Ezra 4:18

18 And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me,

Ezra 4:18 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 4:18

The letter which ye sent unto us
The plural number is used, being now become courtly for kings thus to speak of themselves:

hath been plainly before me;
by such that understood both the Syrian and Persian languages; the letter was written in the Syrian language, and the king being a Persian, it was necessary it should be interpreted and explained to him.

Ezra 4:18 In-Context

16 We give you word, that if the building of this town and its walls is made complete, there will be an end of your power in the country across the river.

17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, and their friends living in Samaria, and to the rest of those across the river, saying, Peace to you:

18 And now the sense of the letter which you sent to us has been made clear to me,

19 And I gave orders for a search to be made, and it is certain that in the past this town has made trouble for kings, and that outbursts against authority have taken place there.

20 Further, there have been great kings in Jerusalem, ruling over all the country across the river, to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments.