Ezra 4:11

This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
This	דְּנָה֙ de.Nah	H1836	this · demonstrative particle
copy	פַּרְשֶׁ֣גֶן par.She.gen	H6573	a transcript · noun, common both genders singular construct
letter	אִגַּרְתָּ֔א 'i.gar.Ta'	H104	an epistle (as carried by a state courier or postman) · noun, common feminine singular determined + particle of affirmation
that	דִּ֚י di	H1768	that · conjunction
sent	שְׁלַ֣חוּ she.La.chu	H7972	to send away · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine plural
him	עֲל֔וֹהִי a.Lo.hi	H5922	above · preposition + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Artaxerxes	אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֖שְׂתְּא 'ar.tach.Shas.te'	H783	Artachshasta (or Artaxerxes) · proper noun, a man's name
king	מַלְכָּ֑א mal.Ka'	H4430	a king · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
servants	עַבְדָ֛ךְ av.da.yikh	H5649	a servant · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
men	אֱנָ֥שׁ 'e.Nash	H606	a man · noun, common both genders singular construct
side	עֲבַֽר 'a.var-	H5675	properly · noun, common both genders singular construct
river	נַהֲרָ֖ה na.ha.Rah'	H5103	a river · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
time	וּכְעֶֽנֶת u.khe.'E.net	H3706	thus (only in the formula 'and so forth') · conjunction + adverb

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 4:6-16

Cyrus stedfastly adhered to the Jews' interest, and supported his own grant. It was to no purpose to offer any thing to him in prejudice of it. What he did was from a good principle, and in the fear of God, and therefore he adhered to it. But, though his reign in all was thirty years, yet after the conquest of Babylon, and his decree for the release of the Jews, some think that he reigned but three years, others seven, and then either died or gave up that part of his government, in which his successor was Ahasuerus (Ezr 4:6), called also Artaxerxes (Ezr 4:7), supposed to be the same that in heathen authors is called Cambyses, who had never taken such cognizance of the despised Jews as to con…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 4:9

the Dinaites--The people named were the colonists sent by the Babylonian monarch to occupy the territory of the ten tribes. "The great and noble Asnappar" was Esar-haddon. Immediately after the murder of Sennacherib, the Babylonians, Medes, Armenians, and other tributary people seized the opportunity of throwing off the Assyrian yoke. But Esar-haddon having, in the thirtieth year of his reign, recovered Babylon and subdued the other rebellious dependents, transported numbers of them into the waste cities of Samaria, most probably as a punishment of their revolt [HALES].

Adam Clarke on Ezra 4:11

And at such a time - The word וכענת ucheeneth has greatly perplexed all commentators and critics. The versions give us no light; and the Vulgate translates it et dicunt salutem, "and they wish prosperity." Some translate it and so forth; and our translators supposed that it referred to the date, which however is not specified, and might have been as easily entered as the words and at such a time. In our first translation of the Bible, that by Coverdale, in 1535, the passage stands thus: "And other on this syde the water, and in Canaan." In that by Becke, 1549, it is thus: "And other on this syde the water, and in Ceneeth:" and in the margin he enters "or peace," "or health." In Cardmarden's…

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The Church Fathers

This is a copy of the letter, etc. Artaxerxes, who is persuaded, and who, being persuaded, commanded that Jerusalem should not be built, holds the figure either of some pagan ruler, certainly an enemy and persecutor of the Church, or of the ancient enemy of all good things, and adversary of the Jews, who accused the ecclesiastical men before the king: the Samaritans, who accused, always represent heretics. Hence, they call Jerusalem, with suitable expression, a rebellious and wicked city. For such do the heretics judge the Catholic unity which they attack. In truth, however, it is rebellious and constructs its walls and walls of the right faith with the stones of celestial testimonies against the weapons of attacking errors, of which Isaiah says: "And salvation will occupy our walls, and praise your gates" (Isaiah 60). But it should not be called wicked, except only by those who are completely averse from the best opinion. Among which it should be noted that from that time, the people of God began to be counted by the name of the Jews, because those who first ascended from captivity and restored the walls of the city of Jerusalem and the work of the temple, and possessed the province emptied of inhabitants, having again defeated the enemies who held the neighboring places, were chiefly from the tribe of Judah.
— Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Rehum — Merciful. (1.) One of “the children of the province” who returned from the Captivity (Ezra 2:2); the same as “Nehum” (Neh. 7:7). (2.) The “chancellor” of Artaxerxes, who sought to stir him up against…
Accusation, False · .Against Jews, returned un — .Against Jews, returned un
Artaxerxes · .Prohibits the rebuilding of — .Prohibits the rebuilding of
Bishlam · A Samaritan who obstructed the rebuilding of the temple at — A Samaritan who obstructed the rebuilding of the temple at
Persia · Artaxerxes I — Artaxerxes I
Slander · Exemplified: Enemies of the Jews — Exemplified: Enemies of the Jews
Temple, The Second · The Samaritans: Wrote to Artaxerxes Smerdis to interrupt the building — The Samaritans: Wrote to Artaxerxes Smerdis to interrupt the building

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Ezra 4:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 4:6-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 4:9

Adam Clarke on Ezra 4:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Ezra 4:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Ezra 4:6-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ezra 4:9

Adam Clarke on Ezra 4:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Ezra 4:11

Keil & Delitzsch on Ezra 4:6-23

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Ezra 4:11-22

Rashi on Ezra 4:11