Ezra 4:6

6 Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation 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 local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.

5 They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.

6 Years later when Xerxes began his reign, the enemies of Judah wrote a letter of accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

7 Even later, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the enemies of Judah, led by Bishlam, Mithredath, and Tabeel, sent a letter to Artaxerxes in the Aramaic language, and it was translated for the king.

8 Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes about the situation in Jerusalem.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew Ahasuerus, another name for Xerxes. He reigned 486–465