4 figures
Opponents of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
These adversaries approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, offering to help build the temple, but their true intention was to disrupt the work. When their offer was refused, they actively sought to discourage and frustrate the efforts of the Jews.
Leader of the returned exiles and governor of Judah.
Zerubbabel, along with Jeshua and the heads of the fathers' houses, refused the help of the adversaries, maintaining the purity of the work dedicated to God.
Officials who wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes to halt the rebuilding.
Rehum and Shimshai, along with their associates, wrote to King Artaxerxes, accusing the Jews of rebellion and persuading the king to issue a decree to stop the construction of the temple.
Persian king who ordered the cessation of the temple rebuilding.
King Artaxerxes responded to the letter from Rehum and Shimshai by commanding the work on the temple to cease until further notice, demonstrating the influence of opposition against God's people.