were made to get Persian permission to rebuild the walls (Ezra 4:6—in the time of Xerxes; Ezra 4:12–13, 16—in the time of Artaxerxes, clearly,) but favorable action came only after the Egyptian revolt after 448 B.C. The walls of Jerusalem could hardly have been effectively repaired so long as Jerusalem and Judah were under the direct control of Samaria. That consideration alone is responsible for the great care taken by the Jewish authorities not to overstep their bounds. It is altogether possible,