Bible Strands
Ezra 4:11
(This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The men living west of the Euphrates address King Artaxerxes as his servants, submitting a formal report at the moment Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem to restore the city and its foundations.
The words — פַּרְשֶׁגֶן (parShegen) means "copy" or "text," designating this passage as the official transcript of the correspondence. אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתּ (Artachasht) identifies the Persian monarch receiving the document.
The thread — This administrative framing of Jewish restoration work continues in Ezra 4:12 and echoes the official correspondence genre found in Ezra 4:7-23 and Daniel 4:8-9.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of how state records document covenant communities, requiring readers to trace the political mechanisms that either obstruct or permit religious rebuilding.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.