| Ezra 4 | |
|---|---|
 The books of Daniel and Ezra–Nehemiah from the sixth edition of the Mikraot Gedolot (rabbinic bible), published 1618–1619. | |
| Book | Book of Ezra |
| Category | Ketuvim |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 15 |
Ezra 4 is the fourth chapter of the Book of Ezra in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible,[1] or the book of Ezra–Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible, which treats the book of Ezra and book of Nehemiah as one book.[2] Jewish tradition states that Ezra is the author of Ezra–Nehemiah as well as the Book of Chronicles,[3] but modern scholars generally accept that a compiler from the 5th century BCE (the so-called "Chronicler") is the final author of these books.[4] The section comprising chapter 1 to 6 describes the history before the arrival of Ezra in the land of Judah [5][6] in 468 BCE.[7] This chapter records the opposition of the non-Jews to the re-building of the temple and their correspondence with the kings of Persia which brought a stop to the project until the reign of Darius the Great.[8][9]
- ^ Halley 1965, p. 233.
- ^ Grabbe 2003, p. 313.
- ^ Babylonian Talmud Baba Bathra 15a, apud Fensham 1982, p. 2
- ^ Fensham 1982, pp. 2–4.
- ^ Grabbe 2003, p. 314.
- ^ Fensham 1982, p. 4.
- ^ Davies, G. I., "Introduction to the Pentateuch" in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary Archived 2017-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, p. 19
- ^ Smith-Christopher 2007, p. 313–314.
- ^ Levering 2007, p. 51.