Ezra 4:23
in Ezra 4When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
KJV
Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
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This verse in Ezra 4
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAs they abused the king in obtaining this order by their mis-informations, so they abused him in the execution of it; for the order was only to prevent the walling of the city, but, having force and power on their side, they construed it as relating to the temple, for it was that to which they had an ill will, and which they only wanted some colour to hinder the building of.
This site's exposition
they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem
on Ezra 4:23-24
Verse 24 closes the parenthesis where it opened, returning to the temple, whose work ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius. Keil takes verses 6 to 23 as a deliberate aside on opposition, since chapter 5 resumes the work already halted at 4:5.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Therefore, the example of the decree of King Artaxerxes was read, etc. Moreover, the sequence of history is clear, that the enemies of the people of God first obstructed the holy work by persecution, then attempted to dissipate the plan of their righteous intention with …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The gospel kingdom was, in like manner, to be set up with much struggling and contention. In this respect the glory of the latter house was greater than the glory of the former, and it was more a figure of the temple of Christ's church, in that Solomon built his temple when there was no adversary nor evil occurrent, ( 1 Kings
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Now when the copy of King Artaxerxes letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Made them to cease by force and power - Commanded them on pain of the king’s displeasure not to proceed, obliging all to remit their labors, and probably bringing an armed force to prevent them from going forward.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֱדַ֗יִן | ʾedayin | then | H116 → | 57 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4481 → | 109 times |
| דִּ֞י | di | that | H1768 → | 345 times |
| פַּרְשֶׁ֤גֶן | parshegen | [the] copy of | H6573 → | 3 times |
| נִשְׁתְּוָנָא֙ | nishtevana' | letter the | H5407 → | 3 times |
| דִּ֚י | di | of | H1768 → | 345 times |
| אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣שְׂתְּ | ʾartachshaste | Artaxerxes | H783 → | 15 times |
| מַלְכָּ֔א | malka' | king the | H4430 → | 180 times |
| קֱרִ֧י | keri | it was read aloud | H7123 → | |
| קֳדָם־ | kodom- | before | H6925 → | 42 times |
| רְח֛וּם | rechum | Rehum | H7348 → | 8 times |
| וְשִׁמְשַׁ֥י | veshimshai | and Shimshai | H8124 → | 4 times |
| סָפְרָ֖א | safera' | scribe the | H5613 → | 8 times |
| וּכְנָוָתְה֑וֹן | ukhenavatehon | and associates their | H3675 → | 7 times |
| אֲזַ֨לוּ | ʾazalu | they went | H236 → | 7 times |
| בִבְהִיל֤וּ | vivhilu | in haste | H924 → | |
| לִירֽוּשְׁלֶם֙ | lirushelem | to Jerusalem | H3390 → | 26 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | to | H5922 → | 104 times |
| יְה֣וּדָיֵ֔א | yehudaye' | Jews the | H3062 → | 10 times |
| וּבַטִּ֥לוּ | uvatilu | and they made to cease | H989 → | 6 times |
| הִמּ֖וֹ | himo | them | H1994 → | 12 times |
| בְּאֶדְרָ֥ע | beedra' | with force | H153 → | |
| וְחָֽיִל׃ ס | vechayil | and power | H2429 → |
אֱדַ֗יִןthen
ʾedayinH116 →57 times
מִן־from
min-H4481 →109 times
דִּ֞יthat
diH1768 →345 times
פַּרְשֶׁ֤גֶן[the] copy of
parshegenH6573 →3 times
נִשְׁתְּוָנָא֙letter the
nishtevana'H5407 →3 times
דִּ֚יof
diH1768 →345 times
אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣שְׂתְּArtaxerxes
ʾartachshasteH783 →15 times
מַלְכָּ֔אking the
malka'H4430 →180 times
קֱרִ֧יit was read aloud
keriH7123 →
קֳדָם־before
kodom-H6925 →42 times
רְח֛וּםRehum
rechumH7348 →8 times
וְשִׁמְשַׁ֥יand Shimshai
veshimshaiH8124 →4 times
סָפְרָ֖אscribe the
safera'H5613 →8 times
וּכְנָוָתְה֑וֹןand associates their
ukhenavatehonH3675 →7 times
אֲזַ֨לוּthey went
ʾazaluH236 →7 times
בִבְהִיל֤וּin haste
vivhiluH924 →
לִירֽוּשְׁלֶם֙to Jerusalem
lirushelemH3390 →26 times
עַל־to
ʾal-H5922 →104 times
יְה֣וּדָיֵ֔אJews the
yehudaye'H3062 →10 times
וּבַטִּ֥לוּand they made to cease
uvatiluH989 →6 times
הִמּ֖וֹthem
himoH1994 →12 times
בְּאֶדְרָ֥עwith force
beedra'H153 →
וְחָֽיִל׃ סand power
vechayilH2429 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Romans 3:15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:16
For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 59:7–8
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
- Proverbs 1:16
Through
Micah 2:1Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
it leads to
- Psalms 36:4
Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 32:7
The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
- Psalms 7:14–16
Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
- Hosea 7:6–7
For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
- Nahum 1:11
From you, O Nineveh, comes forth a plotter of evil against the LORD, a counselor of wickedness.
- Psalms 36:4
Through
Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
it leads to
- Micah 2:1
Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
- Micah 2:1
Where this verse is studied
About Ezra

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and W. F. Adeney, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Expositor's Bible).
