⁴ Then [the Samaritans and others of] the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them [to deter them] from building, ⁵ and hired advisers [to work] against them to frustrate their plans during the entire time that Cyrus king of Persia reigned, [and this lasted] even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.~

Ezra 4:5-6 (AMP)

Short interlude

“This section (Ezra 4:4-23) is a broad overview of Samaritan resistance to the work of rebuilding the temple and the city of Jerusalem, extending into the days of Nehemiah. It is a section unto itself, somewhat interrupting the flow of the text between Ezra 4:3 and Ezra 4:24.” (enduringword.com)

Opposition strengthens

Opposition to the work of rebuilding the temple strengthened. As we’ll see tomorrow, this opposition continued for 14 years during the reigns of Cambyses and Smerdis – even until  Darius. It then continued through the reign of Xerxes to Artaxerxes. Refer to this diagram for the timeline. Look at the “Building of the temple” mark. Rebuilding started in about 536BC but this opposition caused them to stop in 534 for 14 years until about 520BC and finish in 516. It took twenty years total.

Origins of Antisemitism?

Antisemitism is hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people. These are the “enemies of Judah and Benjamin” from v1, made up of Samaritans and other non-Jews living in the land. They really were opposed to the Jews living back in the promised land. You could say, they were therefore opposed to God’s plan. 

Opposition Strengthens

This statement can go two ways. What do we do when the opposition to the work strengthens? There’s an expression in English, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”. When the opposition strengthens, the opposition (can) strengthen (us). That is, the fact that we encounter opposition and obstacles is God-allowed and ultimately part of God’s plan. If we trust Him, we can be strengthened by the opposition.