The Meaning of Ezra 4:14 Explained

Ezra 4:14

KJV: Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

YLT: Now, because that the salt of the palace is our salt, and the nakedness of the king we have no patience to see, therefore we have sent and made known to the king;

Darby: Now, since we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not right for us to see the king's injury, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

ASV: Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;

Discover Ezra 4:14

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ezra 4:14?

MEANING: What does Ezra 4:14 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ezra 4:14 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ezra 4:14?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now  because  we have  maintenance  from [the king's] palace,  and it was not  meet  for us to see  the king's  dishonour,  therefore  have we sent  and certified  the king; 

What does Ezra 4:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Ezra 4:11-24 - The Enemy's Short-Lived Triumph
The promoters of this letter were descendants of the heathen colonists who had been sent into the land by the Assyrians, 2 Kings 17:24. It was written to the then reigning monarch, Artaxerxes, which Ezra seems to have copied from the records of Persia, because it stands in the original in the Chaldee language. Notice that now the Israelites are first called Jews, i.e., Judahites, Ezra 4:12. They urge that the Temple-building should be stayed for the king's own sake. Secret enmity to God's kingdom is often hidden under pretended devotion to Caesar, John 19:12. We, too, have our maintenance from the God of heaven, we have eaten the salt of the palace, Ezra 4:14; and we should never allow His name to be dishonored without doing our best to prevent it. The king was imposed upon by their representations, and ordered the work to cease. But it is probable that something was due to the supineness of the Jews, who were already half-hearted in their endeavors, Haggai 1:2-9. The rebuilding of the Temple stopped during the reigns of Cambyses and the Magia Smerdis; but in the second year of Darius Hystaspes it was recommenced, and was then finished in four years, or nineteen years after its commencement, Zechariah 8:9; Haggai 2:18. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ezra 4

1  The adversaries, being not accepted in the building of the temple with the Jews,
4  endeavor to hinder it
7  Their letter to Artaxerxes
17  The answer and decree of Artaxerxes
23  The building is hindered

What do the individual words in Ezra 4:14 mean?

Now all according to because we have maintenance palace from the we receive support and dishonor king's the not it was proper for us to see on account of this we have sent and informed king the
כְּעַ֗ן כָּל־ קֳבֵל֙ דִּֽי־ מְלַ֤ח הֵֽיכְלָא֙ מְלַ֔חְנָא וְעַרְוַ֣ת מַלְכָּ֔א לָ֥א אֲ‍ֽרִֽיךְ לַ֖נָא לְמֶֽחֱזֵ֑א עַ֨ל־ דְּנָ֔ה שְׁלַ֖חְנָא וְהוֹדַ֥עְנָא לְמַלְכָּֽא

כְּעַ֗ן  Now 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כְּעַן  
Sense: now, at this time, until now.
קֳבֵל֙  according  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: קֳבֵל  
Sense: front prep.
דִּֽי־  because 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
מְלַ֤ח  we  have  maintenance 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מְלַח  
Sense: salt.
הֵֽיכְלָא֙  palace  from  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: הֵיכַל  
Sense: palace, temple.
מְלַ֔חְנָא  we  receive  support 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: מְלַח  
Sense: (P’al) to eat salt.
וְעַרְוַ֣ת  and  dishonor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עַרְוָה  
Sense: dishonour, nakedness.
מַלְכָּ֔א  king's  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
אֲ‍ֽרִֽיךְ  it  was  proper 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: אֲרִיךְ  
Sense: (P’al) to be long, reach, meet (BDB/TWOT).
לַ֖נָא  for  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
לְמֶֽחֱזֵ֑א  to  see 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: חֲזָה  
Sense: to see, behold.
עַ֨ל־  on  account 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל  
Sense: upon, over, on account of, above, to, against.
דְּנָ֔ה  of  this 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: דְּנָה  
Sense: this, on account of this adv.
שְׁלַ֖חְנָא  we  have  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: שְׁלַח  
Sense: to send.
וְהוֹדַ֥עְנָא  and  informed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, first person common plural
Root: יְדַע  
Sense: to know.
לְמַלְכָּֽא  king  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.

What are the major concepts related to Ezra 4:14?

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Similar Scriptures for Ezra 4:14

Ezekiel 33:31 [2]
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