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Darius & Artaxerxes: The Context of the Word to Restore & Build Jerusalem

In my ongoing effort to untangle the claims and criticisms raised by Rick Lanser in his recent article The Seraiah Assumption (published at the Associates for Biblical Research website) this week we will be exploring the context of Ezra 5-6 as it relates to the Persian king Darius (son of Hystaspes) and as it relates to Ezra, Nehemiah, and a divine command given by, Yahweh the living God of the Bible, telling the Jewish people to – return – and build His house.

This important aspect of 2^nd temple era history is for the most part ignored by Mr. Lanser in his article The Seraiah Assumption and this oversight along with his errors concerning the chronology of Ezra 4 (See Part I of this series) creates unnecessary confusion regarding the events leading up to Ezra and Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem during the reign of a Persian “Artaxerxes”.

Here are a few related quotes from Mr. Lanser article The Seraiah Assumption which illustrate how his misunderstanding of Ezra 4 helped influence his interpretation of Ezra 6. I’d encourage those just joining this conversation to read Mr. Lanser’s entire article (here) so you can get the full context of these quotes. Further these quotes show why trying to explain Ezra 6:14 and the “commandments” mentioned there without providing the background context of Ezra 4-6 leads to some pretty serious interpretational errors that unnecessarily confuse the subject. I quote Mr. Lanser:

But as illustrated by our examination of Ezra 4 above, his context is too limited. It needs to be expanded beyond the immediate chronological context of Ezra 6:14, to include proper regard for the writer’s thematic context. When this is done, it provides the third “commended” king of Persia—Artaxerxes I Longimanus—that Austin could not find under the constraints of his purely chronological approach….

We are to understand that the writer presents the commandment of God in Ezra 6:14 as a single overarching decree, yet manifested through the individual edicts issued by Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes. This one decree of God—the word is a singular noun—is not completely unfolded until Artaxerxes contributes his part, notwithstanding that it is somewhat removed in time from the earlier contributions of Cyrus and Darius….

Before moving on, one more point can be made: since Ezra 6:14 tells us the one command of God had three kings involved in its outworking, we cannot say the decree of Daniel 9:25 had fully “gone forth” until Artaxerxes Longimanus added his contribution. We have to wait until Artaxerxes’ reign to find Daniel’s prophesied decree. (Rick Lanser – excerpts taken from his article The Seraiah Assumption)

Summary and Review of the Context of Ezra 4
In Part I of this series Cyrus to Darius: The 2^nd Temple Context of Ezra 4 we learned that author of Ezra 4 provided a congruent and chronological summary of events which took place from the reign of the Persian king Cyrus up to the reign of Darius (son of Hystaspes). We learned that Cyrus gave the initial decree which allowed the Jewish people to return and build the city of Jerusalem and the temple. Then during the reign of the Persian Ahasuerus in Ezra 4:6 (Cambyses), counselors for the enemies of the Jewish people tried to stop these construction efforts to no effect.

Subsequently during the reign of a Persian Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:7-23 (Bardis), the enemies of the Jewish people were successful and construction on the temple was stopped. Ezra 4:24 tells us that construction was stopped until the 2^nd year of the reign of Darius.

²³ Now [‘edayin] when the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.

²⁴ Then [‘edayin] ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:22-24)

The Prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah
Ezra 4 closed with the nearly hopeless state of affairs in Jerusalem. The Jewish peoples efforts to restore Yahweh’s house had come to a standstill. The Persian king Artaxerxes (Bardis – the magian userper) had commanded that construction be stopped and the enemies of the Jewish people had done so by force of arms.

Then just when all hope seemed to be lost, once again Yahweh the living God of the Bible, reached down into the affairs of mankind to set in motion His redemptive plan for mankind. Ezra 5 opens with Haggai and Zechariah prophesying to the Jewish people. The text doesn’t say what was prophesied but the result was immediate. Here take a look:

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. (Ezra 5:1-2)

So what do you think these prophets said that so challenged Joshua, Zerubbabel, and the Jewish people that they defied king Artaxerxes orders to stop construction? To find the answer we need to turn to the books of Haggai and Zechariah.

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word [dabar] of YHWH by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,

² Thus speaketh YHWH of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that YHWH’S house should be built. ³ Then came the word of YHWH by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴ Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? ⁵ Now therefore thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways….

Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith YHWH.

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith YHWH of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. 10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. 11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

¹² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of YHWH their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as YHWH their God had sent him, and the people did fear before YHWH. ¹³ Then spake Haggai YHWH’S messenger in YHWH’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith YHWH.

And YHWH stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of YHWH of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Haggai 1:1-15, excerpted for brevity)

Doing What is Right in the Face of Adversity
A few things to notice from Haggai 1. First of all it is apparent that Yahweh was displeased with attitude of the Jewish people related to their efforts in building His house. Notice they were “building” their own houses. In fact construction activities were taking place in the city of Jerusalem but the people had their priorities wrong. They were building their own houses while Yahweh’s house lay desolate.

How many times in life have we excused our own lack of service to Yahweh by complaining about our circumstances? “I would have been nicer to that person if they hadn’t been so mean.” “I would have helped that person but I just lost my job.” “I would have done the right thing but the “law” says I can’t.”

That is what Yahweh was dealing with here regarding the construction of His house. His people weren’t really all that interested doing His work. They were just looking for excuses. Remember they’d been “building” the temple since the 2nd year of Cyrus and they still hadn’t even completed the foundation yet. When Artaxerxes said that they couldn’t build Yahweh’s house any longer they simply used that “law” as an excuse for not doing what was right in Yahweh’s eyes.

There is a valuable lesson here. Notice the text indicates their poor lot in life was in part related to their unwillingness to do what was right in Yahweh’s eyes. Yahweh was punishing their bad attitude and improper priorities.

Another thing worth noting here was that the counselors hired to represent the enemies of the Jewish people before the kings of Persia, framed the activities of the Jewish as if they were building the city of Jerusalem in an effort to rebel against the king of Persia, when in fact it was their half hearted efforts to build the temple that were really the concern. This just illustrates an important fact of life.

This life is a spiritual battle not against flesh and blood but against the “principalities, powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Satan didn’t care if the Jewish people were building their own houses. What the adversary did care about was the reestablishment of Yahweh’s house and spiritual significance of that house. The temple of Jerusalem was the beating heart of the city of Jerusalem.

Building Yahweh’s House Was Building Jerusalem
This raises a curious point. Today most scholars claim that building the temple in Jerusalem was not “building” Jerusalem, despite the fact that the enemies of the Jewish people thought so (Ezra 4), Yahweh thought so (Zech 1; Hag. 1), and Daniel thought so (Dan. 9:4-22). To me such claims seems like a distinction without a difference. To claim building the temple was not “building Jerusalem” makes about the same sense as saying the development of the human heart in a baby is not part of the divine “building” process of our body that Yahweh encoded into the DNA of this human tabernacle. By any objective measure, building the temple in Jerusalem was indeed, “building” Jerusalem.

Zechariah receives the “word” of Yahweh
As stated in Ezra 5, it just wasn’t Haggai that received the word of Yahweh which commanded the Jewish people to return and build the temple. Zechariah also received a similar message to share with the Jewish people.

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word [dabar] of YHWH to Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, ² YHWH hath been sore displeased with your fathers. ³ Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith YHWH of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith YHWH of hosts….

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word [dabar] of YHWH unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,…

¹² Then the angel of YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? ¹³ And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

¹⁴ So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. ¹⁵ And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Cry yet, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and YHWH shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:1-3, 7, 14-17)

There is so much important information here which grounds our understanding of the 2nd temple era on a solid contextual foundation.

First all notice that like the word give to Haggai this “word” (dabar) of Yahweh also came in the 2nd year of Darius. This word told the Jewish people that Yahweh had returned to Jerusalem with “mercy” and that His house would be build and that a line would be “stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” In other words, Yahweh told the Jewish people that His house, the very heart of Jerusalem, was to be built and this effort was in fact building or stretching a construction “line” upon Jerusalem.

Notice here that the text indicates that up to this 2nd year of Darius, Jerusalem and the Jewish people and their activities were under a cloud of divine “indignation”. That divine indignation the text tells us began 70 years earlier and then ended here in the 2nd year of Darius when Yahweh “returned to Jerusalem with mercies”. What is so neat about this statement is that it once again confirms just how accurate the Bible’s chronological record is when it relates history.

If we count 70 years back from the 2nd year of Darius (son of Hystaspes) in 520 BC we arrive at roughly 589 BC and what Ezekiel 8-10 describes as the departure of Yahweh’s divine presence from Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. How awesome is that. 70 years after departing from Jerusalem and the temple, here is Yahweh the living God of the Bible, telling Zechariah and Haggai the prophets that He had “returned” to Jerusalem with mercies and He wanted construction on His house restarted.

As you look at the following chart remember that Part I of this series showed how the author of Ezra 4 gave an incredibly accurate summary of events between the reigns of Cyrus and Darius, a summary which fits congruently with secular Persian history. In the chart below both of those important ‘bookends’ (Cyrus & Darius) of this chronology are further emphasized by marking the end of a 70 year period of time. That’s how cool the Bible!

The Temple Completed in the 6^th Year of Darius
Four years after Yahweh had returned to Jerusalem with mercies and commanded the Jewish people to return and build His house, that house was completed. The beating heart of Jerusalem was once again serving it’s purpose in the city of peace. That’s what happens when we listen to Yahweh and do what’s right even in the face of adversity. As the Paul wrote to the Romans:

If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b)

Darius Rebukes the Enemies of the Jewish People
Let’s back up here for just a few moments now that we understand the context of Yahweh’s divine command to restore (return) and build the temple as given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. We left off in Ezra 5 with the following verses for which you now known the fascinating back-story and context.

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.

Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. (Ezra 5:1-2)

Once construction on the temple resumed it didn’t take long for the enemies of the Jewish people to try and stop this divinely sanctioned effort. This time though the Jewish people held firm, they were more afraid of Yahweh than the former decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes. So the matter was taken to king Darius and the Jewish people claimed precedence in the former decree of king Cyrus who had given them permission to build both the city and the temple.

Darius had a different attitude than the Magian usurper Bardis, so he made a search of the records and found the decree of Cyrus granting the Jewish people the right to return and build. Darius then wrote his own rather scathing letter to these enemies of the Jewish people telling them to leave the Jewish people alone or else! Here is an excerpt with some of the highlights. I’d encourage you to read all of Ezra 5 & 6 to get the full context.

Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon2 And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written:

In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;…

Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence: 7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. (Ezra 6:1-7 )

Finally Ezra 6:13-15 provides another chronological panoramic by summing up the chronology from Ezra 5 (the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah the word-dabar of Yahweh) and those who gave commands which resulted in the completion of the temple by the 6th year of Darius.

Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. (Ezra 6:13-15)

Let’s unpack this a bit more to make sure we can understand exactly what these verses are saying. Verse 13 tells that the enemies of the Jewish people obeyed the threatening letter of Darius and they left off harassing the Jewish people.

Verse 14 summarizes the history up to that point. First of all it points out that prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah was the catalyst that spurred the Jewish people’s return to the building efforts, the result of which was their “prospering” as Yahweh promised in Haggai 1 and Zechariah 1. The text further clarifies that building – and – finishing of the temple was the result of a command by the “God of Israel” and also the commands of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes.

For right now let’s not deal with the curious inclusion of Artaxerxes as one of those who helped build and finish the temple by the 6th year of Darius. We’ll explore that subject in the next part of this series, for now let focus on the other “commandments” first. Based upon the context we have explored in Ezra 4-6 does the Bible identify specific commands related to Yahweh, Cyrus & Darius which resulted in the building and finishing of the temple by the 6th year of Darius? Sure it does. Here are the commands as they took place chronologically.

Cyrus
In 536 BC Cyrus ended the 70 years captivity of the Jewish people in Babylon. He allowed them to return and build the temple and the city of Jerusalem.

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:28)

Yahweh
After construction was stopped on the temple by the Persian king “Artaxerxes”, Yahweh in the 2^nd year of Darius (520 BC) personally commanded Israel to return and build. This “commandment” was given as a word (dabar) of Yahweh through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

Thus saith YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁸ Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith YHWH. (Haggai 1:1-8 for brevity)

Then the angel of YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

¹³ And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words [dabar] and comfortable words [dabar]….

Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy….

Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7-16 exerpted for brevity)

¹⁴ And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.

And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵ And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. (Ezra 6:14-15 excerpted for brevity)

Darius
In 520 BC Darius confirms Cyrus’ original decree and encourages the Jewish to continue their efforts to build the temple which Yahweh had commanded them to do. Four years later in the 6^th year of Darius the temple was completed.

Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:

Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.

Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed. (Ezra 6:6-12)

Comparing and Contrasting with The Seraiah Assumption
Now after exploring the context of Ezra 4-6 in a congruent and chronological manner consider the following quotes by Mr. Lanser once again. Do you think they represent an accurate explanation of the events Ezra 4-6 relates:

Doing this equates the command of God with the three-fold human command (singular!) of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes. That Brown’s view of the waw explicativum is possible does not necessarily make it so, of course, but it does show that Struse and Austin are not being equitable in the way they evaluate the translation possibilities. Fair-mindedness towards the data requires that they not insist their preferred view of this grammar question is the only one possible.

The claims Mr. Lanser makes in the statements above is why understanding the entire context of subject is so important. The commandment of God in Ezra 6:14 is not an ambiguous overarching thematic decree. Rather it was a very specific word (dabar) to restore and build Jerusalem given within a very specific sequence of chronological events and relayed through the mouths of the two prophetic witnesses of Haggai and Zechariah. That word (dabar) given in the 2nd year of Darius by Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, commanded the Jewish people to return and build His house, the beating heart of Jerusalem.

This context is so important lets summarize one last time:

²⁴ Then [‘edayin] ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:23 – 24)

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. (Ezra 5:1)

⁵ But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they [the enemies of the Jewish people] could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter. (Ezra 5:5)

Ezra 6:1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon….

⁷ Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place. ⁸ Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. ( Ezra 6:7-8 )

¹³ Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.

¹⁴ And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. ¹⁵ And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. (Ezra 6:13-15)

Summary
In our exploration of the book of Ezra to date, we’ve learned that it is a straightforward and chronological account of the events relating to the building of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple starting in the 1^st year of the Persian king Cyrus (536 BC) and continuing through to the 6^th year of the Persian king Darius (son of Hystaspes) in 516 BC. The central focus of these events being Yahweh’s divine word (dabar) commanding the Jewish people to return and build His desolate sanctuary. This divine word we have learned came at the end of His 70 years of divine anger.

As I’ve demonstrated in my book The Jubilee Code: Prophetic Milestones in Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan, a reasonable case can be made that the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, the 70 years of divine anger, and the 70 years between the destruction of the Solomon’s temple and rebuilding and dedication of the 2^nd temple, were a trifecta of 70 years periods which all had their origins within the 70^th Jubilee cycle from Adam.

This important chronological information further underscores the significance of the timing of Yahweh’s divine “word” commanding the Jewish people to return and build His desolate sanctuary. In a future part of this series I’ll show why this divine word to return and build, given at this pivotal point in Biblical history, began the 70 “Weeks” of Daniel 9:24-27 and the Bible’s most famous countdown to the Messiah. The chart to the left demonstrates the significance of these events within the Bible’s larger chronological cycles.

I invite you to join me next time as we continue our investigation of this thrilling and important period in Biblical history.

Maranatha!

Authors Note:
This is a multi-part series of articles responding to the Associates for Biblical Research criticism of my view of 2nd temple history as presented in an article on their website entitledThe Seraiah Assumption.

Articles related to this series:
The Seraiah Assumption by Rick Lanser of Associates for Biblical Research
The Seraiah Assumption: Wrapping up Loose Ends by Rick Lanser

My response to Rick Lanser’s – The Seraiah Assumption:
Introduction – The Associates for Biblical Research Responds to the Artaxerxes Assumption
Part I – Cyrus to Darius: The 2nd Temple Context of Ezra 4
Part II – Darius & Artaxerxes: The Context of the Word to Restore & Build Jerusalem
Part III – Darius the great Persian Artaxerxes: A Contextual Look at the Book of Ezra in the Light of Persian History
Part IV – Darius and the Kingdom of Arta
Part V – Darius, Artaxerxes, & the Bible: Confirming Royal Persian Titulature
Part VI – Mordecai & the Chronological Context of Esther
Part VII – Esther, Ahasuerus, & Artaxerxes: Who was the Persian King of 127 Provinces?
Part VIII – Darius I: A Gentile King at the Crux of Jewish Messianic History
Part IX – The Priests & Levites of Nehemiah 10 & 12: Exploring the Papponymy Assumption

Next Time
Now that we’ve laid a contextual chronological foundation for Ezra 4-6, Yahweh willing in Part III of this series we will explore the crux of the Artaxerxes Assumption. Who was the “Artaxerxes” of Ezra 6:14 and why was his name added amongst those who “building and finished” the temple by the 6^th year of Darius? In this upcoming article we will also address some the following related challenges and pointed criticism raised by Mr. Lanser in his article The Seraiah Assumption:

One is obliged to ask why the writer of the book of Ezra would have even bothered to introduce the name “Artaxerxes” into the narrative at Ezra 6:14, when this king had been uniformly referred to as “Darius” several times earlier in the book (4:5, 4:24, 5:5, 5:6, 5:7, 6:1, and 6:12). If “Darius” and “Artaxerxes” were indeed one and the same person, waiting until this late point in the narrative to introduce an additional designation for Darius does nothing but confuse the reader.

Ezra 6:14 and the Waw Explicativum
Ezra 6:14 is another verse where the desire to avoid anachronistically introducing Artaxerxes I Longimanus into the narrative has given rise to creative ways of getting around it. One is a particular grammatical argument centered on the Hebrew letter waw. Prefixed to another word, waw is generally translated as a simple connective, “and.” There are places, however, where it can be used as what grammarians term a waw explicativum, where it equates the two items it joins and takes the translation “even.” Applying this understanding to Ezra 6:14b yields:

And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, even Artaxerxes king of Persia (KJV, emphasis added).

By this understanding, Darius is equated with “Artaxerxes.” Mr. Struse is quite insistent that this is the way this waw must be understood; in one place (https://www.the13thenumeration.com/Blog13/2016/09/08/who-is-the-artaxerxes-in-your-prophecy/) he writes,

The error [of translating Ezra 6:14b as “and Artaxerxes”] is actually found in the English translation of the passage. It stems from presuppositional bias and the erroneous use of the Hebrew letter waw. In order to show that Ezra lived during the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, as they presupposed, the translators used the letter waw to form a conjunction instead of a hendiadys (two words with one meaning), as the context would dictate.

With all due respect to Mr. Struse, it is fair to say that 99% of people without any skin in the game would expect the well-trained professional scholars and translators of the various English versions of the Bible, particularly those who uphold it as the Word of God and take their responsibility to handle it carefully with utmost seriousness, to be in a good position to tell us what “the context would dictate.” To assert “presuppositional bias” and “erroneous use of the Hebrew letter” carries little weight when coming from someone without specialized training.

Book 1

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The 13th Enumeration
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Cyrus to Darius: The 2nd Temple Context of Ezra 4

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Authors Note:
This is a multipart series answering the criticisms and challenges posed by Rick Lanser’s article The Seraiah Assumption as published on the Associates for Biblical Research website here: The Seraiah Assumption .

Mr. Lanser’s article directly challenges my assertion that Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries of the Persian king Darius also known as ‘the great’ Artaxerxes.

Articles related to this series:
The Seraiah Assumption by Rick Lanser of Associates for Biblical Research
The Seraiah Assumption: Wrapping up Loose Ends by Rick Lanser

Introductory Remarks
Over the coming weeks, as I respond to Mr. Lanser’s – Seraiah Assumption, please keep in mind that this subject is the basis for the 70 “weeks” prophecy, the only prophetic utterance in the Bible which gives us a specific and chronologically verifiable date that proves Yeshua (Jesus) is the Bible’s promised Messiah. This is an incredibly important subject that we need to have clarity about. Further, Daniel 9 and the 70 “weeks” are the prophetic foundation upon which we base much of our beliefs about Yeshua’s 2^nd coming, the rapture, the wrath of God, Israel’s restoration, and the coming messianic age. That’s a lot of weight resting on little understood and even less talked about bit of 2^nd temple era history.

As we explore this wonderful history my understanding of the evidence will be filtered through the Golden Rule of Bible Interpretation as described by Dr. David L. Cooper. His interpretational framework is as follows:

“When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”

I want to make clear here, that I will first seek a “plain sense” interpretation, that a layman like myself would be able to understand and comprehend. This approach will see every word in a passage in its most primary, ordinary, usual, and literal meaning – unless – the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths – clearly indicate otherwise. I want to emphasis this, I will only look for an alternative meaning to “plain sense” reading of the text when the passage in question is contradicted by – clear and contextual – evidence found elsewhere in the Bible.

If any of us are to solve the challenges posed by Mr. Lanser’s article The Seraiah Assumption we must have a clear and contextual understanding of the history and chronology in question. To help facilitate such a contextual understanding of the subject, this week we will explore the Persian history as described in Ezra 4-6 and I’ll offer another perspective on Mr. Lanser’s claims and in at least one instance I’ll clarify where he has mistakenly misrepresented my position.

Let’s start with a brief overview of 2^nd temple era to get a solid contextual fixing point.

Cyrus Ends the 70 Years Captivity of Judah
One of the fastest ways to get off track when reading the Bible as it relates to its history is to ignore its chronological context. To clearly understand Ezra and Nehemiah’s place in Biblical history, we need to know a bit of the back story leading up to their importance in the events related to the restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple during what is commonly known as the 2^nd temple era.

So with this in mind here are the Biblical passages which set the context for our understanding the book of Ezra. Please take a moment to read these important passages.

Therefore thus saith YHWH of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith YHWH, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations…

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith YHWH, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. (Jeremiah 25:8-13 – excerpted for brevity)

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word [dabar] of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, YHWH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, ² Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, YHWH God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of YHWH God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-3)

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:28)

Babylon 536 BC
The book of Ezra opens with the statement that the Persian king Cyrus was used by Yahweh, the living God of the Bible to punish Babylon and end the 70 years captivity of Judah. According to the text, not only did Yahweh cause Cyrus to end the 70 years captivity of Judah in Babylon, but He also compelled Cyrus to allow the repatriated captives to restore the city of Jerusalem as well as rebuild the very beating heart of that city, Yahweh’s house, the temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. This restoration process began what is commonly known today as the 2^nd temple era. The leaders of the repatriated captives were Zerubbabel (the governor) and Jeshua the high priest.

Ezra 1 and 2 informs us of the Judean captives who left Babylon and traveled to Jerusalem. Chapter 3 opens in the 7^th month of the 1^st year of Cyrus with the Judean captives assembling “as one man” at Jerusalem to set up an altar for sacrifices and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Ezra 3:8 opens in the 2^nd year of the Jewish people’s return to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel the governor and Jeshua the high priest organizing the Levites into a work parties in order to restart construction of the temple. Ezra chapter 3 ends with the following description:

Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of YHWH…

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of YHWH, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise YHWH, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto YHWH; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised YHWH, because the foundation of the house of YHWH was laid.

But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. (Ezra 3:8-13 excerpted)

Before we move on to Ezra 4 and some of the complexities raised in Mr. Lanser’s article The Seraiah Assumption, there are a few things worth highlighting from the passages we’ve explored so far.

Cyrus (because of Yahweh’s divine will) ended the 70 years captivity of Judah in Babylon.
Cyrus’ “proclamation” allowed the Jewish people to restore both the city and temple of Jerusalem.
In the 7^th month of the 1^st year of their return the Jewish people kept the Feast of Tabernacles
In the 2^nd month of the 2^nd year of their return the priests and Levites laid the foundation of 2^nd temple.

The Harassment Begins
So the Jewish people are back in their land and construction on the 2^nd temple was begun by the priests and Levites. Ezra 4 tells us that it wasn’t long after construction began, that the enemies of the Jewish people began to harass them in an effort to thwart reconstruction of the Yahweh’s house. Ezra describes it this way:

Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, ⁵ And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:1-5 – excerpted for brevity)

Ezra 4:1-4 tells of the initial effort of Judah’s enemies to hinder the temple construction. Verse 5 summarizes by saying these enemies hired counselors to facilitate this harassment and this harassment lasted from the reign of Cyrus until the reign of Darius the Persian. The following chart provides you with a handy reference guide for the commonly accepted succession of Persian kings and their dates and lengths of reign.

[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_PLUS]

As you can see from this chart between Cyrus and Darius (son of Hystaspes) there are only two Persian kings noted in the historical record. This is important as we continue reading Ezra 4. Remember, my interpretive method demands that I accept it at face value in its most natural and plain sense.

So after Cyrus’ initial proclamation, Ezra 4:6 opens with the introduction of a new Persian king titled Ahasuerus during whose reign the enemies of the Jewish people continued their harassment. Now there are at least two ways to read this next passage.

The first is to conclude that Ezra 4:5 summarized the efforts of the Jewish people’s enemies to hinder the construction between the reign of Darius and Cyrus and that verses 6-23 provide further details about that harassment that took place during those roughly 16 years.
The 2^nd way to look at this passage is to conclude that Ezra 4:6 onwards, ignores the Persian kings Cambyses and Bardis and jumps into the future describing unrelated harassment which took place after the reign of Darius sometime during the reign of a yet future Persian king who the Bible only describes as “Ahasuerus”.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:6)

It’s worth noting here that regarding the Persian king named Ahasuerus the Bible does not indicate the efforts to hinder construction efforts were successful. But it was a different story altogether when Ezra 4:7 introduces a new Persian king named Artaxerxes. This Persian Artaxerxes king listened to the enemies of the Jewish people and after reading their letter he stopped construction of the temple.

Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me. Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

Now when [‘edayin] the copy of king Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. (Ezra 4:21-23)

All Construction of Jerusalem Stopped
So it seems that the enemies of the Jewish people had won. This Persian Artaxerxes ordered all construction to be stopped until he gave further notice. Ezra 4 concludes with verse 24 as follows:

Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:24)

In keeping with our attempt to see this from at least two points of view Ezra 4:24 could be understood in at least two ways:

The first and what I believe to be the most natural reading of the text is that Ezra 4 is a chronological explanation of successive events which took place during the reigns of the Persian kings Cyrus, Cambyses, Bardis, and Darius. Ezra 4:24 is the summary end cap of this successive chronological events. In other words, Cyrus gave permission for the Jewish people to rebuild the city and temple of Jerusalem. Then during the reign of Cyrus’ son Cambyses, counselors hired by the Jewish peoples enemies petitioned Cambyses to stop the temple construction. When that effort failed they tried again during the reign of the next Persian king who secular history identifies as the magian usurper Bardis. This attempt was successful and all construction stopped until the 2^nd year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (As we will subsequently learn it was during the 2^nd year of Darius (son of Hystaspes) that Yahweh the living God of the Bible commanded the Jewish people to return and build the temple.)
The second way to look at this verse is how Mr. Lanser chooses to interpret it. I’ll let him describe it in the following quotes from his article The Seraiah Assumption:

To summarize this point, to understand Ezra 4:6–23 “contextually” does not require a strictly chronological approach. The mentions of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes are deliberate anachronisms introduced by the Spirit-inspired compiler of the records of Ezra-Nehemiah that would have been self-evident to his history-informed audience. There is no need to reinterpret the translated name of Ahasuerus or the throne name of Artaxerxes as forced references to Darius the Great. These names can be understood just as given elsewhere in Scripture, where they refer to Xerxes I and his son Artaxerxes Longimanus respectively. The plain sense is the right sense, and supports our contention that the Seraiah Assumption is the wrong way to approach the genealogy of Ezra in Ezra 7:1. (http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2019/04/17/The-Seraiah-Assumption-and-the-Decree-of-Daniel-925.aspx)

The Thematic Context of Ezra 4:6–23
Now we come to the conclusion of Ezra 4:24b: “…and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.” These words are the contextual key to the chapter. They directly connect verse 24 with verse 5, “all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The intervening verses 6 through 23 of Ezra 4 therefore constitute a parenthetical sidebar set between verses 5 and 24, continuing the theme of Samaritan-led opposition but now expressing it in their efforts to stymie the Jews in rebuilding the city instead of the Temple. The word “now” which leads off 4:6 has almost the sense of our expression “by the way…”—it introduces a jump to a tangential topic, which nevertheless has some relationship to what had already been discussed…..

In the above passage Mr. Lanser claims that Ezra 4:1-24 does not need to be read in strictly chronological manner. He suggests instead that verses 1-5 have in view the construction efforts of the Jewish people from reign of Cyrus (the Great) unto the start of the reign of Darius (son of Hystaspes) roughly 536-521 BC. Verses 6-23 he suggests are a parenthetical insertion that is not chronologically related to the verses 1-5 but describe events which transpire in the reigns of Xerxes (son of Darius) and Artaxerxes (son of Xerxes) over 40 and 60 years later respectively. After this chronological leap into the future, Mr. Lanser suggest that verse 24 jumps back from the future to the 2^nd year of the reign of Darius (son of Hystaspes) in 520 BC.

This chronological incongruence Mr. Lander asserts is justified by his understanding of the use of the titles Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes elsewhere in Scripture.

If we apply Dr. Coopers approach to Ezra 4 we must first attempt to understand the passage in its most natural and plain sense given in the immediate context. Only when that fails are we justified in searching for an interpretation that goes beyond the plain sense meaning of the text.

Let me show you, why taking Ezra 4 at face value in its most natural sense as a congruent and chronological testimony of real Persian history is the best approach. In fact, as you’ll see Ezra 4 proves how important it is to stick to the Golden Rule of Bible Interpretation as the go-to-method of reading the Scripture. To demonstrate this, let’s look at Ezra 4:21-24:

²¹ Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.

²² Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?

²⁴ Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:21-24)

To refresh the context of the above passage keep in mind that Ezra 4:7 opens with the enemies of the Jewish people writing to a Persian “Artaxerxes” in an effort to stop construction of Jerusalem. Their claim was that the Jewish people were building the city (which Cyrus’ original proclamation allowed) and if Artaxerxes didn’t put a stop to the effort it would result in hurt to the king. The king believed the council of these evil men and ordered a stop to the construction efforts. Verse 23 tells us that Artaxerxes’ letter was delivered to the Jewish people in Jerusalem and their construction efforts were stopped “by force and power”.

Carefully notice, that verse 23 opens with the Aramaic word ‘edayin which means: then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time. In this case ‘edayin’ at the opening of the sentence is used to chronologically connect verse 23 to the events which chronologically precede it. To the extent that Mr. Lanser believes the events of Ezra 4:6-23 are all chronologically related, the use of ‘edayin’ confirms it. I agree with him.

But verse 23 presents a problem for Mr. Lanser’s interpretation. The Aramaic word ‘edayin’ is used 57 times in the Old Testament. 56 of those occurrences, including the “now” of Ezra 4:23, clearly refer to successive events which take place in chronological order. In most cases the events described by the word ‘edayin’ transpire directly after previously described events of the text. The only other occurrence of the world ‘edayin’ found in the Bible is Ezra 4:24 and is represented by the English word “then”.

If we use a consistent Hermeneutics we must translate ‘edayin’ in Ezra 4:24 in the same manner we translated it in verse 23 – as well as the other 55 other occurrences of the word found in the Old Testament. There is simply no other reasonable way to see ‘edayin’ other than a chronological synchronism which connects successive events. By placing ‘edayin’ at the beginning of both verse 23 & verse 24 the author of Ezra wanted to ensure there was no confusion about the chronological order of events.

²⁴ Then [‘edayin] ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:22-24)

For those who would like to verify this for yourselves, here are the references for every occurrence of the word ‘edayin found in the Bible. (Ezra 4:9, 23f; 5:2, 4f, 9, 16; 6:1, 13; Dan 2:14f, 17, 19, 25, 35, 46, 48; 3:3, 13, 19, 21, 24, 26, 30; 4:7, 19; 5:3, 6, 8f, 13, 17, 24, 29; 6:3ff, 11ff, 18f, 21, 23, 25; 7:1, 11, 19)

What this contextual evidence demonstrates is that the Persian “Artaxerxes” mentioned in Ezra 4:7-23 is in fact a Persian king who ruled at some point previous to Darius (son of Hystaspes) and that by no natural reading of the text could this refer to the Persian king Artaxerxes (Longimanus). So let’s look at Ezra 4 in its natural chronological sense.

Ezra 4 opens with Jewish people beginning their construction on the temple based upon the original proclamation of Cyrus. The text then tells of efforts of their enemies to undermine those efforts. Verse 5 informs us that these enemies hired councilors to harass the Jewish people from the reign of Cyrus until the reign of Darius. Verses 6 onwards describes how these councilors petitioned a Persian king named Ahasuerus (Cambyses) to stop construction, when that did not produce results, Verses 7-23 describes how these councilors then petition a subsequent Persian king named Artaxerxes (Bardis). Their efforts to undermine the temple construction were successful with this “Artaxerxes” and in verse 24 it tells us that ‘then’ (‘edayin’) they were able to stop construction on the temple and it stopped until the 2^nd year of Darius (son of Hystaspes).

²⁴ Then [‘adayin] ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. (Ezra 4:24)

Ironically, Mr. Lanser notices that the author of Ezra likes to give an overview of events and then fills in the details afterwards but fails to appreciate this habit as it applies to the summary of events in Ezra 4:1-5 and the subsequent details of verses 6-23. He rightly observed when quoting Brown in another place in his article:

“Having discussed the chronological anomaly above, Brown moves on to another which shows that the author of Ezra-Nehemiah displays a penchant for first telling where he is going, then explaining how he gets there.”

As you’ve seen this penchant for “first telling where he is going” that is exactly what happened in Ezra 4. The book opens with a general overview of events between Cyrus and Darius and then the author fills in the details by telling us “how he gets there”. Now take a look at our original chart which we can now update to reflect the new information we have learned by applying this plain sense reading of the text.

Misquoted and Misunderstood
Before moving on there, are a couple places where Mr. Lanser seems confused about my interpretation of Ezra 4:6-7 as it relates to Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes. He states the following in his article The Seraiah Assumption:

Just as in the case of Ahasuerus in verse 6, it is alleged that Artaxerxes in verse 7 is a title for Darius the Great. But why would the same king bear two different titles? That this is Struse’s understanding is clear from this statement in his “Queen of 127 Provinces” article: “The common thread of all the above references is that Darius ‘the Great’, also known as Artaxerxes or Ahasuerus…” (emphasis added). Why would Ezra 4:6–7 mention the same king twice, by different names, in back-to-back verses that bear every indication of talking about different people? I cannot follow this logic, and feel constrained to search for a better solution. By suggesting that both Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes are titles for Darius I, Struse has expanded the identifying terms as necessary to maintain his theory. But a theory that cannot be falsified is one that cannot be proven, either. (Lanser – http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2019/04/17/The-Seraiah-Assumption-and-the-Decree-of-Daniel-925.aspx)

I want to make clear here that I’ve never stated or frankly ever seriously entertained the idea that the Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes of Ezra 4:6 & 7 were references to Darius (Hystaspes) also known as ‘the great’. I’m not sure how Mr. Lanser arrived at this conclusion from reading my article Queen of 127 Provinces. I clearly did not intimate such an belief in that article. Those who would like to verify this for yourselves, can read the article here: Queen of 127 Provinces.

As we’ve learned in this article the Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes of Ezra 4, based upon the immediate context, can only be references to Cambyses and Bardis respectively. The quote provided by Mr. Lanser above is taken out of context and the chronology of Ezra 4 is not the subject under consideration. As I demonstrated in Queen of 127 Provinces, and Yahweh willing, will more fully elucidate in a subsequent article in this series, I do believe there is reasonable evidence which demonstrates that Darius (Hystaspes) was also known by the Greek titles of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes. But to be clear – Darius is not who the Scripture has in view in Ezra 4:6 & 4:7.

Skipping the Context of the Divine Command to Restore and Build
Unfortunately for readers of Mr. Lanser’s article The Seraiah Assumption, when explaining what he terms the “Darius Assumption” he skips the context of Ezra 5 & 6 which is critical to understanding the context of Darius’ place in the 2^nd temple era. This is in my opinion a great oversight which in addition to his misreading of Ezra 4 severely handicaps Mr. Lanser’s understanding of the 2^nd temple era.

Yahweh willing, in my next article in this series we will look at how Yahweh’s divine command to restore and build Jerusalem, as witnessed by the two prophets Haggai and Zechariah, provides the missing context which is necessary to have an accurate understanding of the efforts of the Jewish people in rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple during the reign of Darius (the son of Hystaspes). This information will further enhance our understanding of the Persian era and provide us with further grounds upon which to establish a reasonable and accurate understanding of the 2^nd temple era and Ezra and Nehemiah’s place in it.

Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them. ² Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. ³ At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? (Ezra 5:1-3)

Key Points to Remember:

Cyrus (because of Yahweh’s divine will) ended the 70 years captivity of Judah in Babylon.
Cyrus’ “proclamation” allowed the Jewish people to restore both the city and temple of Jerusalem.
In the 7^th month of the 1^st year of their return the Jewish people kept the Feast of Tabernacles
In the 2^nd month of the 2^nd year of their return the priests and Levites laid the foundation of 2^nd temple.
The enemies of the Jewish people hired counselors to thwart their building efforts starting after the decree of Cyrus (536 BC) and continuing until the 2^nd year of Darius (520 BC).
The most natural reading of Ezra 4 shows a congruent and chronological description of events from the reign of Cyrus until the reign of Darius (Son of Hystaspes).
This natural chronological flow of history is confirmed by the author of Ezra use of the Aramaic word ‘edayin. This word is used exclusively in the Bible to describe successive chronological information.
This then allows us to reasonably conclude that the “Ahasuerus” of Ezra 4:6 was the Persian king Cambyses (son of Cyrus).
This also allows us to reasonable conclude that the “Artaxerxes” of Ezra 4:7 is a reference to the Persian usurper king Bardis who was deposed by Darius (son of Hystaspes).

Articles related to this series:
The Seraiah Assumption by Rick Lanser of Associates for Biblical Research
The Seraiah Assumption: Wrapping up Loose Ends by Rick Lanser

Book 1

Book I - Description

The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."

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Book 2

Book 2 - Description

Daniel's 70 Weeks -
"A book that will forever change how you understand the Bible's greatest Messianic prophecy."

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Book 3

Book 3 - Description

The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."

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