¹tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
²tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
³tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
⁴tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran MS, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Arabic version welo (“and him”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, welo’ (“and not”).
⁵tn Heb “days.”
⁶sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669 b.c.
⁷sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.
⁸tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
⁹tn Heb “the people of the land.” Elsewhere this expression sometimes has a negative connotation, referring to a lay population that was less zealous for Judaism than it should have been. Here, however, it seems to refer to the resident population of the area without any negative connotation.
¹⁰tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
¹¹tn Heb “all the days of.”
¹²sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486 B.C.
¹³sn The purpose of the opening verses of this chapter is to summarize why the Jews returning from the exile were unable to complete the rebuilding of the temple more quickly than they did. The delay was due not to disinterest on their part but to the repeated obstacles that had been placed in their path by determined foes.
¹⁴sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464 B.C.
¹⁵map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
¹⁶tn Heb “days.”
¹⁷tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a corruption of either “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.
¹⁸tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.
¹⁹sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465-425 b.c.
²⁰tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s uketab here.
²¹sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.
²²tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.
²³sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.
²⁴tn Or perhaps “against.”
²⁵tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
²⁶tn For the qere of the MT (dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib (dehu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae Veteris Testamenti, 36.
²⁷tn Aram “Osnappar,” another name for Ashurbanipal.
sn Ashurbanipal succeeded his father Esarhaddon as king of Assyria in 669 B.C. Around 645 B.C. he sacked the city of Susa, capital of Elam, and apparently some of these people were exiled to Samaria and other places.
²⁸tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural bequryah (“in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.
²⁹tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.
³⁰tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.
³¹tn Aram “men of.”
³²tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12. .
³³sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.
³⁴tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah, 74.
³⁵tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”
³⁶tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”
³⁷tn Aram “and we have made known.”
³⁸tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”
³⁹tn Aram “of your fathers.”
⁴⁰tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
⁴¹tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”
⁴²tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”
⁴³tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.
⁴⁴tn Aram “will not be to you.”
⁴⁵tn Aram “peace.”
⁴⁶tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”
⁴⁷tn Aram “and they searched and found.”
⁴⁸tn Aram “are being done.”
⁴⁹sn The statement that prior Jewish kings ruled over the entire Trans-Euphrates is an overstatement. Not even in the days of David and Solomon did the kingdom of Israel extend its borders to such an extent.
⁵⁰tn Aram “were being given to them.”
⁵¹tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”
⁵²tn Aram “to Jerusalem against the Jews.”
⁵³tn Aram “by force and power,” a hendiadys.
⁵⁴sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522-486 b.c.