Ezra 5:11

Tattenai’s Letter to Darius · Ezra 5:6–17
Read Ezra 5

Translations

Modern
And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
Traditional
And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.
Literal
And thus they returned us an answer, saying, “We are servants of the God of the heavens and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years before this, and a great king of Israel built it and completed it.
Latin
Hujuscemodi autem sermonem responderunt nobis dicentes: Nos sumus servi Dei cæli et terræ, et ædificamus templum, quod erat exstructum ante hos annos multos, quodque rex Israël magnus ædificaverat, et exstruxerat.

Original

Hebrew
English
And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.

Notes

  • the God of heaven: The Persians understood this title. It referred to the universal high God, not a minor local deity.

  • a great king of Israel: Solomon (see 1 Kings 5–8).

Ezra includes a copy in Aramaic of Tattenai’s letter to King Darius. Unlike the letter in Ezra 4:11–16, this letter simply asks if the Jews' actions are valid.

Theme notes and profiles

Cyrus II Zerubbabel Purity and Identity

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Glossary

Ancient Letter Writing Aramaic Book of Ezra Book of Jeremiah Darius First Book of Esdras Haggai, Book of Persia, Persians Postexilic Period Sheshbazzar Temple Zechariah, Book of

Topics

Courage: The Courage of Conviction: The Jews, in Returning Answer to Tatnai Temple: The Second: Restored by Zerubbabel the Second Temple: Tatnai the Governor Wrote to Darius to Know If the Building