Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.
We want to inform the king that we went to the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God. It's being built with large stones, and timber is being placed in the walls. This construction work is moving along quickly and is succeeding under their leadership.
The writer is reporting to the king that the Jewish people are successfully rebuilding God's temple with impressive materials and making rapid progress.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of a letter written by Persian officials to King Darius around 520 BC, reporting on the Jewish people's efforts to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after their return from Babylonian exile. The Persians were monitoring this construction project because they wanted to ensure it had proper royal authorization and wasn't a rebellion.
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