Ezra 5:8
New International Version
The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

New Living Translation
“The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.

English Standard Version
Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

Berean Standard Bible
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.

King James Bible
Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands.

New King James Version
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the temple of the great God, which is being built with heavy stones, and timber is being laid in the walls; and this work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

New American Standard Bible
May it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God which is being built with large stones, and beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is being performed with great care and is succeeding in their hands.

NASB 1995
“Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with huge stones, and beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is going on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.

NASB 1977
“Let it be known to the king, that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with huge stones, and beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is going on with great care and is succeeding in their hands.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, and it is being built with huge stones, and timber is being put within the walls; and that work is going on with all diligence and is succeeding in their hands.

Amplified Bible
Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, with beams laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and care and is succeeding in their hands.

Christian Standard Bible
Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people’s efforts.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let it be known to the king that we went to the house of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being built with cut stones, and its beams are being set in the walls. This work is being done diligently and succeeding through the people’s efforts.

American Standard Version
Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But let the King know that we go to Judea to the city of the great God, and she is being built with great stones and many acacia wood beams were bound in its walls, and a great work is done there, and a great work is going up and is progressing to the summit by their hands.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Be it known to the king, that we went into the land of Judea, to the house of the great God; and it is building with choice stones, and they are laying timbers in the walls, and that work is prospering, and goes on favorably in their hands.

Contemporary English Version
We went to Judah, where the temple of the great God is being built with huge stones and wooden beams set in the walls. Everyone is working hard, and the building is going up quickly.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Be it known to the king, that we went to the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which they are building with unpolished stones, and timber is laid in the walls: and this work is carried on diligently, and advanceth in their hands.

English Revised Version
Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The temple is being built with large stones and with wooden beams laid in its walls. The builders are doing an excellent job and making rapid progress.

Good News Translation
"Your Majesty should know that we went to the province of Judah and found that the Temple of the great God is being rebuilt with large stone blocks and with wooden beams set in the wall. The work is being done with great care and is moving ahead steadily.

International Standard Version
This is to inform the king that we traveled to the Temple of the great God in the Judean province, which is being built with large stones and reinforced with wooden beams in its walls. The work proceeds diligently and is in capable hands.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth on with diligence and prospereth in their hands.

Literal Standard Version
“To Darius the king, all peace! Be it known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the great house of God, and it is built [with] rolled stones, and wood is placed in the walls, and this work is done speedily, and prospering in their hand.

Majority Standard Bible
Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands.

New American Bible
Let it be known to the king that we have visited the province of Judah and the house of the great God: it is being rebuilt of cut stone and the walls are being reinforced with timber; the work is being carried out diligently, prospering under their hands.

NET Bible
Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands.

New Revised Standard Version
May it be known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built of hewn stone, and timber is laid in the walls; this work is being done diligently and prospers in their hands.

New Heart English Bible
Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls; and this work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

Webster's Bible Translation
Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work proceedeth rapidly, and prospereth in their hands.

World English Bible
Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on with diligence and prospers in their hands.

Young's Literal Translation
To Darius the king, all peace! be it known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the great house of God, and it is built with rolled stones, and wood is placed in the walls, and this work is done speedily, and prospering in their hand.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Tattenai's Letter to Darius
7The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: All peace. 8Let it be known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently and is prospering in their hands. 9So we questioned the elders and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”…

Cross References
Ezra 5:7
The report they sent him read as follows: To King Darius: All peace.

Ezra 5:9
So we questioned the elders and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?"


Treasury of Scripture

Be it known to the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goes fast on, and prospers in their hands.

the province

Ezra 2:1
Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;

Nehemiah 7:6
These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;

Nehemiah 11:3
Now these are the chief of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem: but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, to wit, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinims, and the children of Solomon's servants.

the great God

Ezra 1:2,3
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD 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…

Ezra 6:10
That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.

Ezra 7:23
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

great stones.

Mark 13:1,2
And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! …

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Beams Builded Built Diligence Fast Goes Great Hands House Huge Judah Judea Laid Proceedeth Prospereth Prospers Province Rapidly Stones Timber Walls Work
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Beams Builded Built Diligence Fast Goes Great Hands House Huge Judah Judea Laid Proceedeth Prospereth Prospers Province Rapidly Stones Timber Walls Work
Ezra 5
1. Zerubbabel and Jeshua, incited by Haggai and Zechariah, set forward to building
3. Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai are not able to hinder the Jews
6. Their letter to Darius against the Jews














(8) To the house of the great God.--A solemn tribute to the God of the Jews, which, however, the decree of Cyrus enables us to understand in this official document. Tatnai probably dwelt at Damascus, and when he went to Jerusalem was deeply impressed. But he only gives a statement of the progress which he observed in the Temple. "The walls here are the walls within the Temple, not the city walls.

Verse 8. - We went into the province of Judaea. It has been supposed (Pusey's 'Daniel,' p. 571), on the strength of a doubtful passage in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:7), that Tatnai ordinarily resided at Jernsalem. But this expression indicates the contrary. Most probably the satrap of Syria held his court at Damascus. The house of the great God is a remarkable expression in the mouth of a heathen. It has some parallels, e.g. the expressions of Cyrus in Ezra 1:2, 3, and of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:47 and Daniel 3:29; but they were persons who had been brought to the knowledge that Jehovah was the one true God, under very peculiar and miraculous circumstances. Tatnai, on the other hand, represents the mere ordinary Persian official; and his acknowledgment of the God of the Jews as "the great God" must be held to indicate the general belief of the Persians on the subject (see the comment on Ezra 1:2). Which is builded. Rather, "being builded." With great stones. Literally, "stones of rolling," which is commonly explained as stones so large that they had to be rolled along the ground. But the squared stones used in building neither were, nor could be, rolled; they are always represented as dragged, generally on a rough sledge. And it is not at all probable that in the "day of small things" (Zechariah 4:10) the Jews were building with very large stones. The LXX. translate "choice stones;" the Vulgate "unpolished" or "rough stone." Some of the Jewish expositors suggest "marble." And timber is laid. A good deal of timber had been employed in the old temple, but chiefly for the floors of chambers (1 Kings 6:10), for the internal lining of the walls (ibid. vers. 9, 15), and probably for the roofing. In the new temple, timber seems to have been employed also as the main material of the party-walls. Here again we have a trace of the economy necessary in the "day of small things."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Let it be
לֶהֱוֵ֣א (le·hĕ·wê)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1934: To become, come to pass, be

known
יְדִ֣יעַ ׀ (yə·ḏî·a‘)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 3046: To know

to the king
לְמַלְכָּ֗א (lə·mal·kā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 4430: A king

that
דִּֽי־ (dî-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 1768: Who, which, that, because

we went
אֲזַ֜לְנָא (’ă·zal·nā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 236: To go, go off

into the province
מְדִֽינְתָּא֙ (mə·ḏî·nə·tā)
Noun - feminine singular determinate
Strong's 4083: A judgeship, jurisdiction, a district, a region

of Judah,
לִיה֤וּד (lî·hūḏ)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3061: Judah -- the southern kingdom, named for one of the twelve tribes

to the house
לְבֵית֙ (lə·ḇêṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1005: A house

of the great
רַבָּ֔א (rab·bā)
Adjective - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 7229: Abundant

God.
אֱלָהָ֣א (’ĕ·lā·hā)
Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 426: God

[The people]
וְה֤וּא (wə·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1932: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

are rebuilding it
מִתְבְּנֵא֙ (miṯ·bə·nê)
Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1124: To build

with large stones,
אֶ֣בֶן (’e·ḇen)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 69: A stone

and placing
מִתְּשָׂ֣ם (mit·tə·śām)
Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7761: To set, make

timbers
וְאָ֖ע (wə·’ā‘)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 636: A tree, wood

in the walls.
בְּכֻתְלַיָּ֑א (bə·ḵuṯ·lay·yā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural determinate
Strong's 3797: A wall

This
דָ֛ךְ (ḏāḵ)
Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 1791: This

work
וַעֲבִ֥ידְתָּא (wa·‘ă·ḇî·ḏə·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular determinate
Strong's 5673: Labor, business

is being carried out
מִתְעַבְדָ֖א (miṯ·‘aḇ·ḏā)
Verb - Hitpael - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 5648: To do, make, prepare, keep

diligently
אָסְפַּ֥רְנָא (’ā·sə·par·nā)
Adverb
Strong's 629: Thoroughly, with (all) diligence

and is prospering
וּמַצְלַ֥ח (ū·maṣ·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6744: To advance

in their hands.
בְּיֶדְהֹֽם׃ (bə·yeḏ·hōm)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3028: A hand


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OT History: Ezra 5:8 Be it known to the king that (Ezr. Ez)
Ezra 5:7
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