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Ezra 4:2

in Ezra 4

they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers’ houses, and said unto them, Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.

KJV

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar–haddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

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This verse in Ezra 4

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the enemies of Judah and Benjamin

on Ezra 4:1-2

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin hear that the exiles are building the temple, they come to Zerubbabel with an offer of kinship. They claim to seek the same God and to have sacrificed to Him since the time of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought them here.

This site's exposition

we seek your God

Verse 1 names the speakers enemies of Judah and Benjamin. Albert Barnes identifies these men as Samaritans, a mixed people, partly Israelite and chiefly foreign. He notes from 2 Kings 17:29-41 that they had joined idolatrous rites to the worship of the LORD.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

Then they came to Zerubbabel, and the chief of the fathers,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Herein they designed, if it were possible, to hinder the building of it, at least to hinder their comfortable enjoyment of it; as good almost not have it as not have it to themselves, for the pure worship of the true God and him only. Thus are the kisses of an enemy deceitful; his words are smoother than butter when war is in his heart.

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon . . . which brought us up hither--A very interesting explanation of this passage has been recently obtained from the Assyrian sculptures.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Let us build with you - We acknowledge the same God, are solicitous for his glory, and will gladly assist you in this work. But that they came with no friendly intention, the context proves.
Compare 2Ki 17:24-28 notes. Since the days - Esar-haddon reigned from 681-668 B.C. Thus, the Samaritans speak of what had taken place at least 130 years previously. There appear to have been at least three colonizations of Samaria by the Assyrian kings. The first is mentioned in 2Ki 17:24. Later in his reign Sargon added to these first settlers an Arabian element. Some 30 or 40 years afterward, Esarhaddon, his grandson, largely augmented the population by colonists drawn especially from the southeast parts of the Empire Ezr 4:10. Thus, the later Samaritans were an exceedingly mixed race.

The words behind it

25 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיִּגְּשׁ֨וּand they approached

    vaiyigeshuH5066 →

  • אֶל־<to>

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • זְרֻבָּבֶ֜לZerubbabel

    zerubavelH2216 →21 times

  • וְאֶל־and <to>

    veel-H413 →5510 times

  • רָאשֵׁ֣י[the] heads of

    rasheiH7218 →599 times

  • הָֽאָב֗וֹתthe fathers

    haavotH1 →1212 times

  • וַיֹּאמְר֤וּand they said

    vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times

  • לָהֶם֙to <the> them

    lahem

  • נִבְנֶ֣הlet us build

    nivnehH1129 →376 times

  • עִמָּכֶ֔םwith you

    ʾimakhemH5973 →1050 times

  • כִּ֣יfor

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • כָכֶ֔םlike you

    khakhem

  • נִדְר֖וֹשׁwe seek

    nidrooshH1875 →164 times

  • לֵֽאלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם<to> God your

    leloheikhemH430 →2601 times

  • וְל֣וֹand to <the> him

    velo

  • אֲנַ֣חְנוּwe

    ʾanachnuH587 →120 times

  • זֹבְחִ֗ים[have been] sacrificing

    zoechimH2076 →

  • מִימֵי֙since [the] days of

    mimeiH3117 →2304 times

  • אֵסַ֤רEsar-

    ʾesarH634 →

  • חַדֹּן֙-haddon

    chadonH634 →

  • מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of

    melekhH4428 →2525 times

  • אַשּׁ֔וּרAssyria

    ʾashurH804 →

  • הַמַּעֲלֶ֥הwho brought up

    hamaalehH5927 →890 times

  • אֹתָ֖נוּ<obj.> us

    ʾotanuH853 →10935 times

  • פֹּֽה׃here

    pohH6311 →

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

John 4:22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.7 works2 Kings 19:37One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.5 works2 Kings 17:24Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.5 worksGalatians 2:4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.4 worksIsaiah 37:38One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.4 works2 Kings 17:27–33Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Timothy 3:8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.2 worksHosea 14:3Assyria will not save us, nor will we ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”2 worksEzra 2:2accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. This is the count of the men of Israel:2 worksEzra 1:5So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.2 worksGenesis 10:11From that land he went forth into Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,2 works2 Kings 17:41So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.2 worksEzra 3:12But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many others shouted joyfully.2 works2 Corinthians 11:13–15For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.2 worksEzra 3:2Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.2 worksProverbs 26:23–26Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.2 worksPsalms 73:8They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.2 works2 Peter 2:1–2Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Galatians 2:4

    This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

    it leads to

    • 1 John 4:1

      Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Galatians 5:1

      It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.

    • Jude 1:4

      For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only…

    • 2 Peter 2:1–2

      Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on…

  • Through

    2 Timothy 3:8

    Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 2:20

      But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

    • Acts 13:8–11

      But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

    • Exodus 7:11

      But Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same things by their magic arts.

    • 1 Timothy 6:5

      and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.

Where this verse is studied

About Ezra

Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezra: the study guide →Read Ezra 4 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Berean Standard Bible, Ezra 4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Ezra 4 →