Ezra 5

Ezra · Chapter 5

Ezra 5:16

1Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.2Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.3At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?4Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?5But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.6The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king:7They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace.8Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.9Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?10We asked their names also, to certify thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.11And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.12But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.13But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.14And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;15And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place.16Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.17Now therefore, if it seem good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house, which is there at Babylon, whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
16Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed.”Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundations of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet it is not completed.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Aramaic words

This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.

EnglishAramaicSay itStrong'sMeaning
thenאֱדַ֙יִן֙'e-DA-yinH0116
then

אֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A)

Sheshbazzarשֵׁשְׁבַּצַּ֣רshe-she-ba-TZARH8340
Sheshbazzar

שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר (she.she.bats.tsar) A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.3.19; son of: Pedaiah (H6305H); brother of: Shimei (H8096J); father of: Meshullam (H4918H), Hananiah (H2608L), Shelomith (H8019I), Hashubah (H2807), Ohel (H0169), Berechiah (H1296), Hasadiah (H2619), Jushab-hesed (H3142) and Abiud (G0010); also called Sheshbazzar at Ezr.1.8,11; 5.14,16; KJV: Zorobabel at Mat.1.12,13; Aramaic of ze.rub.ba.vel (זְרֻבָּבֶ֫ל "Zerubbabel" H2216) § Sheshbazzar = "worshipper of fire" …

thisדֵּ֔ךְDekhH1791
this

דֵּךְ (dekh) this Aramaic of zeh (זֶה "this" H2088)

he cameאֲתָ֗א'a-TA'H0858
to come

אֲתָה (a.tah) 1) to come, arrive 1a) (P'al) to come 1b) (Aphel) to bring 1c) (Hophal) to be brought 2) used in the NT in the phrase "maranatha" -"Lord come" Aramaic of a.tah (אָתָה "to come" H0857)

he laidיְהַ֧בye-HAVH3052
to give

יְהַב (ye.hav) 1) to give, provide 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to give 1a2) to place, lay (foundations) 1b) (Hithp'al) 1b1) to be given 1b2) to be paid

foundations theאֻשַּׁיָּ֛א'u-shai-YA'H0787
foundation

אֹשׁ (osh) foundation Aramaic of a.shu.yah (אָשְׁיָה "foundation" H0803)

ofדִּי־di-H1768
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

[the] house ofבֵ֥יתveitH1005
house

בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) 1) house (of men) 2) house (of God)

the Godאֱלָהָ֖א'e-la-HA'H0426
god

אֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel)

whichדִּ֣יdiH1768
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

[is] in Jerusalemבִירוּשְׁלֶ֑םvi-ru-she-LEMH3390
Jerusalem

יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם (ye.ru.sha.lem) Aramaic of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389) § Jerusalem = "teaching of peace" the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split

and fromוּמִן־u-min-H4481
from

מִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons)

thenאֱדַ֧יִן'e-DA-yinH0116
then

אֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A)

and untilוְעַד־ve-'ad-H5705
till

עַד (ad) prep 1) even to, until, up to, during conj 2) until, up to the time that, ere that

nowכְּעַ֛ןke-'ANH3705
now

כְּעַן (ke.an) now, at this time, until now Aramaic equivalent: ke.e.net (כְּעֶ֫נֶת "now" H3706)

[it is] being builtמִתְבְּנֵ֖אmit-be-NE'H1124
to build

בְּנָה (be.nah) 1) to build 1a) (P'al) to build 1b) (Ithp'il) to be built

and notוְלָ֥אve-LA'H3809
not

לָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808)

[it is] finishedשְׁלִֽם׃she-LIMH8000
be complete

שְׁלֵם (she.lam) 1) to be complete, be finished, be sound 1a) (P'al) finished (participle) 1b) (Aphel) to finish, bring to an end, render in full

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.