Ezra 4 - Introduction
_THE ENEMIES OF THE JEWS SEND LETTERS TO KING ARTAXERXES; HE COMMANDS THE JEWS TO DESIST FROM BUILDING THE TEMPLE: THE WORK CEASES TILL THE SECOND YEAR OF DARIUS._ _Before Christ 535._... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE ENEMIES OF THE JEWS SEND LETTERS TO KING ARTAXERXES; HE COMMANDS THE JEWS TO DESIST FROM BUILDING THE TEMPLE: THE WORK CEASES TILL THE SECOND YEAR OF DARIUS._ _Before Christ 535._... [ Continue Reading ]
_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.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 3. _YE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH US,_ &C.— The Jews esteemed these people no better than idolaters; for, although from the time that they had been infested with lions, in the days of Ezar-haddon, they had worshipped the God of Israel, yet it was only in conjunction with their other gods whom th... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 4. _WEAKENED THE HANDS_— See Nehemiah 6:9. Jeremiah 38:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 5. _UNTIL THE REIGN OF DARIUS_— The most probable opinion is, that the Darius here meant was Darius Hystaspes, whose second year was the eighteenth after the first of Cyrus, according to Huet. And it is plain that Ahasuerus, mentioned in the sixth verse, was Cambyses; and Artaxerxes, mentione... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 10. _THE GREAT AND NOBLE ASNAPPER_— Grotius supposes, that Asnapper is another name for Salmanasar, or Ezar-haddon, who sent these colonies hither; but it is more probable, that he was some principal commander, who was intrusted by one or both of those kings to conduct them over the Euphrates... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 12. _THE JEWS_— After the return from the captivity, the people in general came to be called Jews, because, though there were many Israelites among them, yet they chiefly consisted of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and though the edict of Cyrus gave all permission to return when they pleas... [ Continue Reading ]
_VER._ 13. _TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM_— By the first of these, מנדה _mindah,_ Grotius understands that which every head paid to the king, and which we call poll-money; by the second, בלו _belo,_ the excise, as we now call it, which was levied upon commodities and merchandize; and by the last, הלךֶ _... [ Continue Reading ]