Ezra 4:6

Opposition under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, ^[a] an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Ezra 4:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 4:6

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign,
&c.] According to Jarchi, this was Ahasuerus the husband of Esther; but, as most think ^F4, was Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus; so Josephus ^F5; who was an enemy to the Egyptians; and, fearing the Jews might take part with them, was no friend to them; their enemies therefore took the advantage of the death of Cyrus, and the first opportunity after Cambyses reigned in his own right:

and wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah
and Jerusalem;
full of hatred and enmity, spite and malice, charging them as a turbulent, disobedient, and rebellious people.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Spanhem. Introduct. Chron. ad Hist. Eccl. p. 54. & Universal History, Vol. 5. p. 203. Prideaux, p. 175.
F5 Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 11. c. 4.) sect. 4, 6. Vid. R. David Ganz. Tzemach David, par. 2. fol. 8. 2. So Dr. Lightfoot, Works, vol. 1. p. 139.

Ezra 4:6 In-Context

4 Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.

5 They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

6 At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.

8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:

Footnotes

• [a] Hebrew Ahasuerus