Ezra 4:1-5·~1 min

Adversaries Hinder the Work

The surrounding peoples approach the leaders with an offer to help build the temple, but Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the family heads draw a firm line and keep the work in Israel's hands.

W¹hen the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, ²they 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.” ³But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded us.”

After being refused, the people of the land shift from words to obstruction. They work to discourage Judah and hire advisers to frustrate the project across successive Persian reigns.

⁴Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build. ⁵They hired counselors against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Section summaryWhen Judah's neighbors hear about the temple, they ask to join the work, claiming a shared worship. Zerubbabel and the leaders refuse, and the offer quickly gives way to sustained efforts to frighten, frustrate, and stall the builders.

Role in the chapterThis opening section names the basic conflict that will shape the chapter. It shows that the obstacle is not weakness inside the work itself, but pressure brought against it from the outside.