The prophets prophesy — Haggai, and Zechariah son of Iddo — and Zerubbabel and Jeshua rise up and begin to build the house of God, the prophets of God with them, helping. Tattenai the governor beyond the River comes asking, 'Who gave you a decree to build this house?' — but 'the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews,' and the work is not made to cease while the matter goes to Darius. The chapter is the governor's own letter: the elders' answer set down verbatim — we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth; a great king of Israel built this house; our fathers provoked the God of heaven and Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it; and Cyrus the king made a decree to build it again. 'Let search be made in the king's treasure-house, whether it be so.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel they prophesied to them.
verse value 3091
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "the·God·of" (אֱלָ֥הּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·Jews" (עַל־יְה֣וּדָיֵ֔א, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·prophesied" (וְהִתְנַבִּ֞י), "in·Judah" (בִיה֖וּד), "in·name·of" (בְּשֻׁ֛ם). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "and·in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra); "the·God·of" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). First appearance of the root נביא ("the·prophet") in Ezra. First appearance of the root זכריה ("and·Zechariah") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
Now Haggai the prophet...prophesied And now in the second year of Darius, there came a prophecy to Haggai and Zechariah, the prophets to the Jews who were in the land of Judea and in Jerusalem, in the Name of the God of Israel to them, to build the edifice of the Temple without the authorization of King Darius. to the Jews Aram. עָל יְהוּדָיֵא lit. On the Jews. to them Aram. עֲלֵיהוֹן, lit. on them.
Ralbag
'Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews,' etc. - Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo the prophet prophesied concerning the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, speaking to them in the name of the God of Israel.
Metzudat David
'Prophesied' — Haggai the prophet, etc., prophesied to the Jews who were in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, [words] that were spoken to them. Scripture does not record what the prophecy actually was, but it is understood on its own that he commanded them to build the house even without the king's permission.
Malbim
'...prophesied' - In the second year of Darius, the seventy years appointed for the ruin of Jerusalem came to completion [as above, 1:1, and Daniel 9:2], and it was then that Haggai and Zechariah [called 'son of Iddo,' meaning his grandson] prophesied in the name of Hashem that the time had come to build; and so they began to build, following the prophets and their promise.
Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.
verse value 4555
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "which" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Shealtiel" (בַּר־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: the·son·of·Jozadak, the·house·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "arose" (קָ֠מוּ), "the·son·of·Shealtiel" (בַּר־שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל֙), "the·son·of·Jozadak" (בַּר־יֽוֹצָדָ֔ק). The root בר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "and·with·them" (root עם, 50x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
Then [as translated,] then. and commenced They began to build the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is in Jerusalem, and with them were the prophets of the Holy One, blessed be He, helping and assisting them.
Ralbag
'Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God,' etc. - Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem, and with them the prophets of God were helping them.
Metzudat David
'Then' — Then Zerubbabel, etc., rose up and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem. 'And with them' — And with them were the prophets of God, assisting them.
Metzudat Zion
Began (vesharu) - An expression of "beginning," as in "this is what they have begun to do" (Genesis 11), which Targum Onkelos renders "vedein desherayu" (and this is what they have begun). Helping (mis'adin) - An expression of "support" and "assistance."
At the same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, came to them, and said thus to them: ‘Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this structure?’
verse value 6764
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. The shortest word is "came" (אֲתָ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·companions" (וּכְנָוָתְה֑וֹן, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: Bozenai, to·them. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "at·that·time" (בֵּהּ־זִמְנָא֩), "and·thus" (וְכֵן֙). The root דן appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "to·build" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra); "to·them" (root על, 30x in Ezra). First appearance of the root תתני ("Tattenai") in Ezra. First appearance of the root שתר ("and·Shethar") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·companions', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 12 words.
Rashi
At that time, there came upon them At that time, there came upon them these adversaries of Judah and Benjamin to accuse and to slander them regarding the matter of the building. the governor of the other side of the river [as translated,] the governor of the other side of the river. and their companies [as translated,] and their companies. and so they said to them [as translated,] and so they said to them. Who issued to you Who ordered you, regarding the matter of building the Temple? and to found these walls Aram. וְאֻשַּׁרְנָא, and to found these walls, like (4:12): “and the walls (וְאֻשַּׁיָא) they have joined,” the building of walls of bricks (לְבֵנִים) so did Menahem (p. 36) associate it.
Ibn Ezra
"this structure" (ushrena) — from [the same root as] "I can scale a wall" (adaleg shur) (Psalms 18:30), and the alef is extra, like the alef of "ezroa" (arm). "at the same time," "to be built" (livna) — meaning "to be built." "ushrena" — in the sense of "shura" (wall).
Ralbag
'At the same time Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, came to them,' etc. - At that time Tattenai, who was the governor beyond the River, came to them, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came as well; and thus they said to them: Who gave you permission to build this house and complete these walls?
Metzudat David
'At the same time' — At the same time Tattenai, governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them. 'And thus' — And thus they said to them: Who gave you a decree to build this house and finish this structure?
Metzudat Zion
Shethar-bozenai (shetar bozenai) - This was simply his name. This structure (ve'usharna) - Like "veshurya," meaning "the walls."
Malbim
The questions (3-4): Why did they ask, 'who gave you permission to build,' when there had already been a second decree forbidding it? And as for what is said, 'we said to them, what are the names of the men' - this too requires a general explanation. 'At the same time' - This came about through Hashem's providence, that their adversaries did not come against them the way they had forcibly interfered the first time, and as they later wanted to do when they fought them over the building of the wall. Instead, it was Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, who came, and he was not an enemy of the Jews; he merely asked who had given them permission to build this house, because by that time Cyrus's permission had been forgotten.
Then we spoke to them in this manner, they wrote: ‘What are the names of the men who are building this building?’
verse value 1999
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לְּהֹ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "what·they" (מַן־אִנּוּן֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "what·they" (מַן־אִנּוּן֙), "names·of" (שְׁמָהָ֣ת), "who·this" (דִּֽי־דְנָ֥ה). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "are·building" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra); "we·said" (root אמר, 26x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: אֱדַ֥יִן [then] (65) + כְּנֵ֖מָא [thus] (111) + אֲמַ֣רְנָא [we·said] (292) + לְּהֹ֑ם [to·them] (75) + מַן־אִנּוּן֙ [what·they] (197) + שְׁמָהָ֣ת [names·of] (745) + גֻּבְרַיָּ֔א [the·men] (216) + דִּֽי־דְנָ֥ה [who·this] (73) + בִנְיָנָ֖א [the·building] (113) + בָּנַֽיִן [are·building] (112) = 1999.
Rashi
Then [as translated,] then. as we will say [as translated,] as we will say. they said to them Those adversaries of Judah and Benjamin said to them [i.e.,] to Israel. What are What are the names of the men? who...this who are building this building.
Ibn Ezra
"then we spoke to them in this manner" (kenema amarna lehom) — these are the words of the builders, or the words of the scribes to those who questioned them, giving them the reason from there; and the verse is to be understood: just as it is recorded in the letter, so we said to them: "Who are the men who are building [this]?"
Ralbag
'Then we spoke to them in this manner,' etc. - Then, as stated, we said to them: What are the names of the men who are building this structure?
Metzudat David
'Then' — These are the words of the author of the book, who says: at that time, as stated below, so we answered them in reply to their words; and since he did not wish to repeat the matter, he simply wrote 'thus,' which is spelled out in the words of the letter sent to the king. 'What are [the names]' — We also asked them what the names were of the men building this structure.
Malbim
'Then' - They [the officials] questioned the builders, and the builders related the matter as follows: 'we said to them, what are the names of the men who are building this building' - the builders are describing how they answered: 'we responded to Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai, saying: we are not the ones building on our own authority; rather, Zerubbabel and the high priest are the true builders, for we build at their command' - since Zerubbabel was an established governor appointed by the king. And surely it was then that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and his colleagues spoke with Zerubbabel, and they [the officials] answered with the words recorded in Tattenai's letter to the king, from verse 11 onward.
But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not make them cease, till the matter should come to Darius, and then answer should be returned by letter concerning it.
verse value 3505
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "the·Jews" (יְהוּדָיֵ֔א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "was" (הֲוָת֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·did·not·cease" (וְלָא־בַטִּ֣לוּ, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·eye·of" (וְעֵ֣ין), "was" (הֲוָת֙), "upon·elders·of" (עַל־שָׂבֵ֣י). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). First appearance of the root שב ("upon·elders·of") in Ezra. First appearance of the root תוב ("should·be·returned") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'should·come', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעֵ֣ין [and·eye·of] (136) + אֱלָהֲהֹ֗ם [their·God] (81) + הֲוָת֙ [was] (411) + עַל־שָׂבֵ֣י [upon·elders·of] (412) + יְהוּדָיֵ֔א [the·Jews] (36) + וְלָא־בַטִּ֣לוּ [and·did·not·cease] (84) + הִמּ֔וֹ [them] (51) + עַד־טַעְמָ֖א [until·the·matter] (194) + לְדָרְיָ֣וֶשׁ [to·Darius] (550) + יְהָ֑ךְ [should·come] (35) + וֶאֱדַ֛יִן [and·then] (71) + יְתִיב֥וּן [should·be·returned] (478) + נִשְׁתְּוָנָ֖א [the·letter] (807) + עַל־דְּנָֽה [concerning·this] (159) = 3505.
Rashi
And the eye of their God And the eye of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is their God, was on the elders of the Jews to upraise them (sic) in the work of the building. and they did not stop them And they did not stop the builders. until the matter came to Darius And the elders of the Jews answered a word to those adversaries that they should not stop the building until the matter would go to King Darius. and then they would answer And then the Jews would answer the writ of the letter concerning this, concerning Darius’ reply.
Ibn Ezra
"but the eye of their God" (elahahom) — Scripture is relating that God helped them, so that they [the officials] could not make them cease; and the final heh in the word "elahahom" is [the same element] as in "lehom" (to them); and in [some] texts it reads "elaha di-lehom" (the God who is theirs). "it will go" (yehakh) — [means] "it will go"; [cf.] the Targum's rendering of "if you walk with Me" with keri (Leviticus 26:21), [using] the same root.
Ralbag
'But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews,' etc. - The eye of their God watched over the elders of Judah, so that they were not stopped from their work until the matter should reach Darius, and then a written reply would be sent concerning it.
Metzudat David
'But the eye [of their God]' — The providential watch of their God's eye was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them from their work until the matter should reach the king's ears. 'And then' — And then the king and his counselors would send back a clear answer about this — meaning, they let them keep building until the king's word arrived, and then they would act as he commanded.
Malbim
'But the eye...' - Since it was within the power of the governor beyond the River to hold up the building until an answer came from Darius, it was through the providence of the eye of Hashem that they did not stop the building for the time being. 'Till the matter should come to Darius' - meaning, they told them not to stop the Jews until the matter went to Darius to seek his ruling. 'And then answer should be returned by letter concerning it' - and then the governor beyond the River and his colleagues would send back a copy of whatever the king answered on the matter.
The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharesachites, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king;
verse value 6569
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "beyond·the·River" (עֲבַֽר־נַהֲרָ֗ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·his·companions" (וּכְנָ֣וָתֵ֔הּ), "to·Darius" (עַל־דָּרְיָ֖וֶשׁ). The root נהר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "who" (root די, 59x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·River', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 2 words.
Rashi
The interpretation the interpretation of the text of the letter. and his companies [as translated,] and his companies. the Apharsechites They are one nation that was in their companies. to King Darius Aram. עַל דָּרְיָוֶשּׁ מַלְכָּא, lit. on King Darius.
Ralbag
'The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, sent to Darius the king,' etc. - Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and their colleagues the Apharesachites who were beyond the River, sent a copy of the letter to Darius the king - 'Apharesachites' being the name of a nation.
Metzudat David
'The copy' — This is the text of the letter that Tattenai, etc., and his colleagues the Apharesachites sent — this being the name of a nation known to them. 'Who' — Who dwelt beyond the River. 'To' — To Darius the king.
Malbim
The questions (6-7): Why is it repeated three times - 'the copy of the letter,' 'they sent a report concerning it,' and 'thus was it written within it'? 'The copy of' - This is the text that was written on the outside of the letter sent to Darius [as stated above, that they would write the sender's name on the outside and sign it there]. Written on the outside was: 'the copy of the letter' - that is, a copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and their companions, the people called the Apharesachites who were beyond the River, sent to King Darius; 'they sent a report concerning it' - up to here is what was written on the outside. And the meaning of 'they sent a report concerning it' is that this letter contains no request or accusation, only a request that the king issue a reply and an answer - all of this was written on the outside. 'And thus was it written within it' - meaning, this is what was written inside the letter. From here it goes on to copy out what was written inside the letter itself: this was the text, [addressed] to King Darius: 'All peace' - meaning, there is nothing accusatory or harmful in this letter.
Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.
verse value 5210
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 101 letters. Notable word values: "and·it" (וְה֤וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "this" (דָ֛ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·we·went" (דִּֽי־אֲזַ֜לְנָא, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 493: is·being·built, and·the·work. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "that·we·went" (דִּֽי־אֲזַ֜לְנָא), "to·Judah" (לִיה֤וּד), "stone·of" (אֶ֣בֶן). 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "to·the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). First appearance of the root אע ("and·wood") in Ezra. First appearance of the root אספרנא ("diligently") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·walls', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
Let it be known to the king Let it be a known thing to the king. that we went that we went to the land of the province of Judea, to the House of the great God. and it is built And it, the House, is built. marble Aram. גְּלָּל (marmre in Old French), marble. and wood is laid in the walls And wood is placed in the walls to reinforce the building in order that it endure for a long time. was done quickly Aram. אָסְפַּרְנָא מִתְעַבְדָה, was done quickly. אָסְפַּרְנָא is (espleytosement in Old French), rapidly. and they succeeded at it Aram. וּמַצְלַח בְּיֶדְהם. And this work was successful in their hands.
Ibn Ezra
"great stones" (even galal) — [so called] because it must be rolled, on account of its great weight. "and timber is laid in the walls" — they used to place cedar wood, which is strong and does not rot, into the walls, so that the building would be sturdy. "with diligence" (asparna) — means "quickly."
Ralbag
'Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah,' etc. - Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God; it is built of great stones (called ‘marbre’ in the vernacular [Old French]), and timber is set into the walls, and this work is being done swiftly and prospering in their hands.
Metzudat David
'Be it known' — Let it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God; it is being built of marble stone, and wooden beams are also being set into the walls, to make it especially sturdy. 'And this work' — And this work is being done swiftly and is prospering in their hands.
Metzudat Zion
With diligence (asparna) - This is an expression of great speed, and it has no parallel anywhere except in this book.
Malbim
The questions (8-17): Did they not know that a decree had been issued to stop the building? Why then all this length and detail in what they wrote? 'Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls' - Here they were arguing in their own favor, letting it be known that they were not building a fortified stronghold, since laying timber in the walls means the building could easily be burned and is unsuited to be a fortress [for this reason Cyrus commanded that every fourth course be built of timber; see below, 6:4]. 'And this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands' - here too they were arguing in their favor, saying that the surrounding peoples were not stopping the work, since there is nothing in it to suggest rebellion or anything harmful or damaging to the king or to the peoples [around them].
Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus: Who gave you a decree to build this house, and to finish this wall?
verse value 3599
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "these" (אִלֵּ֔ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·build" (לְמִבְנְיָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 59: this, this. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·elders" (לְשָׂבַיָּ֣א), "to·build" (לְמִבְנְיָ֔ה). The root דן appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "to·build" (root בנה, 31x in Ezra); "we·said" (root אמר, 26x in Ezra). First appearance of the root שאל ("we·asked") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
Then When we saw the building, we asked these elders. as follows we said to them As we will say immediately following, we said to them. Who issued to you Who issued to you the authorization to build this house and to found these walls? and...wall the building of a wall of bricks.
Ibn Ezra
"to build" (le-mivneyah) — means "to build."
Ralbag
'Then we asked those elders, and said to them thus,' etc. - Then we asked those elders, and as stated, we said to them: Who gave you permission to build this house and complete these walls?
Metzudat David
'Then' — Then we asked those elders who were doing the work. 'Thus' — Exactly as stated below, so we said to them, in these very words. 'Who' — Who gave you a decree to build this house and finish that wall?
Malbim
'Then we asked those elders...' - [meaning,] who had given them permission for this; and we also asked their names, so as to inform you of the names of the men at their head. This too was meant favorably, for it shows that the governor stands at their head, and he would not do anything without authorization; and surely what they say is true, that they have explicit permission.
We asked them their names also, to announce to you, that we might write the names of the men who were at the head of them.
verse value 3489
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·announce·to·you" (לְהוֹדָעוּתָ֑ךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: that, who. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "their·names" (שְׁמָהָתְהֹ֛ם), "to·announce·to·you" (לְהוֹדָעוּתָ֑ךְ), "we·may·write" (נִכְתֻּ֥ב). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root אף ("and·also") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·announce·to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאַ֧ף [and·also] (87) + שְׁמָהָתְהֹ֛ם [their·names] (790) + שְׁאֵ֥לְנָא [we·asked] (382) + לְּהֹ֖ם [to·them] (75) + לְהוֹדָעוּתָ֑ךְ [to·announce·to·you] (541) + דִּ֛י [that] (14) + נִכְתֻּ֥ב [we·may·write] (472) + שֻׁם־גֻּבְרַיָּ֖א [name·of·the·men] (556) + דִּ֥י [who] (14) + בְרָאשֵׁיהֹֽם [in·their·heads] (558) = 3489.
Rashi
also...their names We also asked them the names of the builders, the heads of the construction, in order to let you know. that we should write that we should write to you the names of the men. who are at their head in whose counsel and authorization they arose to build the House.
Ralbag
'We asked them their names also, to announce to you,' etc. - We also asked them their names, so as to inform you, in order that we might write down the names of the men at the head of those doing the work.
Metzudat David
'We also' — We also asked them their names, so as to inform you; and for further clarification, [Scripture] goes on to explain. 'That we might write' — Meaning, that we should write to you the names of the men at their head, who were the officials among them.
And thus they returned us answer, saying: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
verse value 5720
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "that·was" (דִּֽי־הֲוָ֨א) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5720 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "great" (רַ֔ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·returned·to·us" (הֲתִיב֣וּנָא, 7 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·thus" (וּכְנֵ֥מָא), "they·returned·to·us" (הֲתִיב֣וּנָא), "saying" (לְמֵמַ֑ר). The root בנה appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·house" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "of·the·God·of" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). First appearance of the root שמין ("the·heavens") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 19 words.
Rashi
And as follows Aram. וּכְנֵמָא, as we shall state the matter. they gave us a reply They answered us a word. We are We are the servants of the God of the heavens and the earth. and we are building the House And we are building the House that was built many years ago. and a great king of Israel And a great king that Israel had, viz. King Solomon, built it and founded it.
Ibn Ezra
"a great king of Israel" — that is Solomon.
Ralbag
'And thus they returned us answer, saying,' etc. - And as stated, they answered us, saying: We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building His house, which was built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it - that is, Solomon.
Metzudat David
'And thus' — In the wording stated below, so they answered us, saying: 'We are' — Meaning, thus they said: we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and therefore we are building His house, which had been built many years before this by a great king of Israel — that is, Solomon — who built it and brought it to completion.
Malbim
'And thus they answered us, saying' - (1) we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and this house was built for His great name; (2) this house has a claim by virtue of its age, for it stood in former times, many years ago; (3) it also has a claim by virtue of the greatness of its builder, who was a great and mighty king.
But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.
verse value 3481
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. Verse gematria: 3481 = 59². The shortest word is "but" (לָהֵ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֥ר, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "but" (לָהֵ֗ן), "provoked" (הַרְגִּ֤זוּ), "our·fathers" (אֲבָהָתַ֙נָא֙). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of·Babylon" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "and·the·house" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "and·its·people" (root עם, 50x in Ezra). First appearance of the root נבוכדנצר ("Nebuchadnezzar") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Chaldean', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
But now But now, since our forefathers angered the God of the heavens, He delivered them into the hands of the Chaldean king of Babylon, and he destroyed this House and exiled the people to Babylon.
Ibn Ezra
"[who] destroyed it" (satreih) — a term of demolition; and in the language of our Sages, of blessed memory: "his words contradict (soterin) the words of the Torah."
Ralbag
'But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven,' etc. - But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed His house and exiled the people to Babylon.
Metzudat David
'But' — Only because our fathers angered the God of heaven did He hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and exiled the people to Babylon.
Malbim
'But' - (4) its destruction came about because of [Israel's] sins, and their sins have already been atoned for through the exile; (5) in the first year of Cyrus the time appointed for their affliction and exile came to an end, and he issued the decree to build this house, and they are building it with the king's permission.
But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree to build this house of God.
verse value 3373
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·house·of·God" (בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֥א, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, the·king. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "but" (בְּרַם֙). The root כורש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·house·of·God" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "of" (root די, 59x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: בְּרַם֙ [but] (242) + בִּשְׁנַ֣ת [in·year·of] (752) + חֲדָ֔ה [one] (17) + לְכ֥וֹרֶשׁ [of·Cyrus] (556) + מַלְכָּ֖א [the·king] (91) + דִּ֣י [of] (14) + בָבֶ֑ל [Babylon] (34) + כּ֤וֹרֶשׁ [Cyrus] (526) + מַלְכָּא֙ [the·king] (91) + שָׂ֣ם [made] (340) + טְעֵ֔ם [decree] (119) + בֵּית־אֱלָהָ֥א [the·house·of·God] (449) + דְנָ֖ה [this] (59) + לִבְּנֵֽא [to·build] (83) = 3373.
Rashi
But But in the first year of Cyrus, king of Babylon, Cyrus issued a command to build the House.
Ralbag
'But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon,' etc. - But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus decreed that this house of God be built.
Metzudat David
'But' — However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, the king issued a decree to build this house of God.
And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;
verse value 5391
Insights
Verse structure: 30 words, 127 letters. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "of·the·house·of·God" (דִֽי־בֵית־אֱלָהָא֮, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 345: his·name, made·him. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "of·the·house·of·God" (דִֽי־בֵית־אֱלָהָא֮), "and·were·given" (וִיהִ֙יבוּ֙), "governor" (פֶחָ֖ה). The root די appears 6 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "of·the·house·of·God" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "of" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מאן ("the·vessels") in Ezra. First appearance of the root דהב ("gold") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 13 words.
Rashi
And also the vessels the holy vessels of silver and gold, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to his temple that is in Babylon. Cyrus took them out of the temple of the king of Babylon and delivered them to the hand of Sheshbazzar—Daniel, who was called by that name. and brought them [as translated,] and brought them. had taken out [as translated,] had taken them out. whom he appointed governor for he was a prince and a governor and was called by the name governor.
Ralbag
'And the gold and silver vessels also of the house of God,' etc. - And also the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the Temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple of Babylon - King Cyrus took these out of the temple of Babylon and gave them to Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor of Judah - that is, Zerubbabel.
Metzudat David
'Also' — also the vessels of the house of God, of gold and silver, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of idol-worship that was in Babylon. 'Took out' — Cyrus took them out of the temple in Babylon and handed them over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor.
Malbim
And moreover - the proof of this is that he [Cyrus] brought out the vessels of the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Sanctuary and carried off to the temple in Babylon; and it was on account of the [improper] use of these vessels that Belshazzar was killed and the kingdom was handed over to Persia, and it was through this that [Cyrus] restored the vessels and gave them to Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor. These are two proofs that bear out their claim: one, that the vessels are in their possession; and the other, that Sheshbazzar is a governor duly appointed by the king, to whom the king gave the command to build, and who is indeed the one doing the building - and a governor, who is an officer of the king, would not do such a thing without authorization. Now, if it please the king, let him inquire and search whether such a decree from Cyrus is indeed found, and let him send us his will on this matter.
and he said to him: Take these vessels, go, put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.
verse value 3544
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "these" (אֵ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·said·to·him" (וַאֲמַר־לֵ֓הּ), "these" (אֵ֚ל), "take" (שֵׂ֚א). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root אל ("these") in Ezra. First appearance of the root אתר ("in·its·place") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words.
Rashi
And he said to him And so did Cyrus say to Sheshbazzar, “Take these vessels and bring them down into the Temple that is in Jerusalem, and the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, shall be built on its place.”
Ibn Ezra
"and he said, [take] these vessels" — "el" (these) is like "eleh" (these). "take, go, put them" (sa azel achet himmo) — take them and bring them down, or set them in place — and this latter is correct. "sa" (take) — from "and they took wives for themselves" (va-yisu lahem nashim) (Ruth 1:4), which means "and they took."
Ralbag
'And he said to him: Take these vessels,' etc. - And he told him: Take these vessels, go and place them in the Temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place.
Metzudat David
'And he said to him' — [Cyrus said to him]: Take these vessels, go, and put them in the Temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built on its original site.
Then the same Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and since that time even until now it has been in building, and yet it is not completed.
verse value 4058
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דֵּ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: God, and·not. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "came" (אֲתָ֗א), "the·foundations" (אֻשַּׁיָּ֛א), "of·house·of" (דִּי־בֵ֥ית). The root אדין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
then [as translated,] then. this Sheshbazzar Aram. דֵּךְ, came and built the walls of the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, that is in Jerusalem, and from then until now, the House has been built, but the building has not been completed.
Ralbag
'Then the same Sheshbazzar came, and laid the foundations of the house of God,' etc. - Then this same Zerubbabel came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from then until now it has been under construction and not yet completed.
Metzudat David
'Then' — this same Sheshbazzar came here and laid the foundation of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now they have been building it, and it is still not completed.
Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let search be made in the king’s treasure-house there, which is at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.’
verse value 6491
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 111 letters. Notable word values: "in·Babylon" (בְּבָבֶל֒) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "if" (הֵ֧ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·from·Cyrus" (דִּֽי־מִן־כּ֤וֹרֶשׁ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, the·king. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·now" (וּכְעַ֞ן), "to·the·king" (עַל־מַלְכָּ֣א), "good" (טָ֗ב). The root מלך appears 4 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "in·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root גנז ("the·treasures") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 5 words.
Rashi
And now And now, if it pleases the king, let the matter be known and searched out in the king’s archives, which is located in Babylon. whether it is so whether this incident is so, that permission was issued by Cyrus to build this House, which is in Jerusalem. and the will of the king And the will of the king concerning this he shall send to us. to us Aram. עֲלֶינָא, lit. on us. Until here is the text of the letter that Tattenai and Shethar-bozenai sent.
Ralbag
'Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let search be made,' etc. - And now, if it please the king, let search be made in the king’s treasure-house in Babylon, whether it is true that a decree went out from King Cyrus to build this house of God in Jerusalem, and let the king send us his will concerning this.
Metzudat David
'Now therefore' — and now, if it seems good to the king — meaning, if he is willing. 'Let search be made' — let a search be conducted in the king's treasure-house, there in Babylon. 'Whether' — whether it is so that a decree was issued by Cyrus the king to build this house of God in Jerusalem. 'And...his pleasure' — and let the king send us his will in this matter — meaning, let him state his opinion, whether he too desires the building or not.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim