Ezra 4:1-6:18

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

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ezra 4:1

Now when the adversaries - These were the Samaritans, and the different nations with which the kings of Assyria had peopled Israel, when they had carried the original inhabitants away into captivity, see Ezra 4:9 , Ezra 4:10 . read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Ezra 4:1

Adversaries - i. e., the Samaritans, a mixed race, partly Israelite but chiefly foreign, which had replaced to some extent the ancient inhabitants after they were carried into captivity by Sargon (see 2 Kings 17:6 note). read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Ezra 4:1

Ezra 4:1. Now when the adversaries of Judah, &c. The Samaritans, the relics of the ten tribes, and foreigners that had joined themselves to them, and patched up that mongrel religion of which we had an account 2 Kings 17:33, where it is said, They feared the Lord, and served their own gods. They are called the people of the land, Ezra 4:4. Thus, the worst enemies that Judah and Benjamin had were those that said they were Jews, and were not. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Ezra 4:1-24

Opposition stops the work (4:1-24)As a result of Assyria’s resettlement program of two centuries earlier, a race of people grew up in the area around Samaria and Jerusalem who were of mixed blood and mixed religion. They were known as Samaritans (see notes on 2 Kings 17:24-33). The Jewish leaders refused their offered help in building the temple of God, no doubt to prevent wrong ideas from corrupting Israel’s religion. The Samaritan group reacted bitterly. They opposed the Jewish builders so... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Ezra 4:1

adversaries. The Samaritans (Ezra 4:10 ). See note on 2 Kings 17:24 , 2 Kings 17:26 . children = sons. the temple. The walls and gates already built by Nehemiah. See Structures (pp. 616, 617), and notes on Neh 1:21 , Jeremiah 25:11 . See special note at end of 2 Chronicles 36:21 . the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 . God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Ezra 4:1

NEARLY A CENTURY OF OPPOSITION TO ISRAEL;TWENTY-FIVE YEARS FROM 535 TO 520 B.C."Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto Jehovah, the God of Israel; then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of the fathers' houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us hither. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Ezra 4:1

Ver. 1. The adversaries of Judah— That is, the Samaritans, who were planted in the several cities of Israel in the room of the Israelites, whom Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, had long before carried away captive. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Ezra 4:1

1. the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin—that is, strangers settled in the land of Israel. read more

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