Take heed now that ye fail not to do this: why should damage grow to the hurt of the kings?
The decree came from the Persian throne as a direct command to halt the Jewish rebuilding of Jerusalem before mounting harm from the city could injure the interests of the kings. Its purpose was preventive, to check damage while it was still growing rather than after it had become entrenched against royal authority. The stop order applied to the restoration as a whole, so that work on the temple and work on the city were both brought to an interruption. Jerusalem therefore stood checked by imperial prohibition, with its sacred and civic rebuilding alike suspended under the king's command.
The decree came from the Persian throne as a direct command to halt the Jewish rebuilding of Jerusalem before mounting harm from the city could injure the interests of the kings. Its purpose was preventive, to check damage while it was still growing rather than after it had become entrenched against royal authority. The stop order applied to the restoration as a whole, so that work on the temple and work on the city were both brought to an interruption. Jerusalem therefore stood checked by imperial prohibition, with its sacred and civic rebuilding alike suspended under the king's command.