Key Verse Spotlight
Ezra 4:1 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing-and how to apply it today
Translation: King James Version
" Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; "
Ezra 4:1
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded
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Here are three separate messages God gave the prophet to deliver about Judah and Jerusalem. They all make the same point: their sins are many, and judgment is coming because of them.
1. First, God gives a list of their sins. These sins had brought shame on them, and they would bring ruin as well (verses 1-16).
2. Second, they are compared to dross, the worthless waste left after metal is refined. Because they are like dross, they are sentenced to the fire (Ezekiel 22:17-22).
3. Third, people in every class are shown to be guilty. Each group failed in its own duty and helped build the nation’s guilt. Since no one stood in the gap as an intercessor, someone who pleads with God for others, all must expect to share in the punishment (Ezekiel 22:23-31).
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From This Chapter
Ezra 4:2
"Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither."
Ezra 4:3
"But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded"
Ezra 4:4
"Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,"
Ezra 4:5
"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 4:6
"And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem."
Ezra 4:7
"And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue."
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