Ezra 4 10

Ezra 4:10 kjv

And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.

Ezra 4:10 nkjv

and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria and the remainder beyond the River ? and so forth.

Ezra 4:10 niv

and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

Ezra 4:10 esv

and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.

Ezra 4:10 nlt

They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates River.

Ezra 4 verses

Ezra 4 10 Meaning

Ezra 4:10 describes the diverse, non-Israelite populations residing in Samaria and the wider Persian satrapy of Beyond the River. These people were originally deported and resettled by the great and noble Assyrian King Ashurbanipal. This verse forms part of a letter of accusation sent by Rehum and Shimshai to King Artaxerxes, using the foreign origin of the settlers to emphasize their established imperial loyalty and to underscore the potential disruptive nature of the returning Jews.

Ezra 4 10 Context

Ezra 4:10 is embedded within a significant passage (Ezra 4:6-23) that functions as a parenthetical explanation within the book of Ezra. The main narrative focuses on the post-exilic return and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, commencing in Ezra 1-3. Ezra 4:1-5 describes initial opposition from the "adversaries of Judah and Benjamin," leading to the cessation of temple work for years.

The text then pauses its chronological account of the temple rebuilding to present further examples of opposition during later Persian reigns. Ezra 4:6 speaks of accusations during Xerxes' (Ahasuerus) time, and Ezra 4:7-23 details a specific letter sent to King Artaxerxes, concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls (not just the temple), demonstrating ongoing hostility over a longer period. Ezra 4:10 is part of this formal accusation letter (Ezra 4:8-16), specifically identifying the petitioners and their demographic background. The historical context reveals the Aramaic section (Ezra 4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26) which includes this verse, reflects the official administrative language of the Persian empire.

Historically, Assyrian policy involved massive forced population transfers to prevent revolts and integrate conquered territories. Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC), a prominent Assyrian king, systematically implemented these deportations. The people he settled in Samaria and Beyond the River (the satrapy west of the Euphrates) were ethnically diverse, composed of various conquered groups. These resettled populations, sometimes mixing with the remnant of Israelites, became known as Samaritans, developing distinct socio-religious identities often hostile to returning Jews. The letter-writers' invocation of Ashurbanipal legitimizes their presence and imperial loyalty by stressing that they are established by decree of a former dominant empire. The direct or indirect polemic here is to assert the loyalty of the diverse settlers (the "Samaritans") to the reigning Persian power by highlighting their origins in Assyrian resettlement, thereby implying the Jews were new, disruptive elements that had been dealt with by a powerful empire before.

Ezra 4 10 Word analysis

• and the rest of the nations (wəše’ār ʿammayyâ - וּשְׁאָר עַמַּיָּא):
  • "rest of the nations": Signifies a heterogeneous group of non-Jewish peoples, indicating a blend of ethnicities, often forcibly transplanted. This group comprises those settled in Samaria by the Assyrians, distinct from the native Israelite remnant. They represent a key component of the "peoples of the land" (Ezr 4:4) who oppose the Jews.
• whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal (dî ʾāsanappār rabbāʾ wəyaqqîrāʾ - דִּי אָסְנַפַּר רַבָּא וְיַקִּירָא):
  • "Ashurbanipal": This refers to the historical Assyrian king (668-627 BC), the last strong monarch of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Some translations use "Osnappar" or "Asnappar," which are transliterations of the Aramaic name used here. The writers invoke his name to give authoritative weight to their statement.
  • "great and noble": These Aramaic adjectives (rabbāʾ and yaqqîrāʾ) describe Ashurbanipal's regal authority and high status. This description serves to magnify the king's power and, by extension, the legitimacy of the resettlements he carried out, lending historical and imperial weight to the claim of the writers.
• deported and settled (hăglî ʾôtehû wəhôšib - הַגְלִי אֹתְהוּ וְהוֹשִׁיב):
  • "deported" (hăglî): Refers to the Assyrian policy of mass deportation of conquered peoples. This action was strategic, breaking local loyalties and preventing rebellion. It highlights the forced migration that led to their presence.
  • "settled" (wəhôšib): Refers to the second part of the Assyrian policy—repopulating newly conquered or emptied territories with foreign peoples. This dual process established a new, loyal populace in strategic regions. The terms collectively define a comprehensive imperial policy.
• in the cities of Samaria, and the rest of the country Beyond the River (biḳarṭayyâʾ dî šōmrôn ûšḥēlām dî ʿăḇar-nahărāh - בְּקַרְתַּיָּא דִּי שֹׁמְרוֹן וּשְׁאָר עֲבַר־נַהֲרָא):
  • "cities of Samaria": This identifies the region of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, whose capital was Samaria. Post-Assyrian conquest (722 BC), this area became a district populated by the foreign deportees mentioned. It's the central hub of these "peoples of the land" and their influence.
  • "rest of the country Beyond the River": "Beyond the River" (Aramaic: ʿăḇar-nahărāh) refers to the Persian administrative satrapy west of the Euphrates River, encompassing Syria, Phoenicia, and Judah. This phrase broadens the scope of the letter-writers' geographical influence and implies their broad jurisdiction within this crucial Persian province, legitimizing their letter to Artaxerxes as representatives of the region.

Ezra 4 10 Bonus section

The shift in Ezra 4 from Hebrew to Aramaic (beginning in verse 8 and continuing until Ezra 6:18) underscores the authenticity of the legal and administrative documents quoted within the book. The use of Aramaic for official correspondence and decrees during the Persian Empire signifies the original bureaucratic nature of this letter and response, adding verisimilitude to the account of opposition. While Ashurbanipal himself was Assyrian, not Persian, his historical acts of resettlement formed the demographic basis for the petitioners' claim within the Persian system. The phrase "Beyond the River" highlights the administrative divisions of the Persian Empire and indicates that Judah itself was a small sub-province within this larger entity. The accusers in this verse strategically use historical imperial actions to frame the Jews' activities in Jerusalem not as an act of faith and return, but as a potential rebellion against the established order, a pattern that continued throughout the Persian period.

Ezra 4 10 Commentary

Ezra 4:10 functions as a crucial piece of evidence within the letter of accusation presented to King Artaxerxes, designed to halt the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem. By meticulously listing the various "nations" or peoples settled by Ashurbanipal in Samaria and Beyond the River, the accusers establish several points. First, they emphasize their own foreign origins, implying a deep, generations-long loyalty to the successive imperial powers that brought them there, whether Assyrian or now Persian. This contrasts sharply with the returning Jews, who might be painted as potential rebels (Ezr 4:12-16) attempting to re-establish a kingdom. Second, invoking the "great and noble Ashurbanipal" lends significant historical and authoritative weight to their presence, legitimizing their claims of domain and status in the region under imperial decree. The detailed specification of their deportation and resettlement policy reveals the extensive nature of imperial control and the deliberate strategy of population management to maintain peace and suppress rebellion. This verse concisely articulates the socio-political reality of the post-exilic province, where a diverse, non-Jewish population held administrative sway, serving as persistent adversaries to the returned Jewish exiles and their sacred tasks of rebuilding the temple and walls.