Ezra 5

Ezra · Chapter 5

Ezra 5:6

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
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:This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent unto Darius the king;

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
the copy ofפַּרְשֶׁ֣גֶןpar-SHE-genH6573
copy

פַּרְשֶׁ֫גֶן (par.she.gen) copy Aramaic of pat.she.gen (פַּתְשֶׁ֫גֶן "copy" H6572B)

letter theאִ֠גַּרְתָּא'I-gar-ta'H0104
letter

אִגְּרָא (ig.g.ra) letter, missive (Aramaic loan-word used in last OT books) Aramaic of ig.ge.ret (אִגֶּ֫רֶת "letter" H0107)

whichדִּֽי־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

he sentשְׁלַ֞חshe-LACHH7972
to send

שְׁלַח (she.lach) 1) to send 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to send, send out 1a2) to be sent

Tattenaiתַּתְּנַ֣י׀ta-te-NAIH8674
Tattenai

תַּתְּנַי (ta.te.nay) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.5.3 § Tatnai = "gift" a Persian governor in Syria who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem

[the] governor ofפַּחַ֣תpa-CHATH6347
governor

פֶּחָה (pe.chah) governor Aramaic of pe.chah (פֶּחָה "governor" H6346)

[the] region beyondעֲבַֽר־'a-var-H5675
beyond

עֲבַר (a.var) region beyond or across Aramaic of e.ver (עֵ֫בֶר ": side" H5676)

river theנַהֲרָ֗הna-ha-RAH'H5103G
River

נְהַר (ne.har) The River Aramaic of pe.rat (פְּרָת "Euphrates" H6578)

and Shethar-וּשְׁתַ֤רu-she-TARH8370
Shethar-bozenai

שְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי (she.tar bo.ze.nay) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.5.3 § Shethar-boznai = "star of splendour" a Persian officer in the reign of Darius

Bozenaiבּוֹזְנַי֙boz-NAIH8370
Shethar-bozenai

שְׁתַר בּוֹזְנַי (she.tar bo.ze.nay) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.5.3 § Shethar-boznai = "star of splendour" a Persian officer in the reign of Darius

and associates hisוּכְנָ֣וָתֵ֔הּu-khe-NA-va-TEHH3675
associate

כְּנָת (ke.nat) companion, associate Aramaic of ke.nat (כְּנָת "associate" H3674)

officials theאֲפַ֨רְסְכָיֵ֔א'a-FAR-se-kha-YE'H0671A
governors

אֲפָֽרְסְכָיֵא (a.phar.se.khay) Apharsachites = "as causers of division (?)" Apharsathchites = "I will divide the deceivers (?)" 1) (CLBL) an unknown office 2) (BDB) perhaps an office or an official 3) (TWOT) 3a) a people 3b) perhaps a title of an official Also named: a.phar.sat.te.khay (אֲפָֽרְסַתְּכָיֵא "govenors" H0671B)

whoדִּ֖יdiH1768
that

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

[were] in [the] region beyondבַּעֲבַ֣רba-'a-VARH5675
beyond

עֲבַר (a.var) region beyond or across Aramaic of e.ver (עֵ֫בֶר ": side" H5676)

river theנַהֲרָ֑הna-ha-RAH'H5103G
River

נְהַר (ne.har) The River Aramaic of pe.rat (פְּרָת "Euphrates" H6578)

toעַל־'al-H5922
since

עַל (al) 1) upon, over, on account of, above, to, against 1a) upon, over, on account of, regarding, concerning, on behalf of 1b) over (with verbs of ruling) 1c) above, beyond (in comparison) 1d) to, against (of direction)

Dariusדָּרְיָ֖וֶשׁda-re-YA-veshH1868G
Darius

דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ (dar.ya.vesh) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.5 Aramaic of dar.ya.vesh (דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ "Darius" H1867H) § Darius = "lord" 1) Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, king of the Chaldeans, who succeeded to the Babylonian kingdom on the death of Belshazzar; probably the same as "Astyages" the last king of the Medes (538 BC) (same as dar.ya.vesh (דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ "Darius" H1867) (1)) 2) Darius, the son of Hystaspes, the founder of the Perso-Arian dynasty (521 BC) (same as (2)) 3) Darius II or Darius III …

king theמַלְכָּֽא׃mal-KA'H4430
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king

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