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Ezra 4:14

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does Ezra 4:14 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king`s dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king`s dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;
Ezra 4:14 — American Standard Version

Context — Ezra 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
11This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto Artaxerxes the king: Thy servants the men beyond the River, and so forth.
12Be it known unto the king, that the Jews that came up from thee are come to us unto Jerusalem; they are building the rebellious and the bad city, and have finished the walls, and repaired the foundations.
13Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and in the end it will be hurtful unto the kings.
14Now because we eat the salt of the palace, and it is not meet for us to see the king`s dishonor, therefore have we sent and certified the king;
15that search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time; for which cause was this city laid waste.
16We certify the king that, if this city be builded, and the walls finished, by this means thou shalt have no portion beyond the River.
17[Then] sent the king an answer unto Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions that dwell in Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.
← Ezra 4:13Ezra 4:15 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Now because we have maintenance from the king’s palace, etc.] Have posts under the king, to which salaries were annexed, by which they were supported, and which they had from the king’s exchequer; or “salt” f49 , as in the original, some places of honour and trust formerly being paid in salt; hence, as Pliny f50 observes, such honours and rewards were called “salaries”: and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour; to see any thing done injurious to his crown and dignity, to his honour and revenues, when we are supported by him; this would be ungrateful as well as unjust: therefore have we sent and certified the king; of the truth of what is before related; and, for the further…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“we have maintenance from the king's palace--literally, "we are salted with the salt of the palace." "Eating a prince's salt" is an Oriental phrase, equivalent to "receiving maintenance from him."”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“4:14 Since we are your loyal subjects: The Aramaic phrase we eat the salt of the palace was a metaphor for taking an oath of loyalty to the king. • The letter’s authors claimed that their only interest was to preserve the honor of the king, but they were actually grasping for power and political advantage over the Jews.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“have maintenance: etc. Chal, are salted with the salt of the palace, Salt is reckoned among the principal necessaries of life (Ecclus. 39:26 or verse 31); hence, by a very natural figure, salt is used for food or maintenance in general. I am well informed, says Mr. Parkhurst, that it is a common expression of the natives in the East Indies, "I eat such a one's salt," meaning, I am fed by him. Salt was also, as it still is, among eastern nations, a symbol of friendship and hospitality; and hence, to eat a man's salt, is to be bound to him by the ties of friendship. and it was: Eze 33:31; Joh 12:5, Joh 12:6, Joh 19:12-15 Ezra 4:15”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification