Discovery Box2 Kings 17:24-41
Context17:24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners 1 from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria 2 in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. 17:25 When they first moved in, 3 they did not worship 4 the Lord. So the Lord sent lions among them and the lions were killing them. 17:26 The king of Assyria was told, 5 “The nations whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land, so he has sent lions among them. They are killing the people 6 because they do not know the requirements of the God of the land.” 17:27 So the king of Assyria ordered, “Take back one of the priests whom you 7 deported from there. He must settle there and teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” 8 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back and settled in Bethel. 9 He taught them how to worship 10 the Lord.
17:29 But each of these nations made 11 its own gods and put them in the shrines on the high places that the people of Samaria 12 had made. Each nation did this in the cities where they lived. 17:30 The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, 13 the people from Cuth made Nergal, 14 the people from Hamath made Ashima, 15 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, 16 and the Sepharvites burned their sons in the fire as an offering to Adrammelech and Anammelech, 17 the gods of Sepharvaim. 17:32 At the same time they worshiped 18 the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. 19 17:33 They were worshiping 20 the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
17:34 To this very day they observe their earlier practices. They do not worship 21 the Lord; they do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments that the Lord gave 22 the descendants of Jacob, whom he renamed Israel. 17:35 The Lord made an agreement 23 with them 24 and instructed them, “You must not worship other gods. Do not bow down to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. 17:36 Instead you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability; 25 bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. 17:37 You must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law, and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not worship other gods. 17:38 You must never forget the agreement I made with you, and you must not worship other gods. 17:39 Instead you must worship the Lord your God; then he will rescue you from the power of all your enemies.” 17:40 But they 26 pay no attention; instead they observe their earlier practices. 17:41 These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their idols; their sons and grandsons do just as their fathers have done, to this very day.
Ezra 4:1-24
Context4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin learned that the former exiles 27 were building a temple for the Lord God of Israel, 4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders 28 and said to them, “Let us help you build, 29 for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him 30 from the time 31 of King Esarhaddon 32 of Assyria, who brought us here.” 33 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the leaders of Israel said to them, “You have no right 34 to help us build the temple of our God. We will build it by ourselves for the Lord God of Israel, just as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.” 4:4 Then the local people 35 began to discourage 36 the people of Judah and to dishearten them from building. 4:5 They were hiring advisers to oppose them, so as to frustrate their plans, throughout the time 37 of King Cyrus of Persia until the reign of King Darius 38 of Persia. 39
4:6 40 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus 41 they filed an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 42 4:7 And during the reign 43 of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, 44 Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues 45 wrote to King Artaxerxes 46 of Persia. This letter 47 was first written in Aramaic but then translated.
[Aramaic:] 48
4:8 Rehum the commander 49 and Shimshai the scribe 50 wrote a letter concerning 51 Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 4:9 From 52 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues – the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, 53 the Elamites), 4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal 54 deported and settled in the cities 55 of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates. 56 4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)
“To King Artaxerxes, 57 from your servants in 58 Trans-Euphrates: 4:12 Now 59 let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. 60 They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury 61 will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, 62 and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, 63 we are sending the king this information 64 4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records 65 of his predecessors 66 and discover in those records 67 that this city is rebellious 68 and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts 69 from long ago. 70 It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control 71 of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”
4:17 The king sent the following response:
“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings! 72 4:18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 4:19 So I gave orders, 73 and it was determined 74 that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in 75 rebellion and revolt. 4:20 Powerful kings have been over Jerusalem who ruled throughout the entire Trans-Euphrates 76 and who were the beneficiaries of 77 tribute, custom, and toll. 4:21 Now give orders that these men cease their work and that this city not be rebuilt until such time as I so instruct. 78 4:22 Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”
4:23 Then, as soon as the copy of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read in the presence of Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they proceeded promptly to the Jews in Jerusalem 79 and stopped them with threat of armed force. 80
4:24 So the work on the temple of God in Jerusalem came to a halt. It remained halted until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia. 81
Nehemiah 4:1-2
Context4:1 (3:33) 82 Now when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall he became angry and was quite upset. He derided the Jews, 4:2 and in the presence of his colleagues 83 and the army of Samaria 84 he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? 85 Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”
Luke 9:52-56
Context9:52 He 86 sent messengers on ahead of him. 87 As they went along, 88 they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance 89 for him, 9:53 but the villagers 90 refused to welcome 91 him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. 92 9:54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume 93 them?” 94 9:55 But Jesus 95 turned and rebuked them, 96 9:56 and they went on to another village.
Acts 1:8
Context1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts 97 of the earth.”
Acts 10:28
Context10:28 He said to them, “You know that 98 it is unlawful 99 for a Jew 100 to associate with or visit a Gentile, 101 yet God has shown me that I should call no person 102 defiled or ritually unclean. 103
[17:24] 1 tn The object is supplied in the translation.
[17:24] 2 sn In vv. 24-29 Samaria stands for the entire northern kingdom of Israel.
[17:25] 3 tn Heb “in the beginning of their living there.”
[17:26] 5 tn Heb “and they said to the king of Assyria, saying.” The plural subject of the verb is indefinite.
[17:26] 6 tn Heb “Look they are killing them.”
[17:27] 7 tc The second plural subject may refer to the leaders of the Assyrian army. However, some prefer to read “whom I deported,” changing the verb to a first person singular form with a third masculine plural pronominal suffix. This reading has some support from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic witnesses.
[17:27] 8 tc Heb “and let them go and let them live there, and let him teach them the requirements of the God of the land.” The two plural verbs seem inconsistent with the preceding and following contexts, where only one priest is sent back to Samaria. The singular has the support of Greek, Syriac, and Latin witnesses.
[17:28] 9 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[17:29] 11 sn The verb “make” refers to the production of idols. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 210-11.
[17:29] 12 tn Heb “Samaritans.” This refers to the Israelites who had been deported from the land.
[17:30] 13 sn No deity is known by the name Succoth Benoth in extant Mesopotamian literature. For speculation as to the identity of this deity, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211.
[17:30] 14 sn Nergal was a Mesopotamian god of the underworld.
[17:30] 15 sn This deity is unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 211-12.
[17:31] 16 sn Nibhaz and Tartak were two Elamite deities. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:31] 17 sn Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of the Sepharvaim are unknown in extra-biblical literature. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 212.
[17:32] 19 tn Heb “and they appointed for themselves from their whole people priests for the high places and they were serving for them in the house[s] of the high places.”
[17:34] 22 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:35] 24 sn That is, the descendants of Jacob/Israel (see v. 35b).
[17:36] 25 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
[17:40] 26 sn This refers to the foreigners whom the king of Assyria settled in the land (see v. 35a).
[4:1] 27 tn Heb “the sons of the exile.”
[4:2] 28 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
[4:2] 29 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
[4:2] 30 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran
[4:2] 32 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669
[4:2] 33 sn 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.
[4:3] 34 tn Heb “not to you and to us.”
[4:4] 35 tn 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.
[4:4] 36 tn Heb “were making slack the hands of.”
[4:5] 37 tn Heb “all the days of.”
[4:5] 38 sn Darius ruled Persia ca. 522-486
[4:5] 39 sn 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.
[4:6] 40 sn The chronological problems of Ezra 4:6-24 are well known and have been the subject of extensive discussion since ancient times. Both v. 5 and v. 24 describe the reign of Darius I Hystaspes, who ruled Persia ca. 522–486
[4:6] 41 sn Ahasuerus, otherwise known as Xerxes I, ruled ca. 486-464
[4:6] 42 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[4:7] 43 tn Heb “And in the days.”
[4:7] 44 tn 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.
[4:7] 45 tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.
[4:7] 46 sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465–425
[4:7] 47 tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhÿtav) here.
[4:7] 48 sn 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.
[4:8] 49 tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.
[4:8] 50 sn 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.
[4:8] 51 tn Or perhaps “against.”
[4:9] 52 tn 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.
[4:9] 53 tn For the qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.
[4:10] 54 tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.
[4:10] 55 tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bÿquryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.
[4:10] 56 tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.
[4:11] 57 tn 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.
[4:12] 59 tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.
[4:12] 60 sn 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.
[4:13] 61 tn 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 (NICOT), 74.
[4:14] 62 tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”
[4:14] 63 tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”
[4:14] 64 tn Aram “and we have made known.”
[4:15] 65 tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”
[4:15] 66 tn Aram “of your fathers.”
[4:15] 67 tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.
[4:15] 68 tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”
[4:15] 69 tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”
[4:15] 70 tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.
[4:16] 71 tn Aram “will not be to you.”
[4:19] 73 tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”
[4:19] 74 tn Aram “and they searched and found.”
[4:19] 75 tn Aram “are being done.”
[4:20] 76 sn 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.
[4:20] 77 tn Aram “were being given to them.”
[4:21] 78 tn Aram “until a command is issued from me.”
[4:23] 79 tn Aram “to Jerusalem against the Jews.”
[4:23] 80 tn Aram “by force and power,” a hendiadys.
[4:24] 81 sn Darius I Hystaspes ruled Persia ca. 522–486
[4:1] 82 sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:23 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:33 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:34 HT, 4:3 ET = 3:35 HT, 4:4 ET = 3:36 HT, 4:5 ET = 3:37 HT, 4:6 ET = 3:38 HT, 4:7 ET = 4:1 HT, etc., through 4:23 ET = 4:17 HT. Thus in the Hebrew Bible chap. 3 of the Book of Nehemiah has 38 verses, while chap. 4 has only 17 verses.
[4:2] 84 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[4:2] 85 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The present translation follows the MT, but the text may be corrupt. H. G. M. Williamson (Ezra, Nehemiah [WBC], 213-14) translates these words as “Will they commit their cause to God?” suggesting that MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”) should be emended to לֵאלֹהִים (lelohim, “to God”), a proposal also found in the apparatus of BHS. In his view later scribes altered the phrase out of theological motivations. J. Blenkinsopp’s translation is similar: “Are they going to leave it all to God?” (Ezra–Nehemiah [OTL], 242-44). However, a problem for this view is the absence of external evidence to support the proposed emendation. The sense of the MT reading may be the notion that the workers – if left to their own limited resources – could not possibly see such a demanding and expensive project through to completion. This interpretation understands the collocation עָזַב (’azav, “to leave”) plus לְ (lÿ, “to”) to mean “commit a matter to someone,” with the sense in this verse “Will they leave the building of the fortified walls to themselves?”
[9:52] 86 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:52] 87 tn Grk “sent messengers before his face,” an idiom.
[9:52] 88 tn Grk “And going along, they entered.” The aorist passive participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken temporally. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:52] 89 tn Or “to prepare (things) for him.”
[9:53] 90 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the villagers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:53] 91 tn Or “did not receive”; this verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality or welcome (L&N 34.53).
[9:53] 92 tn Grk “because his face was set toward Jerusalem.”
[9:54] 94 tc Most
[9:55] 95 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:55] 96 tc Many
[10:28] 98 tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).
[10:28] 99 tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).
[10:28] 100 tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).
[10:28] 101 tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.
[10:28] 102 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").
[10:28] 103 tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.
