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
Cross-references for Ezra 4:1
- Ezra 7:9He left Babylon on the first day of the first month and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. God had helped him with his journey.
- 1 Kings 5:4But now the Lord my God has made us safe from danger. No enemy tries to attack us on any of our borders.
- 1 Chronicles 22:9But you will have a son who will be a man who lives in peace. I will cause all his enemies to leave him in peace. Yes, his name will be Solomon. While he is king, I will cause Israel to enjoy peace. I will keep them safe from their enemies.
- Nehemiah 4:1Sanballat heard that we were building the wall. He was very angry and upset. He laughed at the Jews.
- Daniel 9:25I want you, Daniel, to understand this properly. There will be a command to build Jerusalem again. Then 7 weeks will pass, and 62 weeks will also pass. After that, a ruler that God has chosen will arrive. People will build the city of Jerusalem again. It will have streets and a strong wall around it. But there will be a lot of trouble at that time.
- 1 Corinthians 16:9God has given me the chance to do a great work here. But many people are against what I am doing.
- Ezra 1:11There were 5,400 things made from gold and silver. Sheshbazzar took them all with him when he left Babylon to return to Jerusalem with the other exiles.
- Ezra 6:16Then the Israelite people offered the temple to God, so that he would bless it. The priests, the Levites and the other people who had returned from Babylon were all very happy.
- Ezra 10:7They wrote a message and they sent it to all the people in Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah. It said that all the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon must come to Jerusalem.
- Daniel 5:13So they brought Daniel to stand in front of the king. The king said to him, ‘Are you one of the men that my father, the king, brought here from Judah? Is your name Daniel?
Commentaries on Ezra 4:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Now when the adversaries - These were the Samaritans, and the different nations with which the kings of Assyria had peopled Israel, when they had carried the original inhabitants away into captivity, see Ezra 4:9, Ezra 4:10.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Adversaries - i. e., the Samaritans, a mixed race, partly Israelite but chiefly foreign, which had replaced to some extent the ancient inhabitants after they were carried into captivity by Sargon (see 2 Kings 17:6 note).Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The adversaries of the temple. (1-5) The building of the temple is hindered. (6-24) Verses 1-5 Every attempt to revive true religion will stir up the opposition of Satan, and of those in whom he works. The adversaries were the Samaritans, who had been planted in the land of Israel, 2Ki 17. It was plain that they did not mean to unite in the worship of the Lord, according to his word. Let those who discourage a good work, and weaken them that are employed…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Judah and Benjamin: Most of the people who returned from exile were from these two tribes of Israel (Ezra 1:5).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-61. the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin--that is, strangers settled in the land of Israel.Read the comment
Topics related to Ezra 4:1
In the dictionaries
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
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