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

9Then we questioned those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to build this House and to complete this structure?’ 10We also asked them their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who were in charge of them. They responded to us saying, ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the House that was built many years ago. A great king of Israel built and finished it. 12But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, the Chaldean. He destroyed this House and carried the people away to Babylon. 13‘However, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild this House 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 it seems bad to you to worship Adonai, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”
• Psalms 119:46I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and never be ashamed.
• Daniel 3:26Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and exclaimed, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out and come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out from the middle of the fire.
• Jonah 1:9He said to them, “I am a Hebrew and I fear Adonai God of the heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.”
• Matthew 10:32“Therefore whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father who is in heaven.
• Luke 12:8Now I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge him before the angels of God.
• Acts 27:23For this very night, there came to me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.
• Romans 1:16For I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts—to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Romans 6:16Do you not know that to whatever you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to what you obey—whether to sin resulting in death, or to obedience resulting in righteousness?
• Galatians 6:14But may I never boast—except in the cross of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Through Him the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
• 1 Kings 6:1Now it came to pass, 480 years after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Ziv (which is the second month), that he began to build Adonai’s House.
• 2 Chronicles 3:1Then Solomon began to build the House of Adonai in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah—where Adonai appeared to his father David—at the place that David prepared on 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
• Chaldee language
• Temple, the Second
• Apocalyptic Literature
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Bible, the
• Epistle
• Esdras, the First Book of
• Esdras, the Second (fourth) Book Of; Apocalyptic Esdras

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