Ezra 4:19

Ezra 4:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.
• New International Version (NIV)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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.

Context of Ezra 4:19

17The king of Persia sent this reply: ‘To Rehum, my ruler, Shimshai, his officer, and all their friends in Samaria and in other parts of the region west of the Euphrates river. I thank you for your news. 18People have translated the letter that you sent to me. They read it for me to listen to. Then I commanded them to look in the old books. I have seen what the books say about Jerusalem. It is true that its people have always turned against the kings that ruled them. Since long ago, they have never obeyed their rulers. 20In the past, powerful kings have ruled over Jerusalem and all the region west of the Euphrates river. They received many kinds of taxes from the people there. 21Now you must command these people to stop their work. They must not build the city again until I decide to let them do it.

Ezra 4:19 word by word

וּמִנִּי֮ שִׂ֣ים טְעֵם֒ וּבַקַּ֣רוּ וְהַשְׁכַּ֔חוּ דִּ֚י קִרְיְתָ֣א דָ֔ךְ מִן־יוֹמָת֙ עָֽלְמָ֔א עַל־מַלְכִ֖ין מִֽתְנַשְּׂאָ֑ה וּמְרַ֥ד וְאֶשְׁתַּדּ֖וּר מִתְעֲבֶד־בַּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Iמִן־min · fromH4481
• commandedטְעֵםţe‛êm · commandH2942
• commandedשׂוּםώûm · to set: makeH7761
• and searchבְּקַרbeqar · to enquireH1240
• hath been made, and it is foundשְׁכַחshekach · to findH7912
• that thisדֵּךְdêk dâk · thisH1791
• cityקִרְיָהqiryâ' qiryâh · townH7149
• oldעָלַם‛âlam · perpetuityH5957
• timeיוֹםyôm · dayH3118
• hath made insurrectionנְשָׂאneώâ' · to liftH5376
• againstעַל‛al · uponH5922
• kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
• rebellionמְרַדmerad · rebellionH4776
• and seditionאֶשְׁתַּדּוּר'eshtaddûr · seditionH849
• have been madeעֲבַד‛ăbad · to makeH5648

Cross-references for Ezra 4:19

• Ezra 4:15You should look for the books where your ancestors recorded news about Jerusalem. Then you will read many bad things about this city. You will see that its people have always turned against their rulers. Since long ago, they have not obeyed the kings or the region's officers. It is because they are so wicked that Babylon's army destroyed the city.
• Ezra 5:17If the king should choose, he may look in the books in Babylon's royal library. You should see whether King Cyrus did give a command about God's temple in Jerusalem. See if he said that the Jews should build it again. When you know what is true, you should decide what is right. Please tell us what we should do.
• Ezra 6:1King Darius told his officers to look in the books in the royal library. That was in Babylon, in the place where they stored important things.
• Deuteronomy 13:14Then you must check carefully that the news is true. You must discover whether people really have done this wicked thing in one of your towns.
• Proverbs 25:2God hides things because he is great. But great kings can explain things.
• 2 Kings 18:7The Lord was with Hezekiah so that he was successful in everything that he decided to do. He turned against the king of Assyria. He refused to serve him.
• 2 Kings 24:20All this trouble happened to Jerusalem and to Judah because the Lord was very angry with them. In the end, the Lord sent them away from himself. This is what happened when King Zedekiah turned against the king of Babylon.
• Ezekiel 17:13He made an agreement with one man from the king of Israel's family. He made that man promise to serve Babylon's king. Then he could rule as king in Jerusalem. The king of Babylon also took away the leaders of Jerusalem as his prisoners.

Commentaries on Ezra 4:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Hath made insurrection against kings - How true is the proverb, "It is an easy thing to find a staff to beat a dog!" The struggles of the Israelites to preserve or regain their independency, which they had from God, are termed insurrection, rebellion, and sedition: because at last they fell under the power of their oppressors. Had they been successful in these struggles, such offensive words had never been used. In 1688 the people of England struggled to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19The archives of the Babylonian kingdom would contain accounts of the insurrections raised, or threatened, by Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah 2 Kings 24:1, 2 Kings 24:10, 2 Kings 24:20. It does not appear that there had ever been any rebellion against Persia.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-24Verses 6-24 It is an old slander, that the prosperity of the church would be hurtful to kings and princes. Nothing can be more false, for true godliness teaches us to honour and obey our sovereign. But where the command of God requires one thing and the law of the land another, we must obey God rather than man, and patiently submit to the consequences. All who love the gospel should avoid all appearance of evil, lest they should encourage the adversaries…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20King Jehoiakim, who ruled from 609 to 598 BC, rebelled against Babylon around 601 BC. King Zedekiah, ruling from 597 to 586 BC, rebelled around 588 BC (see 2 Kings 25:2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-247. in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, &c.--The three officers named are supposed to have been deputy governors appointed by the king of Persia over all the provinces subject to his empire west of the Euphrates. the Syrian tongue--or Aramæan language, called sometimes in our version, Chaldee. This was made use of by the Persians in their decrees and communications relative to the Jews (compare 2Ki 18:26; Is 36:11). The object of their letter was to…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 4:19

• Artaxerxes
• Bishlam
• Persia

In the dictionaries

• Certify
• Chaldee language
• Chancellor
• Darius
• Endamage
• Grow
• Hurt
• Insurrection
• Rehum
• Shimshai

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