Ezra 4:22

Ezra 4:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?
• New International Version (NIV)Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?
• English Standard Version (ESV)And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Take heed now that you do not fail to do this. Why should damage increase to the hurt of the kings?

Context of Ezra 4:22

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. You must be very careful to make sure that they stop. We do not want the danger to our kingdom to become any greater. Our authority to rule them as kings must continue.’ 23Rehum, his officer, Shimshai, and their friends heard what the king's letter said. So they immediately took it to the Jews in Jerusalem. They used their power to command the Jews to stop their work. 24So the people did no more work on God's temple in Jerusalem. The work stopped until the second year that King Darius ruled Persia.

Ezra 4:22 word by word

וּזְהִירִ֥ין הֱו֛וֹ שָׁל֖וּ לְמֶעְבַּ֣ד עַל־דְּנָ֑ה לְמָה֙ יִשְׂגֵּ֣א חֲבָלָ֔א לְהַנְזָקַ֖ת מַלְכִֽין׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Take heedזְהַרzehar · to take heedH2095
• Take heedהֲוָאhâvâ' hâvâh · to beH1934
• now that ye failשָׁלוּshâlû shâlûth · neglectH7960
• not to doעֲבַד‛ăbad · to makeH5648
• not to doעַל‛al · uponH5922
• thisדְּנָהdên · thisH1836
• whyמָהmâh · what?H4101
• should damageחֲבָלchăbal · harmH2257
• growשְׂגָאώegâ' · to grow greatH7680
• to the hurtנְזַקnezaq · to suffer injuryH5142
• of the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430

Cross-references for Ezra 4:22

• Ezra 4:13So you should know that there will be trouble. If they build this city again, with its walls, they will not pay any more taxes to you. You will not receive any more money from them as their king.
• Esther 3:8Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a group of people who live in many regions of your kingdom. They have different customs to all the other people. They refuse to obey the laws of your kingdom. It is not good for you to let them live among all the other people in your kingdom.
• Esther 7:3Queen Esther replied, ‘Sir, I hope that you are pleased with me. If you agree, I ask you to save my life. Also save the lives of my people. That is what I ask you to do.

Commentaries on Ezra 4:22

• 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. 11-22Ezra contains a copy in Aramaic of the letter sent to Artaxerxes and his response.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 4:22

• 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