Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
Then they came to Zerubbabel and the family leaders, and said to them, 'Let us help you build: for we worship your God, just as you do; and we have been offering sacrifices to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.'
The local inhabitants offered to help the Jewish exiles rebuild the temple, claiming they also worshipped the same God.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Ezra, the Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon around 538 BC, under the decree of King Cyrus, to rebuild the temple and restore their worship. A group of local inhabitants, likely descendants of people resettled by the Assyrian Empire during its conquests, approached the Jewish leaders claiming shared faith in God. These people, with their mixed religious practices, were actually adversaries seeking to undermine the pure rebuilding efforts of the returned exiles.
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