God’s Word Translation
Ezra 4:5
5They bribed officials to keep the people of Judah from carrying out their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of Persia.
Ezra 4:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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.
- New International Version (NIV)They bribed officials 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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
- New King James Version (NKJV)and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Context of Ezra 4:5
3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of Israel’s families told them, “It isn’t right for your people and our people to build a temple for our God together. We must build it alone for the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia ordered us to do.” 4Then the people of that region discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to continue building. They bribed officials to keep the people of Judah from carrying out their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius of Persia. 6When Xerxes began to rule, the enemies of Judah and Jerusalem wrote a letter in which they made an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their group wrote to him when Artaxerxes was king of Persia. The letter was written with the Aramaic script and translated into the Aramaic language.
Read all of Ezra 4Ezra 4:5 word by word
וְסֹכְרִ֧ים עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם יוֹעֲצִ֖ים לְהָפֵ֣ר עֲצָתָ֑ם כָּל־יְמֵ֗י כּ֚וֹרֶשׁ מֶ֣לֶךְ פָּרַ֔ס וְעַד־מַלְכ֖וּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָֽס׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And hiredסָכַרώâkar sâkar · to hireH7936
- counsellorsיָעַץyâ‛ats · to adviseH3289
- against them, to frustrateפָּרַרpârar · to breakH6565
- their purposeעֵצָה‛êtsâh · counselH6098
- all the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of Cyrusכּ֫וֹרֶשׁkôresh kôresh · CyrusH3566
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Persiaפָּרַסpâras · PersiaH6539
- even until the reignמַלְכוּתmalkûth malkûth malkûyâh · royaltyH4438
- of Dariusדָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁdâreyâvêsh · DariusH1867
Cross-references for Ezra 4:5
- Psalms 2:1Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots?
- Nahum 1:11From you, Nineveh, a person who plans evil against the Lord sets out. His advice is wicked.
- Acts 24:1Five days later the chief priest Ananias went to the city of Caesarea with some leaders of the people and an attorney named Tertullus. They reported to the governor their charges against Paul.
- Ezra 4:24Then the work on God’s temple in Jerusalem was stopped. Nothing more was done until Darius’ second year as king of Persia.
- Ezra 5:5But the leaders of the Jews were under God’s watchful eye. They couldn’t be stopped until Darius received a report and sent a reply to it.
- Ezra 6:1Then King Darius gave the order to search the library where the archives were stored in Babylon.
Commentaries on Ezra 4:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Hired counsellors - They found means to corrupt some of the principal officers of the Persian court, so that the orders of Cyrus were not executed; or at least so slowly as to make them nearly ineffectual. Until the reign of Darius - This was probably Darius the son of Hystaspes.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Hired counselors - Rather, “bribed” officials at the Persian court to interpose delays and create difficulties, in order to hinder the work. Darius - i. e., Darius, the son of HystaspesRead the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The people faced severe consequences for their strict dedication to holiness. King Cyrus ruled until 530 BC. Darius (Darius I) became the king of Persia in 521 BC. Construction on the temple restarted in 520 BC and concluded in 515 BC (see Ezra 6:15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, &c.--Exasperated by this repulse, the Samaritans endeavored by every means to molest the workmen as well as obstruct the progress of the building; and, though they could not alter the decree which Cyrus had issued regarding it, yet by bribes and clandestine arts indefatigably plied at court, they labored to frustrate the effects of the edict. Their success in those underhand…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezra 4:5
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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