Ezra 4:1

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Now news came to the haters of Judah and Benjamin that the people who had come back were building a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel;

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֔וּ צָרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה וּבִנְיָמִ֑ן כִּֽי־בְנֵ֤י הַגּוֹלָה֙ בּוֹנִ֣ים הֵיכָ֔ל לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Transliteration

And wayyišmᵉʿû ṣārê yᵉhûdāh and binyāmin that bᵉnê the haggôlāh bônim hêkāl to YHWH ʾĕlōhê yiśrāʾēl

Grammar Details

• *wayyišmᵉʿû*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect, 3rd plural - and they heard
• *ṣārê*: construct noun, masculine plural - adversaries of/enemies of
• *yᵉhûdāh*: proper noun - Judah
• *binyāmin*: proper noun - Benjamin
• *bᵉnê*: construct noun, masculine plural - sons of/children of
• *haggôlāh*: definite noun, feminine singular - the exile
• *bônim*: qal participle, masculine plural - building/were building
• *hêkāl*: noun, masculine singular - temple/palace
• *YHWH*: proper noun - the divine name
• *ʾĕlōhê*: construct noun, masculine plural - God of
• *yiśrāʾēl*: proper noun - Israel

Word Meanings

• *ṣārê*: adversaries/enemies/foes
• *haggôlāh*: the exile/captivity/deportation
• *bônim*: building/constructing
• *hêkāl*: temple/palace/sanctuary

Referenced Verses

• Ezra 1:11 : 11 There were five thousand, four hundred gold and silver vessels. All these were taken back by Sheshbazzar, when those who had been taken prisoner went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
• Ezra 4:7-9 : 7 And in the time of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his friends, sent a letter to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, writing it in the Aramaean writing and language. 8 Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe, sent a letter against Jerusalem, to Artaxerxes the king; 9 The letter was sent by Rehum, the chief ruler, and Shimshai the scribe and their friends; the Dinaites and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites, 10 And the rest of the nations which the great and noble Osnappar took over and put in Samaria and the rest of the country over the river:
• Ezra 6:16 : 16 And the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had come back, kept the feast of the opening of this house of God with joy.
• Ezra 6:19-20 : 19 And the children of Israel who had come back kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites had made themselves clean together; they were all clean: and they put the Passover lamb to death for all those who had come back, and for their brothers the priests and for themselves.
• Ezra 7:9 : 9 For, starting his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, he came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, by the good help of his God.
• Ezra 10:7 : 7 And they made a public statement through all Judah and Jerusalem, to all those who had come back, that they were to come together to Jerusalem;
• Ezra 10:16 : 16 So those who had come back did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of families, by their fathers' families, all of them by their names, were marked out; and on the first day of the tenth month they took their places to go into the question with care.
• Neh 4:1-9 : 1 Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews. 2 And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust? 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down. 4 Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners: 5 Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders. 6 So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard. 7 But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath; 8 And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there. 9 But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them. 10 And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall. 11 And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.
• Dan 5:13 : 13 Then they took Daniel in before the king; the king made answer and said to Daniel, So you are that Daniel, of the prisoners of Judah, whom my father took out of Judah.
• Dan 9:25 : 25 Have then the certain knowledge that from the going out of the word for the building again of Jerusalem till the coming of a prince, on whom the holy oil has been put, will be seven weeks: in sixty-two weeks its building will be complete, with square and earthwork.
• 1 Cor 16:9 : 9 For a great and important door there is open to me, and there are a number of people against me.
• 1 Kgs 5:4-5 : 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; no one is making trouble, and no evil is taking place. 5 And so it is my purpose to make a house for the name of the Lord my God, as he said to David my father, Your son, whom I will make king in your place, will be the builder of a house for my name.
• 1 Chr 22:9-9 : 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from wars on every side. His name will be Solomon, and in his time I will give Israel peace and quiet; 10 He will be the builder of a house for my name; he will be to me a son, and I will be to him a father; and I will make the seat of his rule over Israel certain for ever.