Bible Strands
Ezra 4:18
The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Persian king addresses Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates in Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates. He responds directly to their formal petition regarding the restoration of Jerusalem.
The words — מְפָרַ֥שׁ (me.fa.Rash) denotes "made distinct" or translated, and קֱרִ֖י (ke.Ri) denotes "it was read aloud." The text states that officials rendered the foreign correspondence into an intelligible language before the king personally read it in his presence.
The thread — The administrative practice of translation and public reading recurs in Nehemiah 8:8, where scribes read the Law and provide understanding to the assembly. Imperial verification of historical records and written decrees also appears in the surrounding chapters of Ezra and in Daniel 6.
Why it lands — The verse establishes that royal authority depends on documented evidence and verified facts before action is taken. A reader must recognize that political and religious decisions are mediated through bureaucratic procedure rather than immediate decree.
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
The letter which ye sent unto us hath been plainly read before me.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 8:8 So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.