Ezra 4:13

_BE IT KNOWN NOW UNTO THE KING, THAT, IF THIS CITY BE BUILDED, AND THE WALLS SET UP AGAIN, THEN WILL THEY NOT PAY TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM, AND SO THOU SHALT ENDAMAGE THE REVENUE OF THE KINGS._ Toll, tribute, and custom - the first х_ MINDAAH_ (H4061) or _ MIDAAH_ (H4061) (Ezra 4:20), Chaldee, tribute as if measured to each person] was a poll-tax; the second х_ BªLOW_ (H1093), Chaldee], an impost on articles of trade and merchandise: excise; the third х_ HªLAAK_ (H1983), Chaldee], a road tax, a toll. Their letter, and the edict that followed, commanding an immediate cessation of the work at the city walls, form the exclusive subject of narrative from...

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 where the command of God requires one thing and the law of the land another, we must obey God rather than man, and patiently submit to the consequences. All who love the gospel should avoid all appearance of evil, lest they should encourage the adversaries of the church. The world is ever ready to believe any accusation against the people of God, and refuses to listen to them. The king suffered himself to be imposed upon by these frauds and falsehoods. Princes see and hear with other men's eyes and ears, and judge things as represented to them, which are often done falsely. But God's judgment is just; he sees things as they are....

Verse 13. _TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM_] The first term is supposed to imply the _capitation tax_; the second, an _excise on commodities_ and _merchandise_; the third, a sort of _land tax_. Others suppose the first means a _property tax_; the second, a _poll tax_; and the third, what was paid on _imports_ and _exports_. In a word, if you permit these people to rebuild and fortify their city, they will soon set you at naught, and pay you no kind of tribute....

TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM - Rather, “tribute, provision, and toll” (so Ezra 4:20). The “tribute” is the money-tax imposed on each province, and apportioned to the inhabitants by the local authorities; the “provision” is the payment in kind, which was an integral part of the Persian system; the “tolI” is probably a payment required from those who used the Persian highways. THE REVENUE - The word thus translated is not found elsewhere, and can only be conjecturally interpreted. Modern commentators regard it as an adverb, meaning “at last,” or “in the end,” and translate, “And so at last shall damage be done to the kings.”...

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 it came about that the Jews recommenced their building, as they appear from Ezra 4:12, Ezra 4:13 to have done. The Pseudo-Smerdis was a usurper; his reign was a time of partial anarchy; in a distant part of the empire it would not be known for a while who was king. Men would be thrown on themselves, and would do as it seemed good in their own eyes. Later, there may have been some doubt whether a king, who was known to be

BE IT KNOWN NOW UNTO THE KING,.... And let it be seriously and thoroughly considered by him and his counsellors: THAT IF THIS CITY BE BUILDED, AND ITS WALLS SET UP AGAIN, THEN WILL THEY NOT PAY TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM; being able to defend themselves against the king's forces, sent to reduce them to their obedience; these three words take in all sorts of taxes and levies on persons, goods, and merchandise: AND SO THOU SHALL ENDAMAGE THE REVENUE OF THE KINGS; not only his own, but his successors'; THIS THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE A VERY STRIKING AND POWERFUL ARGUMENT WITH HIM....

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 4:23) Ezra 4:1. The adversaries were the Samaritans. (There is an interesting correspondence with the book of Acts. After the Spirit of God had begun His blessed work, the enemy from without and then within started his hindering work.) They had watched silently the work of restoration and then appeared before Zerubbabel and the chief of the fathers and said unto them, “Let us build

EZRA 4:8 TO EZRA 6:18. EXTRACT FROM AN ARAMAIC DOCUMENT. Ezra 4:8 contains a letter, together with the king's reply to it, written by adversaries of the Jews to Artaxerxes for the purpose of frustrating the _building of the city walls._ The writers are different from those mentioned in Ezra 4:7 as writing to Artaxerxes; two letters are, therefore spoken of, so that what is said in Ezra 4:7 cannot be in reference to the letter now dealt with. Moreover, this letter has nothing to do with the events recorded in Ezra

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. (_a_) The Persian kings succeed one another in the following order: (1) Cyrus (died, 529); (2) Cambyses, 529 522; (3) Gomates or Pseudo-Smerdis, 522; (4) Darius Hystaspes, 522 485; (5) Xerxes, 485 465; (6) Artaxerxes I. Longimanus, 465 425; (7, 8) Xerxes II. and Sogdianus; (9) Darius II. Nothus, 424 395, &c. (_b_) In chap. Ezra 4:5 we learn that the work of building the Temple was frustrated by the Samaritans "all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." Again in Ezra 4:24 (th

_VER._ 13. _TOLL, TRIBUTE, AND CUSTOM_— By the first of these, מנדה _mindah,_ Grotius understands that which every head paid to the king, and which we call poll-money; by the second, בלו _belo,_ the excise, as we now call it, which was levied upon commodities and merchandize; and by the last, הלךֶ _halak,_ the land-tax. But Witsius, in his Miscell. part 2 is of opinion, that the first word rather signifies that part which every man paid out of his estate, according as it was valued; the second, that which was paid for every head; and the third, that which was paid upon the highway by every traveller who went about the country with any kind of merchandize. REFLECTIONS.—1st, No sooner was Cyrus, the professed friend of the Jewish people, asleep in the grave, and Ahasuerus advanced to the throne of Persia, than the enemies of God's people determined to improve the opportunity. Happy were it...