Artaxerxes - Gomates, the Pseudo-Smerdis. He succeeded Cambyses (521 B.C.), and reigned for seven months, when he was deposed and executed by Darius Hystaspis.
Written in the Syrian tongue ... - Or, “written in Syriac characters and translated into Syriac.” On the use of this tongue as a medium of communication between the Jews and their Eastern neighbors, see 2 Kings 18:26 note.
Verse Ezra 4:7. _IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES_] After the death of Cambyses, one of the _Magi_ named _Oropaestus_ by Trogus Pompeius, _Smerdis_ by Herodotus, _Mardus_ by AEschylus, and _Sphendatates_ by...
CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The offer of the Samaritans refused (Ezra 4:1)_ 2. The letter to King Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:7) 3. The king's reply (Ezra 4:17) 4. The work is stopped ...
EZRA 4:6 F. These are two stray verses which have been left in the text here by mistake. This offers a good example of the way in which fragments of sources are jumbled together in our book. Ezra 4:6...
ARTAXERXES. the great king. Used here of the Cyrus of Ezra 4:3. See App-57, and p. 618. Ezra 4:7 may also be retrospective of Nehemiah 2:20 Nehemiah 6:5, c
_And in the days of Artaxerxes_ Artaxerxes Longimanus succeeded his father Xerxes and reigned forty years (465 425). He is mentioned in Ezra 7:1; Nehemiah 2:1. The name in the inscriptions appears as...
Note on Ezra 4:7-23 The names of the Persian kings which occur in this chapter occasion special difficulty. Upon their right identification necessarily depends our understanding of the whole passage....
2. Israel's enemies write letters to prevent rebuilding. TEXT, EZRA 4:6-16 6 Now in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah...
_AND IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES WROTE BISHLAM, MITHREDATH, TABEEL, AND THE REST OF THEIR COMPANIONS, UNTO ARTAXERXES KING OF PERSIA; AND THE WRITING OF THE LETTER WAS WRITTEN IN THE SYRIAN TONGUE, AND...
4:7 Artaxerxes, (d-6) Smerdis. Aramaic. (e-35) From here to ch. 6.18 the original is written in Aramaic....
ARTAXERXES] i.e. Artaxerxes Longimanus (464-424), the successor of Xerxes. Since both Xerxes and Artaxerxes lived after Darius Hystaspis, to whom Ezra 4:24 probably refers, and to whose reign the cont...
FEUD BETWEEN THE JEWS AND SAMARITANS This chapter describes the desire of the Samaritans to take part in the rebuilding of the Temple, and their successful opposition to the Jews on their request bei...
THE *JEWS RETURN TO JERUSALEM EZRA _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 4 V1 The enemies of the *descendants of Judah and Benjamin heard that they had returned from the *exile. Their enemies heard that they we...
IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES. — This must be Gomates, the Magian priest who personated Smerdis, the dead son of Cyrus, and reigned only seven months: note that the expression used is “days,” and not “rei...
וּ בִ ימֵ֣י אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֗שְׂתָּא כָּתַ֨ב בִּשְׁלָ֜ם...
THE COST OF AN IDEALIST'S SUCCESS Ezra 4:6 THE fourth chapter of the Book of Ezra contains an account of a correspondence between the Samaritan colonists and two kings of Persia, which follows sharpl...
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE OPPOSED Ezra 4:1 So long as you lead a languid and unaggressive life, the enemy will leave you alone, but directly you begin to build God's temple, you may count on His str...
In this chapter we have the story of the opposition of the Samaritans, and the consequent cessation of work on the Temple for a time. The historic chronology presents difficulties. The subject is not...
And in the days of (e) Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter [was] written in the Syrian tongue,...
_Artaxerxes may be the Oropastes of Trogus, (Calmet) or the false (Haydock) Smerdis. (Herodotus) --- Beselam, &c. These governed the provinces on the west side of the Euphrates. --- Syriac comprises t...
It should seem that Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes are both names of the same person: probably meaning the same as King. And it should seem that the enemies of the church caught at the first moment in the o...
But, in such a case, difficulties do not arise only from the weakness of the remnant; they proceed, also, from elements with which the remnant are outwardly connected, and which, at the same time, are...
AND IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES,.... The same with Ahasuerus, in the preceding verse; and who also is Cambyses, which is his name in Heathen authors, Artaxerxes being a common name to the kings of Persi...
And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter [was] written in the Syrian tongue, and...
_In the days of Artaxerxes_, &c. The sacred writer, having in the foregoing verse mentioned a stop being put to the building of the temple, till the reign of Darius, now proceeds to relate particularl...
1 The aduersaries, being not accepted in the building of the Temple with the Iewes, endeauour to hinder it. 7 Their Letter to Artaxerxes. 17 The decree of Artaxerxes. 23 The building is hindred. 1...
And in the days of Artaxerxes, commonly known as Artaxerxes Longimanus, who reigned from 465 to 424 B. C. WROTE BISHLAM, XITHREDATH, TABEEL, AND THE REST OF THEIR COMPANIONS, evidently all of them Sam...
THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE HINDERED...
PRETENDED FRIENDSHIP AND OPPOSITION (vv. 1-5) Satan is subtle in the way he attacks a work of God. He appears to be friendly, as is seen in the way the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin came to Zeru...
BISHLAM: Or, in peace COMPANIONS: _ Heb._ societies...
6-24 It is an old slander, that the prosperity of the church would be hurtful to kings and princes. Nothing can be more false, for true godliness teaches us to honour and obey our sovereign. But wher...
IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES; either, 1. Artaxerxes the son of Xerxes. Or, 2. Smerdis the magician. Or rather, 3. The same Cambyses, called by his Chaldee name Ahasuems, EZRA 4:6, and here by his Persi...
Ezra 4:7 days H3117 Artaxerxes H783 Bishlam H1312 Mithredath H4990 Tabel H2870 rest H7605 companions H3674 wrote H3789 ...
THE SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF THE ENMITY REVEALED AGAINST THE RETURNEES UP TO THE TIME OF NEHEMIAH (EZRA 4:6). What follows up to Ezra 4:23 goes beyond the question of building the Temple. The writer now...
ARTAXERXES The Artaxerxes of (Ezra 4:7) is identical with Ahasuerus of (Ezra 4:6); that is, the Cambyses of profane history. The Artaxerxes of (Ezra 7:1) is the Longimanus of secular history, BC 418....
CONTENTS: Work hindered by adversaries. CHARACTERS: Zerubbabel, Ahasuerus, Jeshua, Artazerxes, Rehum, Shimshai. CONCLUSION: God's work cannot be advanced but Satan will rage and the gates of hell wi...
Ezra 4:1. _The adversaries of Judah._ These were the Samaritans; that is, Jews of the ten tribes, apostate from the religion of their fathers, now intermarried with the heathen, who were worshippers o...
_Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah._ THE HOSTILITY OF THE SAMARITANS TO THE JEWS I. The tactics of the wicked. If they cannot bend the good to their wishes and ai...
EZRA 4:1 Enemies Stall the Project by Conspiring against It. The rebuilding project encounters opposition from other groups in the region, and the work ceases. ⇐...
EZRA—NOTE ON EZRA 4:6 This section interrupts the historical narrative (Ezra 1:1), which resumes at Ezra 4:24....
EZRA—NOTE ON EZRA 4:7 The author jumps forward again to another hostile episode, when leaders in the province sent a formal letter of complaint to King Artaxerxes I (reigned 464–423 B.C.)....
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.] In this chapter we have—(i.) The proposal of the Samaritans to unite with the Jews in building the Temple, and its rejection (Ezra 4:1). (ii.) The opposition of the Sa...
EXPOSITION EZRA 4:7 AND IN THE DAYS OF ARTAXERXES. See the comment on Ezra 4:6. If Artaxerxes be the Pseudo-Smerdis, we can readily understand why an application was not made to him at once, and how...
And when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity [had built the towers,] started to build the temple of the Lord unto the LORD God of Israel; they came to Zerubb...
2 Kings 18:26; Daniel 2:4; Ezra 4:17; Ezra 4:9; Ezra 5:6;...
Artaxerxes — Cambyses, called by his Chaldee name, Ahashuerus, Ezra 4:6, and here by his Persian name, Artaxerxes: by which he is here called in the inscription of this letter, because so he was calle...