Ezra 5:11

11 And this is the answer they returned to us: 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house that was built formerly many years ago, [which] a great king of Israel had built and finished.

Ezra 5:11 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 5:11

And thus they returned us answer
To the purpose and in the manner following:

saying, we are the servants of the God of heaven and earth;
signifying that they were doing his work, in obedience to his will, and to whom they were accountable:

and build the house that was builded these many years ago;
even five hundred years ago, or thereabout; so that they were not erecting a building where there was none before, but were rebuilding what was in ruins:

which a great king of Israel builded and set up;
King Solomon, who was a great king for wisdom, honour, riches, peace, prosperity, and extent of his kingdom.

Ezra 5:11 In-Context

9 Then we asked those elders and said this to them, 'Who issued forth to you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?'

10 We also asked them their names to make them known to you, that we might write down the {name of their leaders}.

11 And this is the answer they returned to us: 'We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are building the house that was built formerly many years ago, [which] a great king of Israel had built and finished.

12 But because our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of the Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia.

13 But in the first year of King Cyrus of Babylon's reign he issued forth a decree to build this house of God.