Ezra 4:8 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter opposing Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes. Here's what it said:

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse introduces a formal complaint letter that local officials wrote to the Persian king to try to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

📚 Historical Context

In the book of Ezra, the Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon and were attempting to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple after years of captivity. Local opponents, including Persian officials like Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe, sought to stop this work by accusing the Jews of rebellion and sending formal complaints to the Persian kings. This verse marks the beginning of a specific letter written to King Artaxerxes during this period of opposition.

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Ezra 4:7

During the time when Artaxerxes was king, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated into Aramaic.

Ezra 7:11

Here is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, who was a scribe, someone who studied and copied the Lord's commandments and laws given to Israel.

Ezra 7:1

Now after these events, during the time when Artaxerxes was king of Persia, there was a man named Ezra. He was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah.

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