Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people who had returned from exile were building the temple for the LORD God of Israel,
The writer is describing how the enemies of God's people learned that the Jewish exiles had returned and were rebuilding God's temple.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs around 536 BC when Jewish exiles returned from Babylonian captivity under Cyrus the Great's decree. The local peoples who had settled in the land during the 70-year exile now saw the returning Jews as a threat to their power and influence. These 'adversaries' included Samaritans and other neighboring groups who had mixed religious and political reasons for opposing the temple reconstruction.
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