Ezra 4:17, commentary and pictures

The verse is the Persian king's formal written answer to Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe and their companions in Samaria and beyond the river, opening with a greeting of peace and sent in reply to their letter against Jerusalem after search of the royal records, absolutely forbidding the rebuilding work and commanding it to cease. It belongs to the Samaritan opposition to the rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel and Jeshua and Ezra after their offer of help was refused, when adversaries hired counselors and wrote against the Jews, for the Artaxerxes who answered was the usurper Gomates the false Smerdis the Magian, opposed to the Jewish religion and to the work favored by Cyrus, who reigned about seven months in 522 B.C. The enemies then made the Jews cease by force, leaving the temple as at the laying of the foundation until the second year of Darius Hystaspes in B.C. 520, when Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to build again, and inquiry found the decree of Cyrus so that Darius reaffirmed it with additional provisions and overturned the hindering decree. The hindering decree is the one Micah foretold would be far removed in the day the walls would be built, and the short-lived ruler is noted in prophecy for issuing it, while the history of the decrees of Cyrus and Darius in Ezra 4:1-24 shows neither is the beginning of the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24, leaving the decree of Artaxerxes in Ezra 7 as the true date. Opposing circumstances that made going on seem impossible were not a sure sign that God wished the work stopped, for no earthly monarch can prevent what God favors, and the ready acceptance of the order showed unwillingness for an unpleasant duty while the people built fine houses for themselves, so God sent Haggai with reproof and allowed drought and pestilence because His house lay in ruins.

Words and Historical Setting

The verse is the Persian king's formal written reply to Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions dwelling in Samaria and beyond the river, opening with the greeting Peace, and at such a time, prompted by their letter against Jerusalem. It belongs to the account of opponents who resisted the Jews' rebuilding of the temple and acted in the Persian king's name, amid opposition that halted the work and delayed it for fifteen years. This setting belongs to the same period as Haggai's encouragement to the temple builders, and the complaint led to a temporary halt until the decree of Cyrus was found, allowing the work to proceed under Darius II after inquiry and search confirmed the earlier authorization and renewed it.

It belongs to the Samaritans' opposition to the Jews' rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem under Zerubbabel and Jeshua, or Joshua, and Ezra, after Zerubbabel and Jeshua refused Samaritan help and compromise. The adversaries hired counselors against the Jews under Cyrus and Cambyses without success and wrote against them, then sent the formal slandering letter of Ezra 4:7-23. Under the impostor Smerdis they obtained this decree stopping the work, and the Samaritans then used force to make the Jews cease.

The king called Artaxerxes is the usurper Gomates, the false or pseudo-Smerdis, the impostor, identified as Artaxerxes the Magian. He was one of the Magi, opposed to the Jewish religion, quite different from Cyrus, reigned about seven months in 522 B.C., and opposed the work favored by Cyrus and Cambyses. On complaint from the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin, who falsely represented the Jews as rebellious and sought influence at the Persian court and royal action in the king's name, he searched the royal records, accepted their claim that Jerusalem had rebelled, and sent this answer absolutely forbidding the work and commanding it to cease. The neighboring inhabitants of Palestine wrote to the reigning king of Persia, a man quite different from Cyrus, and he sent an order to discontinue the work begun under Cyrus for the house of God.

The enemies then made the Jews cease by force and power, succeeding in bringing the restoration work to a halt. The command discouraged Israel and made the task seem impossible for Zerubbabel and the people with their limited resources, so that God's promise of Jerusalem's restoration seemed astonishing. The stoppage left the temple as at the laying of the foundation fifteen years after the return from Babylon, and lasted about two years, or fifteen years from the foundation, until the second year of Darius Hystaspes, B.C. 520, when Haggai and Zechariah prophesied and stirred the Jews to build again. This setting belongs to the same period as Haggai's encouragement and Zechariah 1-8, when the resulting trouble had caused the Jews to stop work until the prophets spoke to them.

Later, under a new king, inquiry and search found Cyrus's decree authorizing the work begun under Cyrus for the house of God. Darius, or Darius II, reaffirmed it with additional provisions and renewed it, overturning the hindering decree, and the building resumed successfully and the house was completed; later kings thus reversed the usurper's action. The episode helps explain the hostility between Samaritans and Jews during the rebuilding under Zerubbabel and Ezra, which deepened their hatred.

Prophecy and Chronology

The royal answer granted the request of the adversaries of the Jews to stop the building work at Jerusalem after the death of Cyrus. It was a hindering decree that halted the work on the house of God begun under the decree of Cyrus. That hindering decree is the decree that Micah, nearly one hundred years before, said would be far removed in the day the walls would be built. It was removed when Darius had search made for the decree of Cyrus and then issued a decree agreeing with Cyrus and overturning the stop, so that the house was completed.

The short-lived Persian ruler called Artaxerxes issued the decree against the Jews recorded in Ezra 4:7-22. He was the pseudo-Smerdis, who reigned seven months and may have borne the name Artaxerxes. He is noted in prophecy because of his action against the Jews.

The history of the decrees of Cyrus and Darius set out in Ezra 4:1-24 shows that neither of those decrees is the beginning of the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24. The decree of Artaxerxes in Ezra 7 is left as the true date for the beginning of the seventy weeks.

Doctrinal Use and Application

Fifteen years after the return from Babylon the temple still stood only as at the laying of its foundation stones with joyous services. The neighboring inhabitants of Palestine wrote to the reigning king of Persia, a man quite different from Cyrus, falsely representing the Jews as rebellious, and in reply he sent an order to discontinue the work. The command looked like an excellent reason that made going on impossible, and the Jews took it as an indication that God did not wish them to build the temple then. Opposing circumstances, however, are not a sure sign from God to relinquish an unpleasant undertaking, for He does not always make the path of duty smooth.

The royal order to stop rebuilding on the ground of the enemies' slander that the Jews were rebellious did not make continuance impossible and was not a sign that God wanted the work stopped. No earthly monarch can prevent an undertaking God favors, and the Jews should have written to the king to contradict the false charges instead of yielding. Their ready acceptance of the order showed unwillingness for an unpleasant duty and greater interest in building beautiful dwellings for themselves and in cultivating their fields and vineyards. God showed the reason insufficient by sending Haggai with reproof and by allowing drought and pestilence to teach them He was displeased that His house lay in ruins while their own homes were luxuriously finished.