Albert Barnes Commentary Ezra 4
Albert Barnes Commentary
Ezra 4
Albert Barnes Commentary
Ezra 4
"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;" — Ezra 4:1 (ASV)
Adversaries - that is, 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).
"then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of 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 Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither." — Ezra 4:2 (ASV)
Compare (2 Kings 17:24–28) notes.
Since the days - Esarhaddon reigned from 681-668 B.C. Thus, the Samaritans speak of what had taken place at least 130 years previously.
There appear to have been at least three colonizations of Samaria by the Assyrian kings. The first is mentioned in (2 Kings 17:24).
Later in his reign Sargon added to these first settlers an Arabian element. Some 30 or 40 years afterward, Esarhaddon, his grandson, largely augmented the population by colonists drawn especially from the southeast parts of the Empire (Ezra 4:10).
Thus, the later Samaritans were an exceedingly mixed race.
"But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers` [houses] of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us." — Ezra 4:3 (ASV)
You have nothing to do with us – Because the Samaritans had united idolatrous rites with the worship of Yahweh (2 Kings 17:29–41). To have allowed them a share in restoring the temple would have been destructive of all purity of religion.
As king Cyrus ... commanded us – The exact words of the edict gave the right of building exclusively to those who should “go up” from Babylonia to Judea (Ezra 1:3).
"and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." — Ezra 4:5 (ASV)
Hired counselors - Rather, “bribed” officials at the Persian court to interpose delays and create difficulties, in order to hinder the work.
Darius - that is, Darius, the son of Hystaspes.
"And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem." — Ezra 4:6 (ASV)
Ahasuerus - Or, Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus. Persian kings often had two names.
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