Ezra 4:14

"Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful to the kings."

Key Reflection

The original audience of Ezra 4:14 would recognize this statement as a strategic plea to King Artaxerxes I, emphasizing the economic and political ramifications of rebuilding Jerusalem. The speaker argues that completing the city's walls would result in reduced tax revenue for the Persian Empire, making it "hurtful" in the long term. This reflects the tension between the Persian authorities and the Judean community seeking to rebuild their homeland, highlighting the potential loss of imperial control over a fortified city that could no longer be easily managed or taxed.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

We have maintenance -See the margin. The phrase “to eat a man’s salt” is common in the East to this day; and is applied not only to those who receive salaries, but to all who obtain their subsistence by means of another. The Persian satraps had no salaries, but taxed their provinces for the support of themselves and their courts.

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