Gentlemen, are not men strongest, who rule over land and sea and all that is in them?: The second guard uses this question to introduce his topic. It is a rhetorical question, so it may be rendered as a statement (so Good News Bible). For Gentlemen see the comments on 1 Esd 3.18. Men refers to human beings in general. For the idea of strongest in this context, see the comments on 1 Esd 3.5. For who rule over land and sea and all that is in them, compare Gen 1.26, 28. An alternative model for this verse is:

• “Honored sirs, do [or, will] you not agree that human beings, who dominate [or, rule over] everything on land and in the sea, are the most powerful of all forces?

Since the speaker is not giving his answer here, but only leading up to the answer in verse 3, another possible model is:

• “Honored sirs, you may at first think that human beings are the most powerful of all forces, since they dominate everything else in the world.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.