Ezra Chapter 4 - The Assyrians and the Israelites

Ezra chapter four introduces these parties as the adversaries of judah and benjamin. They presented themselves as worshippers of the lord who wanted to be involved in the rebuilding project. Their underlying hostility towards the project became more apparent as their initial offers were rebuffed. The primary source of opposition came from samaritans, who had descended from a mixture of pagan peoples resettled by the assyrians and the remnant of the ten israelite tribes who had formerly occupied that land. So they feared the lord, but also served their own gods after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away to this stay. This process lasted for the entirety of the reign of