Ezra 4 · a question people ask
Was the letter telling the truth about Jerusalem?
Ezra doesn't give a verdict on the letter, so these notes don't either. The king's own search reports that "it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it" (4:19), and the king adds, "There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them" (4:20). What the letter says would happen next is a warning, not a report: "if this city is built and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll" (4:13). The chapter doesn't say whether that would have been so. The writers give their own reason for writing: "because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor" (4:14). The chapter says no more about why they wrote.
The verses
“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. Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not appropriate for us to see the king’s dishonor, therefore we have sent and informed the king,”
“I decreed, and search has been made, and it was found that this city has made insurrection against kings in the past, and that rebellion and revolts have been made in it. There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them.”