The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin come offering to build together — 'for we seek your God, as you do' — and are refused: 'You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God.' Then the peoples of the land weaken the hands of the people of Judah and hire counselors against them, all the days of Cyrus and unto Darius. Here the book begins to quote the documents themselves, in their own Aramaic: Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe write to Artaxerxes against Jerusalem — 'the rebellious and the bad city' — and the king's answer comes back: make a decree, make these men cease. The work of the house of God stops until the second year of Darius.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple to Hashem, the God of Israel;
verse value 1877
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "adversaries·of" (צָרֵ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·heard" (וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·they·heard" (וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ), "adversaries·of" (צָרֵ֥י), "that·sons·of" (כִּֽי־בְנֵ֤י). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·sons·of" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 37x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ [and·they·heard] (432) + צָרֵ֥י [adversaries·of] (300) + יְהוּדָ֖ה [Judah] (30) + וּבִנְיָמִ֑ן [and·Benjamin] (158) + כִּֽי־בְנֵ֤י [that·sons·of] (92) + הַגּוֹלָה֙ [the·captivity] (49) + בּוֹנִ֣ים [building] (108) + הֵיכָ֔ל [temple] (65) + לַיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel.] (541) = 1877.
Rashi
the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin They are the nations whom Sannecherib settled in the land Israel, as it says (II Kings 17:24): “And the king of Assyria brought [people] from Babylonia and from Cuthah and from Avvah and from Hamath and from Sepharvaim, and he settled them in the cities of Samaria instead of the Children of Israel.”
Ralbag
'The adversaries of Judah and Benjamin' - These are the Cutheans whom Sennacherib brought up to the cities of Samaria.
Metzudat David
'The adversaries of Judah' — these are the idolaters whom the king of Assyria settled in the cities of Israel.
then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said to them: ‘Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.’
verse value 4953
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 102 letters. Verse gematria: 4953 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Zerubbabel" (אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל, 7 letters). 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·they·drew·near" (וַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּ), "to·Zerubbabel" (אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶ֜ל), "and·to·heads·of" (וְאֶל־רָאשֵׁ֣י). 24 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "with·you" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "to·your·God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). First appearance of the root דרש ("we·seek") in Ezra. First appearance of the root אנחנו ("we") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 12 words.
Rashi
and said to them, “Let us build with you...” They said this in order that through them the work of the Temple should be disrupted, that they should build no more. since the days of Esarhaddon the king of Assyria the son of Sannecherib, for after Sannecherib settled them there, as it says (II Kings 19:37, Isa. 37:38): “And he was prostrating himself in the temple of Nisroch his god, and Adramelech and Sharezer, his sons, slew him by the sword etc., and his son Esarhaddon reigned in his stead.”
Ibn Ezra
And we do sacrifice [to Him] - It is read with a vav but written with an alef; the meaning is: we sacrifice to no one besides Him. You have nothing to do with us - The sense is: that you should not join with us in building the house of our God.
Metzudat David
'Let us build with you' — their intention was to attach themselves to them, to learn their innermost thoughts, in order to find some pretext for stopping the work. 'And we sacrifice to Him' — as is said of them, 'they feared Hashem' (II Kings 17). 'Since the days of Esarhaddon' — for Sennacherib, who exiled Israel, was killed by his own sons, and his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place, as stated in [the book of] Kings; and it was he who settled [people] in their place from Babylon and Cuthah, etc.
Malbim
Questions: (2-3) Why did they not accept the Cutheans, who wanted to worship Hashem? And what sort of answer is 'We will build as Cyrus commanded us' — did he command them that the [other] nations should not help them in their building? 'Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do' — the Cutheans worshiped through association [with other gods], as it is written elsewhere, 'they feared Hashem, and served their own gods.' They assumed that Israel too worshiped in this manner, and therefore said, 'we seek your God as you do,' calling Him 'the God of gods.' And therefore they said, 'and we sacrifice to Him' — meaning, we regard Him as the supreme God, exalted above all [other] gods.
But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses of Israel, said to them: ‘You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Hashem, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.’
verse value 6854
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 111 letters. The shortest word is "but" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·our·God" (לֵאלֹהֵ֑ינוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "not·to·you" (לֹֽא־לָכֶ֣ם), "and·to·us" (וָלָ֔נוּ), "together" (יַ֜חַד). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "house" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "to·our·God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). First appearance of the root לכם ("not·to·you") in Ezra. First appearance of the root צוה ("commanded·us") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·our·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 12 words.
Rashi
but we Heb. כִּי, but we alone shall build. This כִּי serves in place of אֶלָּא, but.
Ibn Ezra
But we ourselves together - This alludes to the whole assembly of Israel.
Ralbag
'You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God' - From this we learn that one who is not of Israel is not permitted to build the Temple together with us.
Metzudat David
'You have nothing to do with us' — it is not for the two of us, you and us together, to build the house; for what have you to do with building a house to Hashem? Rather, we, the children of Israel, will build the house to Hashem ourselves, together. 'As...has commanded us' — meaning, the king commanded us, and not you.
Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and harried them while they were building,
verse value 2172
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "hands·of" (יְדֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "people·of·Judah" (עַם־יְהוּדָ֑ה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·it·was" (וַיְהִי֙), "people·of·the·land" (עַם־הָאָ֔רֶץ), "weakening" (מְרַפִּ֖ים). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "people·of·the·land" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "to·build" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra); "hands·of" (root יד, 20x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'people·of·Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words.
Rashi
the people of the land They are the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin. were hindering to disrupt them from their work. from building Heb. לִבְנוֹת, lit. to build, and so (Gen. 41:49): “until one ceased to count (לִסְפֹּר).”
Ibn Ezra
And harried [them] (u-mevahalim) - The Ketiv is related to “I will make you a horror” [from the root baleh], while the Qere is “u-mevahalim,” from the root bahal; [we] follow the more common usage of the root bahal, since [words from] baleh [in this sense] are few — but the meaning is the same either way.
Ralbag
'Then the people of the land' - These are the Cutheans. 'And harried them while they were building' - Meaning that they were already terrifying them regarding the matter of the building.
Metzudat David
'Weakened' — they instilled faintheartedness in them, so that their hands would slacken from the building. 'And harried' — they frightened them away from building.
Metzudat Zion
Weakened (merapim) - An expression of "rifyon" (slackness). While they were building (livnot) - Like "milivnot" (from building).
Malbim
'Then the people of the land became' — because of this [refusal], the people of the land, that is, the Cutheans, became adversaries, and devised schemes to nullify the building. At times they 'weakened their hands' — meaning they induced laziness in them so that they would make no effort regarding the building; at times they 'harried them' from building by casting dread upon them; and at times they 'hired counselors against them' to thwart the building. This continued throughout the days of Cyrus, in whose time the building was halted, until the reign of Darius, when they began to build [again]. And [the text] now explains [this in detail].
and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
verse value 4224
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "king·of" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·until·reign·of" (וְעַד־מַלְכ֖וּת, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·hiring" (וְסֹכְרִ֧ים), "counselors" (יוֹעֲצִ֖ים), "their·purpose" (עֲצָתָ֑ם). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "against·them" (root על, 30x in Ezra); "all·days·of" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). First appearance of the root יעץ ("counselors") in Ezra. First appearance of the root עצה ("their·purpose") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·purpose', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְסֹכְרִ֧ים [and·hiring] (336) + עֲלֵיהֶ֛ם [against·them] (155) + יוֹעֲצִ֖ים [counselors] (226) + לְהָפֵ֣ר [to·break] (315) + עֲצָתָ֑ם [their·purpose] (600) + כׇּל־יְמֵ֗י [all·days·of] (110) + כּ֚וֹרֶשׁ [Cyrus] (526) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + פָּרַ֔ס [Persia] (340) + וְעַד־מַלְכ֖וּת [and·until·reign·of] (576) + דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ [Darius] (520) + מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָֽס [king·of·Persia] (430) = 4224.
Rashi
And they would hire Heb. וְסֹכְרִים. This is written with a “sammech,” but its meaning is as though it was written with a “sin,” [meaning] that they would hire advisors to disrupt the work. all the days of the reign of Cyrus and the reign of Ahasuerus, who reigned after Cyrus, until the second year of Darius, who reigned after Ahasuerus, the work was stopped.
Ibn Ezra
And hired (v'sochrim) - The samech stands in place of a shin [i.e., it is related to the root sachar, “to hire”].
Ralbag
'And hired counselors against them' - Meaning, they paid a fee to counselors to frustrate their plan; and this they continued doing throughout all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, until the reign of Darius king of Persia, who was the grandson of Cyrus, as we mentioned in the Book of Daniel. This is what we saw fit to explain in this section, the exposition of which we have limited to this point.
Now, the benefits to be derived from this account are these:
The first benefit is to make known the fulfillment of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied that Cyrus would send the exiles home, saying: 'He shall build My city, and let My exiles go free, not for price nor reward' (Isaiah 45:13). And he further said: 'that says of Cyrus: He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure,' etc. (Isaiah 44:28). And it has already been shown in this account that all this was fulfilled, for it was indeed not for price nor for bribe that Cyrus took it upon himself to attend to the return to Jerusalem, to rebuild it and to build the Temple. And so the Temple was founded in the days of Cyrus, just as Isaiah said.
The second benefit is to make known that one may not rely merely on a presumption of priestly status to permit [such presumed priests] to eat of the lesser holy offerings - let alone to feed them the most holy offerings - unless there is also a clear determination that they are valid priests, once a doubt has arisen about their status; as in the case of those to whom the Tirshatha said that they should not eat of the most holy offerings until a priest should arise [to inquire] by the Urim and Tummim, since their lineage was traced by some uncertain connection to those who were not priests.
The third benefit is to make known that sacrifices may be offered on the altar on Mount Moriah even though there is no Temple building; and so it relates that they had already built the altar and offered burnt-offerings upon it, even though the Temple of Hashem had not yet been founded. And from this point it is also shown that the most holy offerings may be eaten within the courtyard hangings even when there are no hangings, and that holy offerings may be eaten in Jerusalem even when there is no wall - for the original consecration sanctified [the place] both for its own time and for the time to come, as is explained regarding this in the second chapter of [tractate] Shevuot, folio 13.
The fourth benefit is to make known that one ought to praise Hashem, may He be blessed, and give Him thanks for every good thing; and so it relates that after the builders had founded the Temple, they praised Hashem, may He be blessed, and gave Him thanks.
The fifth benefit is to make known that the nations are not to be allowed to build the Temple together with us, even though we do accept a burnt-offering from them, as is explained in the portion of Vayikra (in the author's own commentary); and so it relates that Zerubbabel and his colleagues had already said to the Samaritans: 'You have nothing to do with us, to build a house to our God.'
Metzudat David
'And hired' — they hired counselors on their behalf to advise the king according to their own view, and so thwart the plan of the Jews. 'Even until the reign of Darius' — this is Darius the Persian, who reigned after his father Ahasuerus.
Metzudat Zion
And hired (vesocherim) - Like "veshocherim," spelled with a shin [rather than a samech].
And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
verse value 4503
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "they·wrote" (כָּתְב֣וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·in·reign·of" (וּבְמַלְכוּת֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·in·reign·of" (וּבְמַלְכוּת֙), "Ahasuerus" (אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ), "in·beginning·of" (בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת). The root מלכות appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·reign', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּבְמַלְכוּת֙ [and·in·reign·of] (504) + אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ [Ahasuerus] (821) + בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת [in·beginning·of] (840) + מַלְכוּת֑וֹ [his·reign] (502) + כָּתְב֣וּ [they·wrote] (428) + שִׂטְנָ֔ה [accusation] (364) + עַל־יֹשְׁבֵ֥י [against·inhabitants·of] (422) + יְהוּדָ֖ה [Judah] (30) + וִירוּשָׁלִָֽם [and·Jerusalem] (592) = 4503.
Rashi
And in the reign of Ahasuerus who reigned after Cyrus; he is the Ahasuerus who took Esther. they wrote an accusation not to build the Temple. against the dwellers of Judea and Jerusalem to inform on them and to chide them not to build the Temple.
Ibn Ezra
And in the reign of Ahasuerus - This is the one called Artaxerxes in the Persian tongue. They wrote an accusation (sitnah) - From the word “satan,” meaning: to accuse them.
Ralbag
'And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign,' etc. - [This comment runs] through 'and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me' (below, end of chapter 7). It relates that in the reign of Ahasuerus, who reigned after Cyrus, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, in order to halt the work of the building.
Metzudat David
'They wrote an accusation' — concerning the building of the house, so that he would not grant permission to build it.
Metzudat Zion
An accusation (sitnah) - An expression of "kitrug" (prosecution).
Malbim
'And in the reign of Ahasuerus they wrote an accusation' — and at that time they weakened their hands and harried them by means of the accusation that they wrote.
And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Aramaic character, and set forth in the Aramaic tongue.
verse value 10345
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "wrote" (כָּתַ֨ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Artaxerxes" (עַל־אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֖שְׂתְּא, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 651: in·Aramaic, in·Aramaic. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·in·days·of" (וּבִימֵ֣י), "Bishlam" (בִּשְׁלָ֜ם), "Tabeel" (טָֽבְאֵל֙). The root כתב appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "and·in·days·of" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). First appearance of the root ארתחששתא ("Artaxerxes") in Ezra. First appearance of the root כנת ("his·companions") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Persia', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
And in the days of Artaxerxes He is Cyrus, the king of Persia. The numerical value of the letters of כּרֶשּׁ equal the numerical value of the letters of דָּרְיָוֶשּׁ: [כ = 20; ר = 200; שּׁ = 300; total = 520. ד = 4; ר = 200; י = 10; 520 ו = 6; שּׁ = 300; total = 520.] And so we learned in Tractate Rosh Hashanah (3b): “The same one is Cyrus, who is Darius, who is Artaxerxes.” [He was called Cyrus כּרֶשּׁ because he was a worthy (כָּשֵּׁר) king; Artaxerxes, because of the kingdom, and in Seder Olam (ch. 30): “Darius was Artaxerxes (אַרְתַּחְשַּׁשְּׁתָּא), and the entire kingdom was called Artaxerxes, etc.” [meaning that all the kings were called Artaxerxes]. wrote with peace wrote his letter with words of peace. Mithredath Tabeel This is the name of a man, one of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin. and the rest of his colleagues Heb. כְּנָותָיו, his companies and his societies. to Artaxerxes [as translated,] to Artaxerxes. and the script of the epistle Heb. וּכְתָב הַנִשְּׁתְּוָן. written in Aramaic in Aramaic characters. and explained in Aramaic The script was explained in the Aramaic language.
Ibn Ezra
Bishlam wrote - [To be understood] like “b'shalom” (in peace). To (al) Artaxerxes - [The word] “al” is like “el” (to). His companions (kenotav) - His colleagues or his friends. And the writing of the letter (nishtevan) - [The word “nishtevan”] refers to the shapes of the letters, which is what they are called in our language, and the proof is the phrase “according to their script,” [said] of the Jews. Or, alternatively: the writing of this document, the nishtevan, matched in script and language the Aramaic [tongue]. But some say the meaning is “a seal,” and this is correct.
Ralbag
'And in the days of Artaxerxes,' etc. - You should know that there were only four kings of Persia [in that era], as we explained from the prophecy of Daniel (9:1); and from this it is clear that Ahasuerus is [the same as] Artaxerxes. Now it relates, in the Aramaic language, the accusation that they wrote against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign. It appears that the Artaxerxes mentioned in this passage is different from the Artaxerxes mentioned by Nehemiah in place of Darius the Persian; for it is evident from the letter that Tattenai and his colleagues sent to Darius (below, chapter 5) that Darius did not write any accusation against the building of the Temple - and this needs no further proof, for had it been otherwise, then if the accusation had come before that letter, Darius would have sent word that the Jews had not kept his commands, whereas after that letter there was no accusation against the building of the House, since it had already been built. Nor can one say that the Artaxerxes mentioned afterward (chapter 7), in the matter of Ezra and Nehemiah, is Darius - for it says further on, 'and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia,' naming them as three distinct kings. Rather, it appears that the Artaxerxes mentioned afterward, in the matter of Ezra and Nehemiah, was a fourth king of Persia, who reigned after Darius. And since we find that Alexander of Macedon defeated Darius and took the kingdom, we know that the Artaxerxes who reigned after Darius was also called Darius - his name being, in one language, Darius, and in another, Artaxerxes. Do not be puzzled by this multiplicity of names, for you will find that Sennacherib, too, had many names. 'In the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam' - he is the one called Shalom in the Book of Chronicles - 'Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues, to Artaxerxes king of Persia'; and the letter was written in the Aramaic character, and set forth in the Aramaic tongue. And this is the wording of the letter:
Metzudat David
'Artaxerxes' — this is Cyrus the Persian; the name 'Artaxerxes' is a title used for all the kings of Persia, just as 'Pharaoh' is used for the kings of Egypt and 'Abimelech' for the kings of the Philistines. 'Bishlam' [i.e., 'in peace'] — he wrote his letter in words of peace. 'Mithredath, Tabeel' — he was the head of those sending the letter, and the rest of his colleagues joined together with him in sending it to Artaxerxes. 'And the writing of the letter' — the actual text was written in the Aramaic script and set forth in the Aramaic language.
Metzudat Zion
His companions (kenotav) - This means his friends and colleagues; and in the words of our sages: "Sabbath and idolatry are equivalent (bichnotehon)" (Kritot 3) - so is the reading of the Aruch - meaning, one who joins with them in all their practices. The letter (hanishtevan) - Its meaning is understood [from context], and it has no parallel anywhere except in this book. And set forth (umetorgam) - This too is a term understood [from context]; and in the words of our sages: "one who explains [the terms of] a barrel [contract] for me" (Bava Metzia 41).
Malbim
The questions: (verses 7-11) First it says that the writers were Bishlam [and] Mithredath; then it says they were Rehum the commander and Shimshai; then it says there were also the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, etc.; and after that it again gives the copy of the letter, etc., "your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River" - why does it repeat this a second time, when it has already said, "and the letter was written in Aramaic"? "And in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam...wrote" - it was then that [the enemies] hired counselors against them to halt the building, as we will explain. Now, although there are various opinions about the kings of Persia and their names, this Artaxerxes must be Cyrus, as Rashi explains, since it was in the days of Cyrus that the building was halted; so we must say that "Artaxerxes" was an honorific title used by the kings of Persia. And according to the view that this Artaxerxes was a different king, we must say that the building was not halted until after the death of Cyrus, and that this Artaxerxes was a king who reigned after Cyrus - for in either case we must say that the building was halted for fourteen years, which are the "two weeks" [of years] written of in Daniel (9:25), according to my interpretation.
Now, before explaining the passage before us, let me set out one introductory point, for it is quite puzzling: First, since this very Cyrus had issued a decree to build it, saying that Hashem had commanded him to build Him a house, how could he, within a short time, reverse that decree and halt the building? For we know that under the laws of Persia and Media, no document written in the king's name could ever be revoked by the king under any circumstances, as is explained regarding Daniel (Daniel 6), and regarding Ahasuerus, who could not revoke a decree even though it had been written in error, as we explained in our commentary on Megillat Esther. Second, [the enemies] wrote that the Jews were building and fortifying the walls of Jerusalem, and this was an outright lie - they had built only the Temple, and the wall was not built until the days of [this later] Artaxerxes, who granted special permission for it. And what rebellion could possibly arise from building the Temple, when they had no fortified city to take refuge in, and the Temple was being built of wood and stone, which could easily be burned down if they defied the king's order, as will be explained in chapter 6? How, then, did the king lend his ear to lies, and how did [the enemies] dare speak such falsehood?
In light of these questions, light is shed on the meaning of these verses: in truth, a great deception was carried out here. Through bribes of money paid by the enemies of Judah, counselors were hired, and their deception succeeded - for they knew that it was impossible, under the laws of Persia and Media, to revoke the building of the Temple once a document had been issued in the king's name, since such a document could not be countermanded. They also knew that they could not simply denounce [the Jews] over this matter, since there was no suspicion of rebellion in building the House of God, given that the wall of Jerusalem lay breached. Nor could they write outright lies to the king claiming the Jews had defied his order and were building the city wall instead of the Temple, for they feared the king would discover they had lied and would hold them accountable with their lives.
So their scheme worked as follows: since the kingdom of Persia was a vast empire ruling over many different peoples, each speaking its own language, the law was that anyone wishing to write to the king would write in his own language and script - as it is written, "that every man should bear rule in his own house, and speak according to the language of his own people" (Esther 1:22). In every province there were two officials appointed by the king to receive letters written in the local language, translate them into the Persian language and script, and forward them to the king; and likewise, the king's reply would come back in the Persian language and script to these same two translators, who would translate it into the local language and deliver the translated reply to the writers. Over the province of Syria, these were the officials: Rehum the commander was the one who translated from language to language, and Shimshai was the scribe who transcribed the text into Persian script. In Syria, the script and language were Aramaic.
Therefore the writers of this accusation - three men named Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, "and the rest of his companions," meaning their colleagues and associates - wrote to Artaxerxes, king of Persia. "And the copy of the letter" means that it had to be translated, with the translation checked to ensure it matched the original document; it was written in Aramaic and rendered in Aramaic - that is, in Aramaic script and Aramaic language. They handed over this prepared document to the king's officials, Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe, so that these two would transcribe it into the Persian script and language.
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort—
verse value 4654
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. Verse gematria: 4654 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "one" (חֲדָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Artaxerxes" (לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥שְׂתְּא, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "a·letter" (אִגְּרָ֥ה), "to·Artaxerxes" (לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥שְׂתְּא). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "against·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root בעל ("master·of·judgment") in Ezra. First appearance of the root שמשי ("and·Shimshai") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: רְח֣וּם [Rehum] (254) + בְּעֵל־טְעֵ֗ם [master·of·judgment] (221) + וְשִׁמְשַׁי֙ [and·Shimshai] (656) + סָֽפְרָ֔א [the·scribe] (341) + כְּתַ֛בוּ [wrote] (428) + אִגְּרָ֥ה [a·letter] (209) + חֲדָ֖ה [one] (17) + עַל־יְרוּשְׁלֶ֑ם [against·Jerusalem] (686) + לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥שְׂתְּא [to·Artaxerxes] (1640) + מַלְכָּ֖א [the·king] (91) + כְּנֵֽמָא [thus] (111) = 4654.
Rashi
Rehum was the secretary Rehum was the secretary and the master of words to compose the epistle. and Shimshai was the scribe And Shimshai was the scribe: he is Shimshai the son of Haman. So it is customary to mention the scribe and the secretary together because they need each other; one composes and dictates, and the scribe writes, as it says (I Kings 4:3): “Eliphoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes, Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahlud, the secretary,” and in another place it says (Isa. 36: 22): “And Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah etc. and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the secretary, came.” they wrote a letter These two, Rehum and Shimshai, wrote the letter as Mithredath Tabeel had commanded them, and they all were dwellers of the cities of Samaria. about Jerusalem about the building of the Temple, which is in Jerusalem. as is stated Aram. כְּנֵמָא, as is stated, and that is similar to the expression of the Gemara: “as we wish to say further.”
Ibn Ezra
The commander (ba'al te'em, lit. “master of taste”) - From the same root as “taste and see”; thus, “Rehum, ba'al te'em,” means: Rehum, the counselor. In this sort (kenema) - Meaning “as follows”; this is the wording of the scribe and those who drew up the letter, and the sense is: the letter that the aforementioned men sent was worded “as follows.” Or, alternatively, “kenema” carries the sense of “now.”
Ralbag
Rehum - the commander; he, together with Shimshai the scribe, wrote a single letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king, as follows:
Metzudat David
'The commander' [lit. 'master of sense'] — one skilled in arranging the wording of a document in fitting style. 'The scribe' — one trained and skilled in the craft of writing. 'Wrote' — they wrote a single letter slandering Jerusalem; Rehum composed it, and Shimshai wrote it out. 'In this sort' [lit. 'thus'] — meaning, the words of the letter were as stated below.
Metzudat Zion
The commander (ba'al te'em, lit. "master of judgment") - This means one who knows how to speak well, in fitting eloquence, as in "and takes away the discernment (ta'am) of the elders" (Job 12:20). A letter (igra) - This is what a dispatched document is called, because many matters are gathered together in it; the word is related to "gathers (oger) in summer" (Proverbs 10). In this sort (kenema) - An expression of "utterance," as in "and they utter an utterance ('ne'um')" (Jeremiah 23).
Malbim
"Rehum..." - thus Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe, who were the translators and were trusted by the king not to falsify anything in their work, committed a fraud in their translation. Instead of translating the writers' actual complaint, which was about the building of the Temple, they translated the letter as an accusation against the building of Jerusalem. This is the meaning of "they wrote a letter against Jerusalem" - that they wrote that the Jews were building and fortifying Jerusalem. Yet they did this in such a way that even if the king were to find out it was false, that they had not built the wall of Jerusalem but only the Temple, he still would not be able to punish either the writers or the translators, as will be explained in verse 12. And they wrote to Artaxerxes the king "in this sort," as stated. Now, it was the king's law that the two officials appointed as translators would sign their own names at the top of the letter - for the king would hold them accountable if any forgery or fraud were found in the translation - and afterward would write the names of the writers and petitioners - for they would be held accountable if any falsehood were written in the body of the letter, and so the king would also know who the petitioner was. This was recorded on the letter, just as today people sign their names at the bottom of a letter. However, instead of mentioning only the names of the actual writers - Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions - they wrote that this letter came from all the peoples of Beyond the River, so that the king would take it to heart that this was not a private matter but one affecting all the peoples of his province. That is why they wrote it this way.
then Rehum the commander, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions wrote; the Dinites, and the Apharesattechites, the Tarpelites, the Apharesites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehites, the Elamites,
verse value 5510
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 96 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אֱדַ֜יִן, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Apharesattechites" (וַאֲפַרְסַתְכָיֵ֞א, 9 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·Dinites" (דִּ֠ינָיֵ֠א), "and·the·Apharesattechites" (וַאֲפַרְסַתְכָיֵ֞א), "the·Tarpelites" (טַרְפְּלָיֵ֣א). 16 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אדין ("then") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·companions', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 11 words.
Rashi
Then Aram. אֱדַיִן, equivalent to the Hebrew אָז. Rehum the name of a man. the secretary Aram. בְּעֵל טְעֵם secretary and master of words. the Dinites, the Apharesattechites, etc. All these are names of nations whom Sennacherib repatriated in the cities of Samaria. the Apharesites They are the Persians whom Sennacherib settled in the cities of Samaria. the Archevites They are the people of Erech, as it says (Gen. 10:10): “and Erech and Accad and Calneh.” the Babylonians the people of Babylon. the Shushanchites the people of Shushan, the capital. the Elamites the people of Elam. Sennacherib settled all of these peoples in the land of Israel, and all of them were settling and concurring with the commission of this letter.
Ibn Ezra
The Dinites, and the Apharesattechites, the Tarpelites - Names of nations known to them [in that region]. And it is possible that “Archevites” derives from “Erech,” [mentioned] with “Accad and Calneh.” The Shushanchites - From Shushan [Susa]. And the Elamites - From Elam.
Ralbag
'Then Rehum the commander, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions wrote - the Dinites, the Apharesattechites,' and so on that follows - these are all nations that Sennacherib brought into the cities of Samaria.
Metzudat David
'Then' — at that moment, in that council, were Rehum, etc., and the rest of their companions. 'The Dinites, etc.' — these are the names of idolatrous peoples known to them, who lived in the cities of Samaria and who were also present in that council.
Malbim
"and the rest of the nations whom Sennacherib, the great and mighty king, deported and settled in the city of Samaria, and the rest of the nations of Beyond the River" - together with the words "the men of..." and "at this time" [from the next verse] - up to this point they wrote on the letter to make known the names of the petitioners, [showing] that they were many peoples. And it may be said that the men Bishlam and Mithredath also gathered signatures from several cities, authorizing them to petition on this matter in their name.
and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asenappar brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and the rest that are in the country beyond the River:— ‘And now—
verse value 4528
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "whom" (דִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "beyond·the·River" (עֲבַֽר־נַהֲרָ֖ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 507: and·rest·of, and·rest·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·nations" (אֻמַּיָּ֗א), "Asenappar" (אׇסְנַפַּר֙), "and·noble" (וְיַקִּירָ֔א). The root שאר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root די ("whom") in Ezra. First appearance of the root המו ("them") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
And the rest of the nations and the rest of the nations that Sennacherib exiled; they have all concurred. Asenappar Sennacherib. the great and honored for he was a great and honored king, as it says (Isa. 36:4): “So has the great king, the king of Assyria, said.” in the cities of Samaria in the cities surrounding Samaria. and the rest of the other side of the river and the rest of the nations that are on the other side of the river; because the river Euphrates intervenes between the land of Israel and Babylon, those nations that are in Israel are on the opposite side of the river of those found in Babylon. and Ke’eneth a name of a place; and all the people of Ke’eneth have concurred with the commission of this letter.
Ibn Ezra
And now (v'chenet) - Some say this is the name of a nation. But it is possible that the word derives from “et” (time); yet the first [explanation] is the more likely.
Ralbag
'And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asenappar' - that is, Sennacherib - 'exiled, and set in the cities of Samaria,' and in the rest of the cities of the province beyond the River, and in one city named Kena'at - or, [it may mean] a single province, which appears more likely.
Metzudat David
'And the rest of the nations' — and the rest of the idolaters whom Asenappar — that is, Sennacherib, in the Persian tongue — deported. 'Great and noble' — Sennacherib was called this because he was a great and honored king. 'And set' — he settled those idolaters in the towns of Samaria, meaning, in the places near it; and although it was stated above that his son Esarhaddon settled them in the cities of Samaria, it is nonetheless attributed to him [Sennacherib], because it was done at his command. 'And the rest' — also the rest of those living beyond the River [Euphrates], which divides Babylon from the Land of Israel, and also [those of] Cana, which is the name of the chief city for all of these; meaning, all of these agreed to [send] the letter.
this is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, even to Artaxerxes the king—your servants the men beyond the River—and now
verse value 5208
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Artaxerxes" (עַל־אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֖שְׂתְּא, 10 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "your·servant" (עַבְדָ֛ךְ), "men" (אֱנָ֥שׁ). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "to·him" (root על, 30x in Ezra). First appearance of the root דן ("this") in Ezra. First appearance of the root פרשגן ("copy") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words.
Rashi
This is the meaning of the letter and this is the interpretation of the letter. the meaning Aram. פַּרְשֶּׁגֶן like (Esther 3:14): “The meaning of (פַּתְשֶּׁגֶן) the writ. that they sent to him [as translated,] that they sent to him. to Artaxerxes [as translated,] to Artaxerxes. Your servants are the people of the other side of the river and Ke’eneth The people of the other side of the river and the people of Ke’eneth are your servants. All the nations counted here are included in this generalization, for they were all on the side of the land of Israel, which is on the opposite side of the river of those dwelling in Babylon, and this is the beginning of the letter: “Your servants are the people of the other side of the river etc.” until, “...you will have no part.”
Ibn Ezra
The copy (parshegen) - Has the sense of “patshegen ha-ketav” (the copy of the writing); the two forms mean the same thing, one authority phrasing it this way and another that way, and the meaning of the word is “explanation” and “clarification.”
Ralbag
'This is the copy of the letter that they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king - your servants, the men of the province beyond the River, and now.'
Metzudat David
'This' — this is the arrangement of the copy of the letter that they sent to him; and it goes on to explain: to Artaxerxes the king. 'Your servants' — meaning, we, the writers, are your servants, the men from beyond the River and the inhabitants of Cana.
Metzudat Zion
The copy (parshegen) - An expression of the duplicate (tofes) of a document, as in "a copy of the law of Moses" (Joshua 8:32), which Targum Yonatan renders "parshegen oraita" (a copy of the Torah).
Malbim
'This is the copy [of the letter]' - From here begins the actual body of the letter itself: 'this is the copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king - your servants, the men beyond the River, and now.' In the letter, they abbreviated and did not list everyone - only the beginning, 'your servants...,' through 'beyond the River, and now' - for it was their practice not to repeat all the names in full each time, but rather to write the beginning and the end, and in the middle to write the word 'shelam' or 'gemir,' just as we write 'etc.,' or '...,' as you will see in verse 17 [of this chapter] and in chapter 7:17. And here it did not copy the word 'shelam' or 'gemir,' in order to shorten the text.
be it known to the king, that the Jews who came up from you have come to us to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and are digging out the foundations.
verse value 6624
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 102 letters. Notable word values: "the·Jews" (יְהוּדָיֵ֗א) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 6624 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (לִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: that, who. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "came·up" (סְלִ֙קוּ֙), "from·you" (מִן־לְוָתָ֔ךְ), "they·came" (אֲת֖וֹ). The root די appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root ידע ("known") in Ezra. First appearance of the root הוה ("let·it·be") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 10 words.
Rashi
Let it be known to the king Let it be a known thing to the king. that the Jews that the Jews who ascended from you upon us have come to Jerusalem. the rebellious and sinful city they are building [as translated,] a rebellious and sinful city they are building. the walls they have completed [as translated,] the walls they have completed. and the walls [as translated,] and the walls. they have joined Aram. יָחִיטוּ, an expression of a thread, like (Gen. 14:23): “not from a thread, (מִחוּטּ),” for they are “sewing” and joining the walls one to another.
Ibn Ezra
The foundations (ushaya) - [Means] foundations; the Targum renders “and her foundations shall be destroyed” with this word. Likewise: “her foundations have fallen.” Are digging out (yachitu) - From [the same root as] “the scarlet thread”; its meaning: they stretch a line over the foundations in order to build, in the sense of a measuring line. Or it is related to the Targum's rendering of “and they sewed [fig leaves],” [translated] “va-chatitu”/“vi-chiteh,” meaning “tying and joining.” But the first explanation is the more likely.
Ralbag
'Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us, to Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and bad city, and have completed the walls, and joined the foundations one to another.'
Metzudat David
'Be it known' — Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have now come to Jerusalem. 'The city' — They are building the rebellious and wicked city, and want to finish and complete the walls, and the foundations are being bound and joined to one another — meaning, they are repairing the ruined places so that the whole foundation becomes one unified structure.
Metzudat Zion
The walls (veshurya) - Walls, as in "I scale a wall (shur)" (Psalms 18). Have finished (shechalilu) - An expression of completion, as Targum Onkelos renders on "and the heavens were finished (vayechulu)" (Genesis 2). The foundations (ve'ushaya) - An expression of "foundation," as in "the foundations (ashishei) of Kir-Cheres" (Isaiah 16). Are digging out (yechitu) - An expression of "chut" (thread), meaning they join [the stones] as though sewing them together with a thread by means of a needle.
Malbim
The questions (12): How could they say that they are building Jerusalem, when this is a plain falsehood, since they had built only the House [the Temple], by permission of the king? 'Be it known to the king' - Now begins the actual body of the request: 'that [the Jews] who came up from you' - meaning, you had sent them away free [and this is proof that the building had already been halted in the days of Cyrus; for if it were after his reign, one would have to strain the reading to mean 'from your province']. '[They] have come to us to Jerusalem, the rebellious and the bad city, and are building, and have finished the walls' - here lies the deception and forgery perpetrated by the letter's authors, for this wording bears two possible readings. One may explain that 'the rebellious city' refers back to what precedes - that they came to Jerusalem, which is a rebellious and sinful city - and that the word 'building' stands as a separate statement, meaning that they are building a building there, that is, building the Temple and laying the foundations of the House; meaning, they are preparing to build its walls, for its foundations have already been dug out, its foundations have already been shored up. If so, they wrote nothing false, for it is true that they built the House of Hashem there by the command of Cyrus. Or, one may explain that the word 'building' is joined to 'the rebellious and bad city,' meaning that they came to Jerusalem and are building [i.e., rebuilding] the rebellious and wicked city itself - and that is how they phrased it, that they are building the city. And had it become known to the king that this was false, no punishment would have reached them, for the wording of the letter can bear this [first] meaning, which is in fact how we truly explain it; and even the letter's authors would not have deserved punishment, for they could excuse themselves that their intent matched the first explanation - that they were building the Temple there.
Be it known now to the king, that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, impost, or toll, and so you will damage the revenue of the kings.
verse value 5447
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 80 letters. Verse gematria: 5447 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·be·finished" (יִֽשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: now, kings. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "tribute·impost" (מִנְדָּֽה־בְל֤וֹ), "they·will·give" (יִנְתְּנ֔וּן), "and·revenue·of" (וְאַפְּתֹ֥ם). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "will·be·built" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra). First appearance of the root כען ("now") in Ezra. First appearance of the root הן ("if") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·finished', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
Now let it be known Now let it be known to the king. that if this city is built [as translated,] that if this city is built. this [as translated,] this. and the walls are founded [as translated,] and the walls are founded. the king’s due, the head tax, or the meal tax They are types of taxes and the money for the head taxes. they will not give They will no longer pay taxes. and the tax of the kings will suffer [as translated,] and the tax of the kings will suffer, for they will no longer give tax to the kings.
Ibn Ezra
"now," "this" (ke'an, dakh) — as in the Targum's rendering of "that one" (ha-lazeh) as "dakhi." "tribute, impost, or toll" (mindah, belo, va-halakh) — these are names for taxes owed to the king. Their meaning, as I understand it, is: "mindah" — a tax on property; "belo" — a tax on the provinces; and "halakh" — a toll on those who travel the king's roads. "and so you will damage the revenue of the kings" (ve-apetom malkin tehanzik) — [this refers to] the king's expenditures and his revenues.
Ralbag
'Be it known now to the king, that if this city be built and the walls completed, they will not give tribute, tax, or toll to you, and so you will damage the revenue of the kings.' Meaning: that they will rebel against you, and you will receive from them none of what is due to a king from his own province.
Metzudat David
'Now' — Let it now be known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, and so forth; that is, once they grow strong through the fortification of the city, they will no longer pay any of those types of taxes, and they will rebel against the king. 'And so the revenue [of the kings]' — The income of the kings will be damaged and diminished, for they will no longer pay tax to the kings of Persia.
Metzudat Zion
Tribute (mindah) - This is the king's tax imposed on all the inhabitants of the province together. Impost, or toll (belo, halach) - "Belo" is the poll-tax (gulgalta); and "halach" is a gift that they bring to the king when he passes through their region. The revenue (apetom) - This is an expression of "income," and it has no parallel anywhere else [in Scripture].
Malbim
The questions (13-16): Why does it repeat itself - 'be it known to the king' [in verse 12], and [again] 'we announce to the king' [in verse 16]? 'Be it known now [to the king]' - Now let it be known to the king that if this city is built and its walls are completed, the kinds of taxes called tribute (mindah), impost (belo), and toll (halakh) will no longer be paid [for they will rebel against the king], and this will damage the revenue of the kings [or: the king's treasury].
Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and announced to the king,
verse value 2622
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "to·see" (לְמֶֽחֱזֵ֑א) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לָ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "fitting·to·us" (אֲֽרִֽיךְ־לַ֖נָא, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "that·salt·of" (דִּֽי־מְלַ֤ח), "the·palace" (הֵֽיכְלָא֙), "we·eat" (מְלַ֔חְנָא). The root מלח appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra). First appearance of the root קבל ("all·opposite") in Ezra. First appearance of the root דנה ("for·this") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·see', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: כְּעַ֗ן [now] (140) + כׇּל־קֳבֵל֙ [all·opposite] (182) + דִּֽי־מְלַ֤ח [that·salt·of] (92) + הֵֽיכְלָא֙ [the·palace] (66) + מְלַ֔חְנָא [we·eat] (129) + וְעַרְוַ֣ת [and·nakedness·of] (682) + מַלְכָּ֔א [the·king] (91) + לָ֥א [not] (31) + אֲֽרִֽיךְ־לַ֖נָא [fitting·to·us] (312) + לְמֶֽחֱזֵ֑א [to·see] (86) + עַ֨ל־דְּנָ֔ה [for·this] (159) + שְׁלַ֖חְנָא [we·sent] (389) + וְהוֹדַ֥עְנָא [and·we·announced] (142) + לְמַלְכָּֽא [to·the·king] (121) = 2622.
Rashi
Now in view of this, that we wish to destroy the Temple Now in view of this matter, that we wish to implement the destruction of the Temple. דִי מְלַח is an expression of destruction and desolation, like Jer. 17:6): “barren (מְלֵחָה) land that is uninhabitable.” we wish to destroy We wish to demolish and to destroy. and... the king’s disgrace Aram. וְעַרְוַת מַלְכָּא, lit. and the king’s nakedness. it is improper Aram. לָא אַרִיךְ, it is improper for us to see. אַרִיךְ means proper, like “Is it proper (אַרִיךְ) or improper (לָא אַרִיךְ)?” in Tractate Succah (44b). therefore therefore we have sent and notified the king.
Ibn Ezra
"now, because we eat the salt of the palace" (melach heichala) — from the same [root] as "the heavens shall vanish like smoke" (ke-ashan nimlachu) (Isaiah 51:6) and "a salted land, not to be inhabited" (eretz melechah lo teshev) (Jeremiah 17:6); and the sense of the [salted] land is the notion of negation — the prevention of a thing. "the king's dishonor" (arvat malka) — like "the nakedness of the land" (et ervat ha-aretz) (Genesis 42:9), and the meaning is disgrace. "it is not fitting" (arikh) — [related to] the Targum's rendering of "and he waited yet again" (va-yachel od) (Genesis 8:12) as "va-orikh od"; and the verse is to be understood thus: we have halted [the building of] the Temple, and we would not wait to see the king's dishonor and disgrace.
Ralbag
'Now, because we eat the salt of the palace' - Meaning, because we occupy ourselves with your affairs, to preserve them from loss, just as salt preserves from spoiling whatever it is placed upon - and since it is not right for us to witness the king's dishonor and harm in this, we have therefore sent and made this known to the king.
Metzudat David
'Now' — [This is stated] because we want the ruin of the Temple to remain in ruins, just as it was. 'And the dishonor [of the king]' — For it is not right or proper for us to see the king's disgrace and stay silent. 'Therefore' — For this reason we are sending word and informing the king.
Metzudat Zion
The salt (melach) - [Here] an expression of ruin, as in "a salted [barren] land" (Jeremiah 17). Dishonor (ervat) - An expression of "ervah" (nakedness), meaning disgrace. Fitting (arich) - From the sense of "fine and proper"; and in the words of our sages: "a hundred peppercorns for a hundred and twenty, and it is fitting (varich)" (Bava Metzia 75) - meaning, the transaction is fine and proper and involves no forbidden interest.
Malbim
'The salt' - [Salt] was not listed [as a separate tax], because the salt was given to him free of charge; and the revenue from the salt was used to supply the needs of the king's palace. This is the meaning of 'we eat the salt of the palace' - that this is because we are his servants. Therefore, 'the king's dishonor' - meaning, it is not fitting for us to see the king's disgrace - for this reason we have sent and informed the king. They are clarifying here that the motive that moved them to report this was not their own benefit, nor fear of harm, but rather that they are loyal servants of the king who do not wish to see him harmed.
that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers; so you shall find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful to kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within it of old time; for which cause this city was laid waste.
verse value 8769
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 121 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֡י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·book·of·the·records" (בִּֽסְפַר־דׇּכְרָ֨נַיָּ֜א, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 711: the·city, the·city. 13 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "will·search" (יְבַקַּר֩), "in·book·of·the·records" (בִּֽסְפַר־דׇּכְרָ֨נַיָּ֜א), "your·fathers" (אֲבָהָתָ֗ךְ). The root די appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "from·days·of" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). First appearance of the root שכח ("and·you·will·find") in Ezra. First appearance of the root גוה ("in·its·midst") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·eternity', dividing the verse into phrases of 22 and 4 words.
Rashi
That one should search that a seeker should search and seek in the annals of your fathers, the first kings. and you will find And you will find in the annals, and you will know that this city is a rebellious city, and it injures the kings and the countries. and they have made rebellion in its midst And its inhabitants were making rebellion in its midst, for Israel would rebel against the kings of the nations. since days of yore Aram. מִן יוֹמָת עָלְמָא, from days of yore. Since ancient times, it has been their custom to rebel against the kings of the nations. because of this Because of this, this city was destroyed.
Ibn Ezra
"sedition" (ashtadur) — [related to] the Targum's rendering of "behold, I sent this kid" (Genesis 38:23) as "shadarit" [from the root "to send"]; [it refers to] the gifts that emissaries would bring in order to win over those who help them — that is, plots, as in "he was striving to save him" (havah mishtadar le-hatzaluteih) (Daniel 6:15).
Ralbag
'That search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers, and you will find in the book of records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they have stirred up rebellion within it from ancient times - and for this reason this city was laid waste.'
Metzudat David
'That search may be made' — That he search in the book of records of your fathers, and you will find in the book of records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces. 'And that they have moved sedition' — They have carried out rebellion and insubordination within it since ancient times. 'For which cause' — Because of this, this city was made into a ruin.
Metzudat Zion
Search may be made (yevakar) - [Meaning] "search," as in "I will search for My flock" (Ezekiel 34:12). Sedition (ve'ishtadur) - This means obstinacy and rebellion; the word comes from "shedar," which in Aramaic means "to send," for it is the way of rebels to send emissaries to request aid to strengthen their hand.
Malbim
'That search may be made' - meaning, they are alerting him that he need not believe them merely on the strength of their report, but rather should search the books of records of his fathers, and he will find in the book of records and know that this city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that they engaged in sedition [to rebel] within it from ancient times [the word 'v'eshtador' is like 'v'eshtadel,' 'exerted effort,' as in Daniel 6:15] - and that for this reason it was laid waste.
We announce to the king that, if this city be built, and the walls finished, by this means you shall have no portion beyond the River.’
verse value 4841
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֠י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·be·finished" (יִֽשְׁתַּכְלְל֑וּן, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "we" (אֲנַ֙חְנָה֙), "and·the·walls" (וְשׁוּרַיָּ֖ה), "portion" (חֲלָק֙). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "will·be·built" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·finished', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
We make known to the king [as translated,] we make known to the king. that if this city that if this city is built, and its walls are founded. because of this In view of this and because of this, you will have no part in the entire other side of the river, because Israel will rebel against you and take everything out of your hands. in the other side of the river That is the entire area of the side of Israel, which is on the other side of the river of those who are in Babylon.
Ibn Ezra
"you shall have no portion beyond the River" — [meaning] that the peoples mentioned would rebel against him if he ordered [the building of] Jerusalem; or, [taking] "portion" [literally] — you will have nothing at all beyond the River, for they, [namely] Israel, will seize it all by force.
Ralbag
'We make known to the king that if this city is built and the walls are completed, you will have no portion in the province beyond the River.'
Metzudat David
'We announce' — We inform the king that if this city is built and the walls are completed and finished... 'By this means' — Because of this you will have no portion beyond the River, for everyone there will rebel against you on this account — or else the Jews will grow strong and come to rule over all the people beyond the River.
Malbim
'We announce' - At first they said 'be it known to the king,' meaning that the king would know this on his own and understand that if the city is built he will lose the taxes, since it is their way to rebel and throw off the yoke of the kingdom, as they always have. But beyond this, 'we announce to the king' [something he would not know on his own]: that if this city is built, you will have no portion in all the region beyond the River. For just as this city will throw off the yoke, so will all the people beyond the River do, for they will all act as it acted, and cast off the bonds [of loyalty].
Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and to the rest beyond the River: ‘Peace, and now
verse value 6562
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·companions" (כְּנָוָ֣תְה֔וֹן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 507: and·rest·of, and·rest·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "sent" (שְׁלַ֣ח), "to·Rehum" (עַל־רְח֤וּם), "dwelling" (יָתְבִ֖ין). The root שאר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "who" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root פתגם ("the·edict") in Ezra. First appearance of the root עת ("and·now") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Rashi
The king sent a word Aram. פִּתְגָּמָא שְּׁלַח מַלְכָּא to Rehum the secretary to Rehum the secretary, and Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companies, who dwelt in the cities of Samaria, and to the rest of the nations who were on the other side of the river of the side of the land of Israel. Shelam and Ke’eth They are places, like “and Ke’eneth.” Sometimes he calls it this and sometimes that.
Ibn Ezra
"the word ... to Rehum" — "al" (to) is like "el" (to), and it serves in place of five [objects that follow]. "and now" (ve-cha'et) — is missing a nun [i.e., it is short for "ve-cha'anet"; compare Ezra 7:12]; and the verse is to be parsed: "...and to the rest beyond the River — and now, peace."
Ralbag
'Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander,' etc. - The king sent word to Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who dwell in the cities of Samaria and the rest of the region beyond the River - that is, to the places called Shelam and Chenat.
Metzudat David
'Answer' — This is the message that the king sent. 'To Rehum, etc.' — To Rehum, etc., and the rest of their colleagues who dwell in Samaria, and the rest of the people beyond the River: peace to all of them. And also here [the word] 'ukhe'et' ("and now") likewise conveys well-being — it is the same word as 'cha'anat' used earlier [in the letter], with the final nun dropped.
Malbim
The questions (17): What is said, 'shelam, and now,' has [as yet] no explanation. 'Then the king sent an answer' - Now, based on the way they had presented their words, it did not occur to the king to investigate whether it was actually true that the Jews had violated his decree and were building the city wall without his permission, for he assumed that his officials, and likewise the many peoples who wrote together with them, would not write such a blatant, obvious falsehood to him. He needed only to ask whether it was true that the people of Jerusalem had a history of rebelling against kings, and on this basis he sent his reply. And it is written at the head of the letter, 'The king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and the rest beyond the River' [etc., through] 'and now.' This is as explained above - that it would have been necessary to elaborate and repeat all the names of the signatories, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, etc., listed above in verses 9 and 10; but in order to abbreviate, it was their practice to write only the beginning, 'Rehum the commander and Shimshai,' [then] 'shelam' - meaning, 'and complete and finish the rest of the matter' - through 'and now.' This is like the word 'etc.' or the word '...' in the texts that we write, as stated below in 7:12, 'gemir, and now.' Here, in place of the word 'gemir,' the word 'shelam' is written, meaning, 'complete and finish.' And I later saw that a certain sage explained it the same way.
the letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.
verse value 2860
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 2860 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "which" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·letter" (נִשְׁתְּוָנָ֕א, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "you·sent" (שְׁלַחְתּ֖וּן), "plainly" (מְפָרַ֥שׁ), "before·me" (קׇדָמָֽי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "to·us" (root על, 30x in Ezra). First appearance of the root פרש ("plainly") in Ezra. First appearance of the root קדם ("before·me") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: נִשְׁתְּוָנָ֕א [the·letter] (807) + דִּ֥י [which] (14) + שְׁלַחְתּ֖וּן [you·sent] (794) + עֲלֶ֑ינָא [to·us] (161) + מְפָרַ֥שׁ [plainly] (620) + קֱרִ֖י [read] (310) + קׇדָמָֽי [before·me] (154) = 2860.
Rashi
The letter The writ of the letter that you sent to us was explained and read before me.
Ralbag
'The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me' - The letter you sent us has been read before me.
Metzudat David
'The letter' — The clearly written words that you sent to me have been read out plainly before me.
Malbim
'The letter [nishtevana]' - that is, the transcript [which is identical to the letter it was copied from] that you sent to us has been read out plainly before me.
And I decreed, and search has been made, and it is found that this city of old time has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.
verse value 5406
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·kings" (עַל־מַלְכִ֖ין, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 250: against·kings, and·rebellion. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·they·found" (וְהַשְׁכַּ֔חוּ), "against·kings" (עַל־מַלְכִ֖ין), "rises·up" (מִֽתְנַשְּׂאָ֑ה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·kings" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "from·days·of" (root יום, 25x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מן ("and·from·me") in Ezra. First appearance of the root שים ("is·placed") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rises·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
the order was given And the order was given by me, the matter of a command that I commanded. and they searched and found And they searched in the annals of the kings and found written that this city, from days of yore, would raise itself up and exalt itself over all the kings of the nations. and rebellion. and disobedience were committed there to rebel against the kings of the nations.
Ralbag
'And I decreed, and search has been made,' etc. - By my order the matter was investigated, and it was found that this city has, from ancient times, risen up against kings, and that rebellion and attempts at rebellion have been carried out within it.
Metzudat David
'And I decreed' — And by my order a decree was issued, and they searched in the book of records and found it written that this city has, from ancient times, exalted itself against the kings of the nations. 'And rebellion' — Rebellion and insubordination have been carried out within it.
Metzudat Zion
Decreed (ta'am) - This means a command, a decree, and counsel, as in "by the decree of the king" (Jonah 3).
Malbim
'And I decreed' - And from me the decree went out, and they searched and found that this city has raised itself up against kings from of old, and that rebellion and sedition [inciting others to rebel] have been made within it.
There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, impost, and toll, was paid to them.
verse value 3210
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "have·been" (הֲווֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·Jerusalem" (עַל־יְר֣וּשְׁלֶ֔ם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·kings" (וּמַלְכִ֣ין), "mighty" (תַּקִּיפִ֗ין), "and·ruling" (וְשַׁ֨לִּיטִ֔ין). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·kings" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "over·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra); "in·all" (root כל, 33x in Ezra). First appearance of the root יהב ("was·given") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·River', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמַלְכִ֣ין [and·kings] (156) + תַּקִּיפִ֗ין [mighty] (650) + הֲווֹ֙ [have·been] (17) + עַל־יְר֣וּשְׁלֶ֔ם [over·Jerusalem] (686) + וְשַׁ֨לִּיטִ֔ין [and·ruling] (415) + בְּכֹ֖ל [in·all] (52) + עֲבַ֣ר [beyond] (272) + נַהֲרָ֑ה [the·River] (260) + וּמִדָּ֥ה [and·tribute] (55) + בְל֛וֹ [impost] (38) + וַהֲלָ֖ךְ [and·toll] (61) + מִתְיְהֵ֥ב [was·given] (457) + לְהֽוֹן [to·them] (91) = 3210.
Rashi
And mighty kings and mighty kings were in Jerusalem who were the rulers and governors over the entire side of the river on the side of Israel, as it says regarding Solomon (I Kings 5:4): “For he had dominion over all this side of the river, etc.” And taxes and the head tax were given to them, for the nations paid them tribute.
Ralbag
'There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem,' etc. - There have also been powerful kings over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole region beyond the River, and tribute, custom, and toll were paid to them.
Metzudat David
'And kings' — There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole region beyond the River. 'And tribute' — This is the same as 'minda' [mentioned earlier], meaning those types of taxes were paid to them.
Malbim
'There have been mighty kings' - Moreover, there were mighty kings there who ruled over the whole country beyond the River, and tribute was paid to them [by the nations]. By this, what they had reported was also confirmed for him - that if the city were built, he would also lose his portion of the kingdom throughout the region beyond the River.
Make you now a decree to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not built, until a decree shall be made by me.
verse value 3623
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "this" (דָךְ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·city" (וְקִרְיְתָ֥א, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "place" (שִׂ֣ימוּ), "and·the·city" (וְקִרְיְתָ֥א), "until·from·me" (עַד־מִנִּ֖י). The root שים appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "be·built" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra). First appearance of the root בטל ("to·stop") in Ezra. First appearance of the root אלך ("these") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: כְּעַן֙ [now] (140) + שִׂ֣ימוּ [place] (356) + טְּעֵ֔ם [decree] (119) + לְבַטָּלָ֖א [to·stop] (72) + גֻּבְרַיָּ֣א [the·men] (216) + אִלֵּ֑ךְ [these] (51) + וְקִרְיְתָ֥א [and·the·city] (717) + דָךְ֙ [this] (24) + לָ֣א [not] (31) + תִתְבְּנֵ֔א [be·built] (853) + עַד־מִנִּ֖י [until·from·me] (174) + טַעְמָ֥א [the·decree] (120) + יִתְּשָֽׂם [shall·be·placed] (750) = 3623.
Rashi
Now issue an order Now give out a word to announce in the land to stop these men, the Children of Israel, from the work, and the city of Jerusalem shall not be built until orders are given with my knowledge and my authorization.
Ibn Ezra
"these" (ilekh) — is like "ilein" [these].
Ralbag
'Make you now a decree to cause these men to cease,' etc. - Therefore, issue an order to stop these men, and this city shall not be built until a decree is issued by me concerning this.
Metzudat David
'Now' — Now issue a decree to stop these men from the building. 'And this city' — And this city shall not be built until a decree is issued by me — meaning, until I grant permission to build it.
Malbim
The questions (21): How could the building be stopped - did he not [already] give permission to build? And by the law of Persia, a writ written in the king's name cannot be revoked! 'Make you now [a decree]' - Now issue a decree to stop these men, and this city shall not be built until a decree comes from me; and be careful not to act as though you have forgotten this [or, as though acting unwittingly] - for why should the damage grow, to the hurt of kings?
And take heed that you be not slack in this; why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?’
verse value 2118
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "be" (הֱו֛וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·careful" (וּזְהִירִ֥ין, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·careful" (וּזְהִירִ֥ין), "why" (לְמָה֙), "grow" (יִשְׂגֵּ֣א). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "to·do" (root עבד, 24x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מה ("why") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'concerning·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּזְהִירִ֥ין [and·careful] (288) + הֱו֛וֹ [be] (17) + שָׁל֖וּ [negligence] (336) + לְמֶעְבַּ֣ד [to·do] (146) + עַל־דְּנָ֑ה [concerning·this] (159) + לְמָה֙ [why] (75) + יִשְׂגֵּ֣א [grow] (314) + חֲבָלָ֔א [the·damage] (41) + לְהַנְזָקַ֖ת [to·harm·of] (592) + מַלְכִֽין [kings] (150) = 2118.
Rashi
And beware of committing an error And you shall beware of committing any postponement or error. שָּׁלוּ is desto(u)rber in Old French, to violate. of committing...in this matter [as translated,] of committing in this manner. Why should...increase Why should the act of destruction in this city increase to injure the kings? Until here is Cyrus’ reply, which he sent back.
Ibn Ezra
"and take heed" (u-zehirin) — from "and you shall warn them" (ve-hizharta ethem) (Exodus 18:20); its meaning is that they were being warned against acting in error — that is, "beware, lest you err."
Ralbag
'And take heed that you be not slack in this,' etc. - Be careful not to err in this matter, lest the damage increase to the harm of the kings.
Metzudat David
'And take heed' — Be careful not to err in this matter — meaning, do not carelessly transgress my command through negligence. 'Why should it grow' — Why should this work of destruction increase and multiply, to the harm of the kings? For if they grow strong, they will bring ruin upon all the kings of the earth.
Metzudat Zion
Take heed (uzehirin) - This is an expression of "zehirut" (heedfulness), familiar from the words of our sages - similar to "zerizut" (alacrity), except that "zerizut" means guarding oneself so that the matter never comes to hand at all, while "zehirut" means guarding against it once it has already come to hand. Slack (shalu) - [Meaning] error and inadvertence, as in "concerning the error" (II Samuel 6:7).
Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
verse value 6858
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 102 letters. Verse gematria: 6858 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Artaxerxes" (אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣שְׂתְּא, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "before·Rehum" (קֳדָם־רְח֛וּם), "they·went" (אֲזַ֨לוּ), "in·haste" (בִבְהִיל֤וּ). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "of" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root אזל ("they·went") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·companions', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
then [as translated,] then. since the interpretation Since the interpretation of the writ of the letter of Artaxerxes the king—he is Cyrus—this incident took place. was read before for the writ of this letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai and their companies, and they went with speed and haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and stopped them with force and might from continuing the construction of the edifice. to the Jews Aram. עַל יְהוּדָיֵא, lit. On the Jews. and they Aram. הִמוֹ, equivalent to הֵם.
Ralbag
'Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read,' etc. - Then, once the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem and stopped them by force and might.
Metzudat David
'Then' — Then, once the copy of the king's clearly written words was read before Rehum, etc., and their colleagues... 'They went' — They went in haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and stopped them from their work by force and power.
Malbim
'Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read...' - meaning: the king's decree did not mention stopping the building of the Temple, only the building of the city. Now, as for what it says, 'make these men cease, and let this city not be rebuilt,' one might explain that it states two separate things: (1) 'make these men cease' refers to stopping them from building the Temple - since it would make no sense to speak of stopping them from building the city, when in fact they had not actually been building the city at all, so it must mean that they were to be stopped from building the Temple; and 'let this city not be rebuilt' is a separate matter, that beyond this he also decrees that they not build the city. This explanation would be correct if the letter sent to the king had been a letter of accusation about building the Temple, for then his reply would be understood as ordering them to stop building the Temple. But in truth, since what they had copied out was a letter of accusation about building the city, then what he answered - 'make these men cease' - must mean cease from building the city, and 'let this city not be rebuilt' is a further clarification, that they are to stop them so that the city not be built; building the Temple, however, remained permitted to them under the king's first decree, which could not be revoked. Only, since it was Rehum and Shimshai the scribe who had done the copying, they now claimed that the letter of accusation had been about building the Temple, and they represented the copy of the dispatch - that is, their own rendering of the copy of the king's letter [which had likewise come in the Persian language, and which they had copied and interpreted] - as meaning that the king's letter was intended to stop the building of the Temple, since the interpretation of the letter lay in their hands. That is why they went in haste to Jerusalem, to the Jews, and stopped them by force and by power.
Then the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased; and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
verse value 5864
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·God" (בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֔א, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "ceased" (בְּטֵלַת֙), "work·of" (עֲבִידַ֣ת), "and·was" (וַהֲוָת֙). The root בטל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Persia" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·house·of·God" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root עבידה ("work·of") in Ezra. First appearance of the root מלכו ("of·reign·of") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: בֵּאדַ֗יִן [then] (67) + בְּטֵלַת֙ [ceased] (441) + עֲבִידַ֣ת [work·of] (486) + בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֔א [the·house·of·God] (449) + דִּ֖י [that] (14) + בִּירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + וַהֲוָת֙ [and·was] (417) + בָּֽטְלָ֔א [ceasing] (42) + עַ֚ד [until] (74) + שְׁנַ֣ת [year·of] (750) + תַּרְתֵּ֔ין [two] (1060) + לְמַלְכ֖וּת [of·reign·of] (526) + דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ [Darius] (520) + מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָֽס [king·of·Persia] (430) = 5864.
Rashi
Then Then the work of the building of the House of God, which was in Jerusalem, was suspended until the second year of Darius, the king of Persia; for after Cyrus, Ahasuerus, who married Esther, reigned, and after Ahasuerus, Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, who was the son of Esther, reigned. And from the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, until the second year of Darius were eighteen years, which completed the seventy years from the destruction of Jerusalem. For from the destruction of the Temple, when Zedekiah was exiled, until the first year of Cyrus, were fifty-two years, as is explained in Seder Olam (ch. 29). There were then eighteen years from the first year of Cyrus until the second year of Darius, totaling a complete seventy years, and in the second year of Darius they commenced to build the Temple until they completed it.
Ibn Ezra
"Darius" — he is Ahasuerus.
Ralbag
'Then the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased,' etc. - Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained halted until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Metzudat David
'Then' — Then the work of the house of God in Jerusalem ceased. 'And it ceased' — And it remained halted until the second year of the reign of Darius the Persian.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion