Ezra 4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 4

The good work of rebuilding the temple was no sooner begun than it met with opposition from those that bore ill will to it; the Samaritans were enemies to the Jews and their religion, and they set themselves to obstruct it. I. They offered to be partners in the building of it, that they might have it in their power to retard it; but they were refused, Ezra 4:1-3. II. They discouraged them in it, and dissuaded them from it, Ezra 4:4, 5. III. They basely misrepresented the undertaking, and the... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 4:1-5

We have here an instance of the old enmity that was put between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. God's temple cannot be built, but Satan will rage, and the gates of hell will fight against it. The gospel kingdom was, in like manner, to be set up with much struggling and contention. In this respect the glory of the latter house was greater than the glory of the former, and it was more a figure of the temple of Christ's church, in that Solomon built his temple when there was no... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 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... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 4:17-24

Here we have, I. The orders which the king of Persia gave, in answer to the information sent him by the Samaritans against the Jews. He suffered himself to be imposed upon by their fraud and falsehood, took no care to examine the allegations of their petition concerning that which the Jews were now doing, but took it for granted that the charge was true, and was very willing to gratify them with an order of council to stay proceedings. 1. He consulted the records concerning Jerusalem, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 4 The contents of this chapter are the offer the Samaritans made to the Jews, to assist them in building the temple, which having refused, they gave them all the trouble they could, Ezra 4:1 and a letter of theirs to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, full of accusations of them, Ezra 4:7 and the answer of Artaxerxes to it, giving orders to command the Jews to cease building the temple, Ezra 4:17 which orders were accordingly executed, and the work ceased till the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:1

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin ,.... The Samaritans, as appears from Ezra 4:2 , heard that the children of the captivity ; the Jews, who had been in captivity seventy years, and were just come out of it, and still were not quite free, but under the jurisdiction and control of the king of Persia: builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel ; that they were going about it, and had laid the foundation of it, which might soon come to their ears, the distance not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:2

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and the chief of the fathers ,.... These they addressed, as knowing that if they could not prevail with them, they could never succeed in their design; and these were no doubt the principal of the Samaritans that applied: and said unto them, let us build with you ; that is, the temple, they proposed to join with them, and assist them in it; which proposal at first sight might seem very agreeable and welcome, and would have been so had they been sincere, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:3

But Zerubbabel, and Joshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers, said unto them ,.... The prince and high priest, and chief of the people: you have nothing to do with us to build an house to our God ; being neither of the same nation, nor of the same religion: but we ourselves together will build to the Lord God of Israel ; we and we only, who are together as one man, united in one body of people, and in the same religious sentiments, being Israelites; we separately, without... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:4

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building. By threatening them, or by dissuading the workmen from going on, by endeavouring to hinder their having materials from the Tyrians and Zidonians, or money out of the king's revenues to bear the expenses as ordered; see Ezra 6:4 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:5

And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose ,.... Either to advise and persuade the king of Persia's officers in those parts not to supply them with money, or to influence the great men at his court to get the edict revoked: and this they did all the days of Cyrus king of Persia ; who, though the hearty friend and patron of the Jews, yet being engaged in wars abroad with the Lydians and Scythians, and leaving his son as viceroy in his absence, who was no friend unto... read more

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