Charles Ellicott Commentary Ezra 4
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Ezra 4
Charles Ellicott 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)
The adversaries. —The Samaritans, so termed by Nehemiah (Ezra 4:11). These were a mixed race, the original Israelite element of which was nearly lost in the tribes imported into the northern part of the land by Sargon, Sennacherib, and Esar-haddon. (See 2 Kings 17:24–34.)
"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)
As you do. —They feared the Lord, and worshipped their own gods (2 Kings 17:33): thus they came either in the spirit of hypocrites or with an intention to unite their own idolatries with the pure worship of Jehovah. In any case, they are counted enemies of the God of Israel.
We do sacrifice to Him since the days of Esar-haddon. —He ended his reign B.C. 668, and therefore the Samaritans speak from a tradition extending backwards a century and a half.
Which brought us up here. —Thus they entirely leave out of consideration what residue of Israel was still to be found among them.
"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)
Ye have nothing to do with us. —The account in 2 Kings 17:0 carefully studied will show that the stern refusal of the leaders was precisely ill harmony with the will of God; there was nothing in it of that intolerant spirit which is sometimes imagined. The whole design of the Great Restoration would have been defeated by a concession at this point. The reference to the command of Cyrus is another and really subordinate kind of justification, pleaded as subjects of the King of Persia, whose decree was absolute and exclusive.
"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)
And hired counsellors against them. —They adopted a systematic course of employing paid agents at the court, continuing for eight years, until B.C. 529. Cambyses, his son, succeeded Cyrus; he died in B.C. 522; then followed the pseudo-Smerdis, a usurper, whose short reign Darius did not reckon, but dated his own reign from B.C. 522. A comparison of dates shows that this was the first 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)
In the beginning of his reign. —This Ahasuerus, another name for Cambyses, reigned seven years; and his accession to the throne was the time seized by the Samaritans for their “accusation,” of which we hear nothing more. It suffices that the building languished.
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