Ezra 4:19 kjv
And I commanded, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein.
Ezra 4:19 nkjv
And I gave the command, and a search has been made, and it was found that this city in former times has revolted against kings, and rebellion and sedition have been fostered in it.
Ezra 4:19 niv
I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition.
Ezra 4:19 esv
And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.
Ezra 4:19 nlt
I ordered a search of the records and have found that Jerusalem has indeed been a hotbed of insurrection against many kings. In fact, rebellion and revolt are normal there!
Ezra 4 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ezr 4:21 | Now issue a decree to make these men cease, and this city...not be built. | King's immediate action based on his findings. |
| Ezr 4:24 | Then the work on the house of God...stopped until...Darius king of Persia. | Direct consequence: work cessation. |
| Neh 2:19 | Sanballat...Tobiah...and Geshem...said, "What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" | Similar accusation of rebellion against king. |
| Neh 6:6-7 | In it was written, "...Jews intend to rebel; and therefore you are rebuilding the wall...and intend to be their king..." | Specific accusation of aiming for kingship and rebellion. |
| Act 24:5 | "For we found this man a plague, one who stirs up insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." | Paul accused of stirring rebellion, like Jerusalem. |
| Rev 17:12-14 | "...the ten horns...will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them..." | Kings/powers opposing divine authority. |
| Isa 1:2-3 | "Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me..." | Israel's general rebellion, often against God. |
| Jer 5:23 | "But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone." | Description of Judah's rebellious nature. |
| Eze 2:3 | "...I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a rebellious people, who have rebelled against me..." | God's assessment of Israel as rebellious. |
| 2 Kgs 18:7 | Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. | Historical instance of Judah's king rebelling. |
| 2 Kgs 24:1 | In his days Nebuchadnezzar...came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. | Another historical rebellion against imperial power. |
| 2 Chr 36:13 | He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. | Zedekiah's rebellion leading to exile. |
| Deu 9:7 | "Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord." | Israel's long history of rebellion against divine rule. |
| Est 1:19 | "...let a royal decree go out from him...that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus..." | Example of an unchangeable royal decree. |
| Est 8:8 | "...for a document written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet cannot be revoked." | King's authority and irrevocable decrees. |
| Pro 16:10 | "An oracle is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not transgress in judgment." | Royal judgment and decrees. |
| Pro 21:1 | "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will." | God's ultimate sovereignty over kings' decisions. |
| Rom 13:1 | "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God..." | Divine perspective on submitting to earthly rule. |
| Gen 44:12 | "He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack." | Example of a thorough search for something. |
| Lk 23:14 | Pilate said to them, "...I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him." | Judicial finding, in contrast to Artaxerxes'. |
| Psa 35:11 | "Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know." | The role of accusations and potential for false witness. |
Ezra 4 verses
Ezra 4 19 Meaning
King Artaxerxes, having received a letter of accusation against the Jewish builders, confirms through official records that Jerusalem has a documented history of defiance and seditious acts against ruling monarchs, dating back to antiquity. This finding provides the king with the justification to halt the rebuilding of the city's defenses.
Ezra 4 19 Context
Ezra 4:19 is part of the broader narrative of the post-exilic return to Jerusalem and the challenges faced in rebuilding the temple and the city. Following the initial work on the temple, adversaries, notably Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the scribe, wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes. In this letter (Ezra 4:11-16), they made strong accusations against the Jews in Jerusalem, portraying them as rebellious and threatening to Persian imperial control if their city walls were rebuilt. The king's response, which includes this verse, reflects his concern for imperial stability and revenue. The "search" mentioned in verse 19 implies consulting imperial archives that contained records of past interactions and conflicts with Jerusalem, confirming the king's perception of Jerusalem as a historically rebellious stronghold. This leads to the king's immediate decree to stop all construction, a major setback for the returned exiles.
Ezra 4 19 Word analysis
- So I issued a decree (וּמִנִּי שִׂים טְעֵם - ûminnî śîm ṭeʿēm): The king declares a formal, official order. Ṭeʿēm is Aramaic for a binding royal command, showing absolute authority. It implies a deliberative decision by the king, giving the action gravity and legitimacy from an imperial viewpoint.
- and a search has been made (וּבַקַּרַת עֲבִידַת - ûbaqqarat ʿabîḏaṯ): An investigation was carried out. Baqqarat (Aramaic) denotes a diligent, thorough inquiry or examination of records. This was a significant administrative act for the Persian Empire, known for its extensive bureaucracy and archives.
- and it has been found (וְהִשְׁתְּכַח - wᵉhishtᵉkhach): The outcome of the search. Hishtᵉkhach (Aramaic) means "it was discovered" or "it was found." It gives the king's assertion the weight of empirical evidence derived from the imperial archives.
- that this city (דִּי קִרְיְתָא דָךְ - dî qiryᵉthā’ dâkh): Refers specifically to Jerusalem. Qiryᵉthā’ (Aramaic) means "city." The emphasis is on the place itself, known to the empire through its past actions.
- from ancient times (מִן יוֹמָת מִן קַדְמִין - min yômaṯ min qaḏmîn): Over a long historical period. Yômaṯ (days) min qaḏmîn (from ancient times) suggests a pattern of behavior ingrained in Jerusalem's history, used to argue for its perpetual problematic nature.
- has risen up against kings (מִתְנַשְּׂאָה הִיא עַל מַלְכִין - mithnashshe'āh hî’ ʿal malkîn): The core accusation of rebellion. Mithnashshe'āh (Aramaic, Hitpa'el stem of nsa') implies lifting oneself up, rising, swelling, asserting, thus indicating defiant or insurrectionary acts. It highlights an aggressive posture against royal authority.
- and that rebellion (וּמֶרֶד - ûmered): Open revolt. Mered (Aramaic/Hebrew) is a clear and direct term for rebellion or uprising, an act of defying central authority.
- and sedition have been practiced in it (וְאֻשְׁתַּדּוּר מִתְעַבְּדָא בַהּ - wᵉ’ushrādûr mithʿabbᵉḏâ vah): Actions causing disruption or civil disorder. Ushtaddur (Aramaic) is a strong term often interpreted as "insurrection," "destructive activity," or "levying tribute/exaction." Its pairing with mered indicates a sustained, active subversion or agitation, beyond a single rebellious act. This emphasizes the continuous hostile nature of the city from the king's viewpoint.
Ezra 4 19 Bonus section
The "search" (Aramaic: biqqarat) implies the existence of a well-maintained administrative record system within the Persian Empire, where past decrees, judicial proceedings, and provincial reports were meticulously documented and accessible. Such archives were critical for governance, especially in managing diverse and sometimes volatile territories. This thorough investigation, though influenced by adversarial reports, underscores the administrative sophistication of the Persian bureaucracy and provides a legitimate, albeit politically convenient, basis for the king's intervention. The emphasis on "ancient times" frames Jerusalem's rebellious nature as an enduring characteristic, justifying long-term punitive measures or continuous vigilance against its autonomy. This verse reveals the constant tension between the imperial center seeking control and local populations seeking self-determination, a recurring theme in the history of God's people.
Ezra 4 19 Commentary
Ezra 4:19 captures King Artaxerxes' decisive response to accusations against Jerusalem's reconstruction efforts. Following a comprehensive search of imperial archives, the king's finding confirmed a long-standing history of rebellion and sedition attributed to Jerusalem. This validation, however, is from an imperial perspective, serving as a political justification to enforce control over a region perceived as unstable. The detailed Aramaic terms used—ṭe‘ēm (decree), baqqarat (thorough search), hishtᵉkhach (it was found), mithnashshe'āh (risen up/lifted itself against), mered (rebellion), and particularly ushtaddur (sedition/insurrection)—underline the king's view of Jerusalem as a chronic source of defiance against centralized authority and taxation. While historical instances of Judean revolt did exist, Artaxerxes' decree highlights the vulnerability of post-exilic Judah to imperial paranoia and adversarial manipulation, effectively halting the crucial work of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls and temple. This suspension endured for many years, delaying God's intended restoration.