Ezra 4:17

4:6-24 It is an old slander, that the prosperity of the church would be hurtful to kings and princes. Nothing can be more false, for true godliness teaches us to honour and obey our sovereign. But where the command of God requires one thing and the law of the land another, we must obey God rather than man, and patiently submit to the consequences. All who love the gospel should avoid all appearance of evil, lest they should encourage the adversaries of the church. The world is ever ready to believe any accusation against the people of God, and refuses to listen to them. The king suffered himself to be imposed upon by these frauds and falsehoods. Princes see and hear with other men's eyes and ears, and judge things as represented to them, which are often done falsely. But God's judgment is just; he sees things as they are.

Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe,.... This affair, upon examination, being found to be of importance, the king of Persia thought fit to send an answer to the above letter, which was doing them an honour, and gave them the power and authority they wished to have: and to the rest of their companions that dwelt in Samaria; in the kingdom, province, and cities of Samaria: and unto the rest beyond the river; the river Euphrates, the rest of the nations before mentioned, Ezra 4:9. Peace, and at such a time: that is, all health and prosperity, &c.

Verse 17. - Then sent the king an answer. The complaint made was of such importance that an answer was returned without delay. It was addressed both to Rehum and Shimshai, since they were independent authorities.. Peace, and at such a time . "Peace" ( sheldm ) is the ordinary Oriental salutation. The other word, uk'eth , is taken by our translators to refer to the date; but it really means, like uk'eneth (ver. 10), "and so forth," or " et cetera." Ezra 4:17

The book of the records - Compare Esther 2:23 ; Esther 6:1 ; Esther 10:2 . The existence of such a "book" at the Persian court is attested also by Ctesias. Of thy fathers - i. e., thy predecessors ripen the throne, Cambyses, Cyrus, etc. If Artaxerxes was the Pseudo-Smerdis (Ezra 4:7 note), these persons were not really his "fathers" or ancestors; but the writers of the letter could not venture to call the king an impostor.

Then sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and unto the rest beyond the river, {l} Peace, and {m} at such a time. (l) Or Shalom, salvation or greeting. (m) Or, Cheeth, also called Cheeneth as in Ezr 4:10.

17 . an answer ] Another Persian word in the original, ‘pithgama’, used also in Esther 1:20 , a ‘decree’, and Ecclesiastes 8:11 , ‘sentence’. The LXX. omits. Vulg. ‘verbum’. Here = a royal rescript. Rehum &c.] see Ezra 4:9 . that dwell in Samaria ] A detail not mentioned with such directness in Ezra 4:10 . A comparison with that verse shows that the city, not the district, is intended. unto the rest beyond the river ] So margin of R.V.—R.V. text in the rest of the country beyond the river . See Ezra 4:10 , where the application of the word ‘rest’ is clearly the same. There it follows after the verb ‘set in’ (lit. ‘cause to dwell’), here after the verb ‘dwell’. The district or territory, not the population, is referred to. and at such a time ] R.V. and so forth . Cf. Ezra 4:11 .

The royal answer to this letter. פּתגּמא - a word which has also passed into the Hebrew, Ecclesiastes 8:11 ; Esther 1:20 - is the Zend. patigama, properly that which is to take place, the decree, the sentence; see on Daniel 3:16 . עבר וּשׁאר still depends upon בּ: those dwelling in Samaria and the other towns on this side the river. The royal letter begins with וּכעת שׁלם, "Peace," and so forth. כּעת is abbreviated from כּענת.

Complaints against the Jews to Kings Ahashverosh and Artachshasta. - The right understanding of this section depends upon the question, What kings of Persia are meant by Ahashverosh and Artachshasta? while the answer to this question is, in part at least, determined by the contents of the letter, Ezra 4:8-16 , sent by the enemies of the Jews to the latter monarch. Ezra 4:6-7 And in the reign of Ahashverosh, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. שׂטנה, not to mention the name of the well, Genesis 26:21, occurs here only, and means, according to its derivation from שׂטן, to bear enmity, the enmity; hence here, the accusation. ישׁבי על belongs to שׂטנה, not to כּתבוּ; the letter was sent, not to the inhabitants of Judah, but to the king against the Jews. The contents of this letter are not given, but may be inferred from the designation שׂטנה. The letter to Artachshasta then follows, Ezra 4:7-16. In his days, i.e., during his reign, wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions. כּנותו, for which the Keri offers the ordinary form כּנותיו mrof yra, occurs only here in the Hebrew sections, but more frequently in the Chaldee (comp. Ezra 4:9, Ezra 4:17, Ezra 4:23; Ezra 5:3, and elsewhere), in the sense of companions or fellow-citizens; according to Gesenius, it means those who bear the same surname (Kunje) together with another, though Ewald is of a different opinion; see 117, b, note.