The Meaning of Ezra 4:6 Explained

Ezra 4:6

KJV: And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

YLT: And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the commencement of his reign, they have written an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem;

Darby: And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

ASV: And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And in the reign  of Ahasuerus,  in the beginning  of his reign,  wrote  they [unto him] an accusation  against the inhabitants  of Judah  and Jerusalem. 

What does Ezra 4:6 Mean?

Study Notes

Ahasuerus
The Cambyses of secular history (529-521 BC); not the Ahasuerus of Esther, who is the Xerxes of secular history (485 BC).
Darius the Median
The biblical order of the monarchs of Daniel's time, and of the period of the captivity and restoration of Judah, is as follows:
(1) Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 604-561) with whom the captivity of Judah and the "times of the Gentiles" (See Scofield " Luke 21:24 ") , See Scofield " Revelation 16:19 ", began, and who established the first of the four world monarchies.; Daniel 2:37 ; Daniel 2:38 ; Daniel 7:4 .
(2) Belshazzar (prob B.C. 556), the Bel-shar-uzzar of the inscriptions, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, and son of the victorious general Nabonidus. Belshazzar seems to have reigned as viceroy.
(3) Darius the Mede Daniel 5:31 ; Daniel 6:1-27 ; Daniel 9:1 . Concerning this Darius secular history awaits further discoveries, as formerly in the case of Belshazzar. He has been conjectured to be identical with Gobryas, a Persian general. This Darius was "the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans" Daniel 9:1 "Ahasuerus," more a title than a name, the equivalent of the modern "Majesty," is used in Scripture of at least four personages, and is Persian rather than Median. That Darius the Mede was the "son" (or grandson) of an Ahasuerus proves no more than that he was, probably, through the seed of his mother, of the seed royal not only of Media, but also of Persia. There is but one Darius in Daniel. (See Daniel 9:1 .)
(4) Cyrus, with whose rise to power came fully into existence the Medo-Persian, second of the world-empires Daniel 2:39 ; Daniel 7:5
In Daniel's vision of this empire in "the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar" Daniel 8:1-4 the Median power of Darius is seen as the lesser of the two horns of the ram; the Persian power of Cyrus, under whom the Medo-Persian power was consolidated, as the "higher" horn which "came up last." Under Cyrus, who was prophetically named more than a century before his birth. Isaiah 44:28 to Isaiah 45:4 , the return to Palestine of the Jewish remnant began. Ezra 1:1-4 . See Daniel 11:2 , marg. ref. (See Scofield " Daniel 11:2 ") .

Context Summary

Ezra 4:1-10 - The Building Of The Temple Opposed
So long as you lead a languid and unaggressive life, the enemy will leave you alone, but directly you begin to build God's temple, you may count on His strenuous opposition. When we are permitted to go on from day to day without much temptation, we may fear that we are doing little to destroy evil and construct good. But the virulent hate of the wicked one is a comfortable sign that his kingdom is suffering serious damage. Let us so live that we may give the devil good reason to fear and hate us. There is a stronger than he. We must beware of the proposal to join in with the ungodly. Their arguments may sound very fair and appeal to a false liberality of sentiment, but the golden cup contains poison, and beneath the kiss is the traitor's hand. This is why so many fair enterprises have miscarried. They have seemed to afford common ground for cooperation with the false and counterfeit Israel, but they have ended in disillusion and disappointment. Though the Jews excited the intense hatred and opposition of their would-be helpers, their policy of exclusiveness was amply justified by the result. The old proverb reminds us that we must never trust our enemies when they offer blandishments and gifts. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 4

1  The adversaries, being not accepted in the building of the temple with the Jews,
4  endeavor to hinder it
7  Their letter to Artaxerxes
17  The answer and decree of Artaxerxes
23  The building is hindered

What do the individual words in Ezra 4:6 mean?

And in the reign of Ahasuerus in the beginning of his reign they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem -
וּבְמַלְכוּת֙ אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת מַלְכוּת֑וֹ כָּתְב֣וּ שִׂטְנָ֔ה עַל־ יֹשְׁבֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירוּשָׁלִָֽם ס

וּבְמַלְכוּת֙  And  in  the  reign 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
אֲחַשְׁוֵר֔וֹשׁ  of  Ahasuerus 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹושׁ 
Sense: title of the king of Persia, probably Xerxes.
בִּתְחִלַּ֖ת  in  the  beginning 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תְּחִלָּה  
Sense: beginning, first.
מַלְכוּת֑וֹ  of  his  reign 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
כָּתְב֣וּ  they  wrote 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: כָּתַב  
Sense: to write, record, enrol.
שִׂטְנָ֔ה  an  accusation 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שִׂטְנָה  
Sense: accusation, enmity.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יֹשְׁבֵ֥י  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
יְהוּדָ֖ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וִירוּשָׁלִָֽם  and  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation