God’s sovereignty endures despite political obstacles, promising that His restoration prevails in every era.
Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who lived in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now,” (Ezra 4:17). This verse shows us King Artaxerxes communicating directly to those officials who had raised concerns about the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem. In sending his response, the king addresses individuals by name—Rehum and Shimshai—as well as the larger community residing in Samaria and the surrounding areas west of the Euphrates River. Addressing them this way emphasizes both the importance of their complaint and the formal authority through which the Persian government handled such matters. In the grand narrative of Ezra, this official reply underscores how political maneuvering and external pressures often impacted God’s people during their efforts to restore worship and rebuild the temple.
Samaria, located north of Judah, was once the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the region, displacing many Israelites and bringing in foreign settlers who intermarried with the remaining local population. By the time of Ezra, these Samaritans had a complicated relationship with the returning Judeans, sometimes cooperating and at other times opposing the restoration work (as seen in the broader context of Ezra 4). For those “in the rest of the provinces beyond the River,” it refers to the territories west of the Euphrates under Persian rule—an expansive region demonstrating that this dispute reached far beyond a local spat, requiring resolution by the reigning king. That king during much of Ezra’s narrative was Artaxerxes, who ruled Persia from approximately 465 BC to 424 BC, placing these events firmly in that fifth-century BC timeframe.
Written at a pivotal moment in Jewish history, “Peace. And now,” (Ezra 4:17) reveals a key juncture where the external political power steps in regarding Jerusalem’s reconstruction. God’s people often faced obstacles to renewing worship, and here, an imperial authority weighs whether the building initiative should continue or stop (Ezra 4:21-24). This tension foreshadows how God’s plan for restoration would ultimately surpass human opposition, a divine principle embodied later when Jesus overcame social and political barriers to offer salvation to all (John 4:4-42). From a biblical perspective, the sovereignty of God persists through empires rising and falling, and His redemptive purposes remain steadfast.
Set to dark mode
Ezra 4:17 meaning
Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who lived in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now,” (Ezra 4:17). This verse shows us King Artaxerxes communicating directly to those officials who had raised concerns about the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem. In sending his response, the king addresses individuals by name—Rehum and Shimshai—as well as the larger community residing in Samaria and the surrounding areas west of the Euphrates River. Addressing them this way emphasizes both the importance of their complaint and the formal authority through which the Persian government handled such matters. In the grand narrative of Ezra, this official reply underscores how political maneuvering and external pressures often impacted God’s people during their efforts to restore worship and rebuild the temple.
Samaria, located north of Judah, was once the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In 722 BC, the Assyrian Empire conquered the region, displacing many Israelites and bringing in foreign settlers who intermarried with the remaining local population. By the time of Ezra, these Samaritans had a complicated relationship with the returning Judeans, sometimes cooperating and at other times opposing the restoration work (as seen in the broader context of Ezra 4). For those “in the rest of the provinces beyond the River,” it refers to the territories west of the Euphrates under Persian rule—an expansive region demonstrating that this dispute reached far beyond a local spat, requiring resolution by the reigning king. That king during much of Ezra’s narrative was Artaxerxes, who ruled Persia from approximately 465 BC to 424 BC, placing these events firmly in that fifth-century BC timeframe.
Written at a pivotal moment in Jewish history, “Peace. And now,” (Ezra 4:17) reveals a key juncture where the external political power steps in regarding Jerusalem’s reconstruction. God’s people often faced obstacles to renewing worship, and here, an imperial authority weighs whether the building initiative should continue or stop (Ezra 4:21-24). This tension foreshadows how God’s plan for restoration would ultimately surpass human opposition, a divine principle embodied later when Jesus overcame social and political barriers to offer salvation to all (John 4:4-42). From a biblical perspective, the sovereignty of God persists through empires rising and falling, and His redemptive purposes remain steadfast.