Ezra 5:11

Ezra 5:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.
• New International Version (NIV)This is the answer they gave us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And this was their reply to us: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And thus they returned us an answer, saying: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

Context of Ezra 5:11

9We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’ 10We also inquired of their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who were their leaders. They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king of Israel built it and completed it. 12But after our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon. 13But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon, King Cyrus enacted a decree to rebuild this temple of God.

Ezra 5:11 word by word

וּכְנֵ֥מָא פִתְגָמָ֖א הֲתִיב֣וּנָא לְמֵמַ֑ר אֲנַ֣חְנָא הִמּ֡וֹ עַבְדוֹהִי֩ דִֽי־אֱלָ֨הּ שְׁמַיָּ֜א וְאַרְעָ֗א וּבָנַ֤יִן בַּיְתָא֙ דִּֽי־הֲוָ֨א בְנֵ֜ה מִקַּדְמַ֤ת דְּנָה֙ שְׁנִ֣ין שַׂגִּיאָ֔ן וּמֶ֤לֶךְ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ רַ֔ב בְּנָ֖הִי וְשַׁכְלְלֵֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And thusכְּנֵ֫מָאkenêmâ' · thusH3660
• they returnedתּוּבtûb · to return: replyH8421
• us answerפִּתְגָםpithgâm · edictH6600
• sayingאֲמַר'ămar · to sayH560
• Weאֲנַ֫חְנָא'ănachnâ' 'ănachnâh · weH586
• areהִמּוֹhimmô himmôn · theyH1994
• the servantsעֲבַד‛ăbad · servant/slaveH5649
• of the Godאֱלָהּ'ĕlâhh · godH426
• of heavenשָׁמַ֫יִןshâmayin · heavenH8065
• and earthאֲרַע'ăra‛ · earth: planetH772
• and buildבְּנָהbenâ' benâh · to buildH1124
• the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · houseH1005
• that wasהֲוָאhâvâ' hâvâh · to beH1934
• theseדְּנָהdên · thisH1836
• manyשַׂגִּיאώaggîy' · greatH7690
• yearsשְׁנָהshenâh · yearH8140
• agoקַדְמָהqadmâh · former timeH6928
• which a greatרַבrab · greatH7229
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3479
• and set upכְּלַלkelal · to completeH3635

Cross-references for Ezra 5:11

• Joshua 24:15If you have no desire to worship the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the Lord!”
• Psalms 119:46I will speak about your regulations before kings and not be ashamed.
• Daniel 3:26Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.
• Jonah 1:9He said to them, “I am a Hebrew! And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
• Matthew 10:32“Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
• Luke 12:8“I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before God’s angels.
• Acts 27:23For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me
• Romans 1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Romans 6:16Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?
• Galatians 6:14But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
• 1 Kings 6:1In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites left Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, during the month Ziv (the second month), he began building the Lord’s temple.
• 2 Chronicles 3:1Solomon began building the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. This was the place that David prepared at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Commentaries on Ezra 5:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11We are the servants of the God of heaven - How simple, plain, and ingenuous is this confession! They were the servants of the God of heaven. How came they then into bondage! Why, they provoked the God of heaven - repeatedly sinned against him, and then he gave them into the hands of their enemies.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-17Verses 3-17 While employed in God's work, we are under his special protection; his eye is upon us for good. This should keep us to our duty, and encourage us therein, when difficulties are ever so discouraging. The elders of the Jews gave the Samaritans an account of their proceedings. Let us learn hence, with meekness and fear, to give a reason of the hope that is in us; let us rightly understand, and then readily declare, what we do in God's service…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11the God of heaven: The Persians understood this title. It referred to the universal high God, not a minor local deity. a great king of Israel: Solomon (see 1 Kings 5–8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-175-17. But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, &c.--The unusual presence, the imposing suite, the authoritative enquiries of the satrap appeared formidable, and might have produced a paralyzing influence or led to disastrous consequences, if he had been a partial and corrupt judge or actuated by unfriendly feelings towards the Jewish cause. The historian, therefore, with characteristic piety, throws in this parenthetical verse to intimate…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 5:11

• Courage
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Chaldee language
• Temple, the Second
• Apocalyptic Literature
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Bible, the

Commentaries on Ezra 5

• 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