Lexical Summary tarpelaye: Tarpelites Original Word: טַרְפְּלַי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Tarpelites (Aramaic) from a name of foreign derivation; a Tarpelite (collectively) or inhabitants of Tarpel, a place in Assyria -- Tarpelites. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) of foreign origin Definition official (a Pers. title) NASB Translation officials (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs טַרְמְּלָיֵא proper name, of a people so most, Ezra 4:9 (AndrM 64* a title; HoffmZA ii. 55 compare * Persian taraparda, i.e. beyond the bridge; < Scheft86 compare Old Iranian tarapâra, beyond the shore [= transriparii Id.MGWJ 47, 316] translation of עֲבַר נַהֲרָא).Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence The name appears once, in Ezra 4:9, in the list of ethnic groups and officials who signed a letter to King Artaxerxes seeking to halt the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and temple. Historical Background After the exile, the Persian Empire governed Judah as a small province within the larger satrapy of Trans-Euphrates. The Samarian administration, populated by transplanted peoples of Assyrian and Babylonian origin, feared the economic and political consequences of a restored Jewish center. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe gathered representatives of various colonist communities—including the Tarplaites—to petition the king. Their coalition reflects the imperial policy of ethnic mixing (2 Kings 17:24) and shows how disparate peoples could unite against the covenant people of God when His purposes threatened their own interests. Identity and Location The precise homeland of the Tarplaites is uncertain. Suggestions range from a district in northern Mesopotamia to a Phoenician coastal region possibly connected to later Tripolis. Whatever their origin, their presence in Samaria indicates forced relocation by earlier Assyrian or Babylonian campaigns. By Ezra’s day they served Persia as local administrators, sharing political power with Persians, Erechites, Babylonians, and others. Role in Redemptive History 1. Opposition to Restoration. By signing the hostile letter (Ezra 4:8–16) the Tarplaites stand as representatives of worldly systems that resist God’s redemptive plan. Their actions delayed the work but could not thwart it (Ezra 6:14). Lessons for Faith and Ministry • Expect spiritual resistance. Faithfulness to God’s restorative work often provokes concerted opposition (Nehemiah 4:7–8; 2 Timothy 3:12). Related Scriptures Ezra 4:1–24; Ezra 5:1–5; Ezra 6:14–22; Nehemiah 6:15–16; Psalm 2:1–6; Acts 4:25–29; Romans 8:31–39. Key Quotation “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” (Ezra 6:14) Forms and Transliterations טַרְפְּלָיֵ֣א טרפליא ṭar·pə·lā·yê tarpelaYe ṭarpəlāyêLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 4:9 HEB: דִּ֠ינָיֵא וַאֲפַרְסַתְכָיֵ֞א טַרְפְּלָיֵ֣א אֲפָֽרְסָיֵ֗א [אַרְכְּוָי NAS: and the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, KJV: the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, INT: the judges and the lesser the officials the secretaries Archevite 1 Occurrence |
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