Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 19th, 2026
the Third Sunday after Easter
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Ezra 5:4

Then said wee vnto them after this maner, What are the names of the men that make this building?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Liberality;   Temple;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Temple, the Second;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Tatnai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Persia;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ezra, Book of;   Jeshua;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Darius;   Nehemiah, Book of;   Sheshbazzar;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Thessalonians Epistles to the;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Building;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They also asked them, “What are the names of the workers who are constructing this building?”
Hebrew Names Version
Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were who were making this building.
King James Version
Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?
English Standard Version
They also asked them this: "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"
New Century Version
They also asked, "What are the names of the men working on this building?"
New English Translation
They also asked them, "What are the names of the men who are building this edifice?"
Amplified Bible
Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were reconstructing this building.
New American Standard Bible
Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building.
World English Bible
Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were who were making this building.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayde we vnto them after this maner, What are the names of the men that buylde this buylding?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were rebuilding this building.
Berean Standard Bible
They also asked, "What are the names of the men who are constructing this building?"
Contemporary English Version
Give us the names of the workers!"
Complete Jewish Bible
What are the names of the men putting up this building?"
Darby Translation
And they said to them after this manner: What are the names of the men that build this building?
Easy-to-Read Version
They also asked Zerubbabel, "What are the names of the men who are working on this building?"
George Lamsa Translation
Then they spoke to them according to the law, saying, What are the names of the men who are doing this building?
Good News Translation
They also asked for the names of all the men who were helping build the Temple.
Lexham English Bible
Then we asked them this: "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"
Literal Translation
Then we spoke to them in this way, What are they, the names of the men building this building?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then tolde we them the names of the men, that made this buyldinge.
American Standard Version
Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the men were that were making this building.
Bible in Basic English
Then they said these words to them: What are the names of the men who are at work on this building?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide we vnto them after this maner: What are the names of the men that make this building?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Then spoke we unto them after this manner [, wrote they]: What are the names of the men that build this building?'
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then they spoke thus to them, What are the names of the men that build this city?
English Revised Version
Then spake we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To which thing we answeriden to hem, whiche weren the names of men, autours of that bildyng.
Update Bible Version
Then we told them after this manner, what the names of the [work]men were that were making this building.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said we to them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?
New King James Version
Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building.
New Living Translation
They also asked for the names of all the men working on the Temple.
New Life Bible
They also asked, "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"
New Revised Standard
They also asked them this, "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, after this manner, spake we unto them, - What are the names of these men, who, this building, do rear?
Douay-Rheims Bible
In answer to which we gave them the names of the men who were the promoters of that building.
Revised Standard Version
They also asked them this, "What are the names of the men who are building this building?"
Young's Literal Translation
Then thus we have said to them, `What [are] the names of the men who are building this building?'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building.

Contextual Overview

3 At the same time came to them Tatnai, gouernour on this side the Riuer, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, and said thus vnto them; Who hath commaunded you to build this house, and to make vp this wall? 4 Then said wee vnto them after this maner, What are the names of the men that make this building? 5 But the eye of their God was vpon the Elders of the Iewes, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answere by letter concerning this matter. 6 The copy of the letter that Tatnai, gouernour on this side the Riuer, and Shethar-Boznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the Riuer, sent vnto Darius the King: 7 They sent a letter vnto him, wherein was written thus: Unto Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it knowen vnto the king, that we went into the prouince of Iudea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, & timber is laied in the wals, and this worke goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands. 9 Then asked we those Elders, and said vnto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make vp these walles? 10 We asked their names also, to certifie thee, that we might write the names of the men that were the chiefe of them. 11 And thus they returned vs answere, saying, We are the seruants of the God of heauen and earth, and build the house that was builded these many yeeres agoe, which a great King of Israel builded, and set vp. 12 But after that our fathers had prouoked the God of heauen vnto wrath: he gaue them into the hande of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Caldean, who destroyed this house, and caried the people away into Babylon.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What are: Ezra 5:10

make this building: Chal, build this building

Reciprocal: Ezra 5:9 - Who commanded

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said vnto them, Be fruitfull, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and haue dominion ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the aire, and ouer euery liuing thing that mooueth vpon the earth.
Genesis 5:1
This is the booke of the generations of Adam: In the day that God created man, in the likenes of God made he him.
Genesis 5:3
And Adam liued an hundred and thirtie yeeres, and begate a sonne in his owne likenesse, after his image; and called his name Seth.
Genesis 5:7
And Seth liued, after he begate Enos, eight hundred and seuen yeeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.
Genesis 5:10
And Enos liued after hee begate Cainan, eight hundred and fifteene yeeres, and begate sonnes & daughters.
Genesis 5:13
And Cainan liued after he begate Mahalaleel, eight hundred and fourtie yeeres, & begate sonnes and daughters.
Genesis 5:19
And Iared liued after he begate Enoch, eight hundred yeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.
Genesis 5:22
And Enoch walked with God, after he begate Methuselah, three hundred yeeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.
Genesis 5:26
And Methuselah liued, after hee begate Lamech, seuen hundred, eightie and two yeeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.
Genesis 5:30
And Lamech liued, after hee begate Noah, fiue hundred ninetie and fiue yeeres, and begate sonnes and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said we unto them after this manner,.... In answer to their questions; namely, Ezra and other Jews replied; for though Ezra is said after this to come from Babylon in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, he might go thither on some business, and then return again at that time; some indeed think these are the words of Tatnai and those with him; so Ben Melech, which seems to be favoured by Ezra 4:10, and by reading the words with an interrogation, as we do; Aben Ezra says they are either the words of the builders, or of the scribes, the secretaries that came to question them; but they are the words of the former, as order requires, or otherwise no answer would be returned, at least as expressed; and the next clause may be read without an interrogation, and the sense be, that they told them not only that they acted according to an edict of Cyrus king of Persia, for this was said, as appears from Ezra 5:13, but they declared

what were the names of the men that did make this building; or employed them in it, namely, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the chief men of the Jews; they made no scruple of telling them who they were; neither ashamed of their masters nor of their work, nor afraid of any ill consequences following hereafter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then said we - The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions have “Then said they,” which brings this verse into exact accordance with Ezra 5:10.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezra 5:4. What are the names — It is most evident that this is the answer of the Jews to the inquiry of Tatnai, Ezra 5:3, and the verse should be read thus: Then said we unto them after this manner: THESE are the names of the men who make this building.


 
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