Ezra 5:11

11 And they answered us thus, saying, We the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we building the house which had been built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it, and established it for them.

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 thus we said to them, Who gave you the order to build this house, and to this preparation?

10 And we asked them their names, to declare to thee, so as to write to thee the names of their leading men.

11 And they answered us thus, saying, We the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we building the house which had been built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it, and established it for them.

12 But after that our fathers provoked the God of heaven, he gave them into the hands of Nabuchodonosor the Chaldean, king of Babylon, and he destroyed this house, and carried the people captive to Babylon.

13 And in the first year of king Cyrus, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be built.