Ezra7

Ezra, a priest and a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, journeyed from Babylon to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. The king issued a comprehensive decree, granting Ezra authority and resources to transport offerings for the temple, inquire into the state of Judah, and establish God's law. Many Israelites, priests, and Levites accompanied Ezra, whose mission was enabled by the good hand of his God.

Introduction of Ezra the Scribe

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest;

Ezra Prepares for the Journey

this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the Torah of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God on him.

There went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

For on the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him.

For Ezra had set his heart to seek the LORD’s law, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.

The Decree of King Artaxerxes

Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel:

Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.

Because you are sent of the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

and all the silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs, with their meal offerings and their drink offerings, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

Whatever shall seem good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that after the will of your God.

The vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem.

Whatever more shall be needful for the house of your God, which you shall have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.

I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence,

to one hundred talents of silver, and to one hundred measures of wheat, and to one hundred baths of wine, and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.

Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

Also we inform you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll, on them.

You, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God who is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach him who doesn’t know them.

Whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him with all diligence, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Ezra's Doxology and Response

Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the LORD’s house which is in Jerusalem;

and has extended loving kindness to me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God on me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Study Notes for Ezra 7

Verse 1

This verse sets the historical context, placing Ezra’s journey in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I (458 BC), 57 years after the first return. Ezra’s lineage is listed to establish his high priestly credentials.

Verse 5

The genealogy traces Ezra’s ancestry back to Aaron, the first high priest, via Phinehas and Eleazar. This linkage establishes his unquestionable authority to handle sacred matters and the Law.

Verse 6

Ezra is characterized as a 'ready scribe' (Hebrew: *sopher mahir*), meaning he was skilled not only in copying but in interpreting and applying the Law of Moses. His success in obtaining royal favor is attributed to the 'hand of the LORD,' a theological theme denoting divine favor and enablement.

Verse 7

The returning group included diverse temple functionaries (priests, Levites, singers, porters, and Nethinims), indicating that the primary goal of this second wave was the formal establishment of Temple worship and administration.

Verse 9

The journey took exactly four months. The repetition of the phrase 'according to the good hand of his God upon him' highlights the belief that God actively guided and protected them during the dangerous travel period.

Verse 10

This verse is the theological cornerstone defining Ezra’s life and mission. He models leadership by prioritizing three actions: seeking (studying the Law), doing (obeying it personally), and teaching (disseminating it to Israel).

Verse 11

The narrative transitions here into Aramaic (the official language of the Persian Empire) until 8:1. This official royal letter provides the legal mandate for Ezra's mission and the authority needed for reform.

Verse 12

Artaxerxes uses the imperial title 'king of kings,' a common Persian claim of universal sovereignty. He refers to the Jewish deity as 'the God of heaven,' a respectful, diplomatic title used by the Persians.

Verse 14

Ezra is commissioned as a royal commissioner, empowered by the king and his seven chief counselors to conduct an official investigation into the religious compliance of Judah based on the Torah.

Verse 21

The king issues a direct command to the provincial treasurers west of the Euphrates ('beyond the river') to provide Ezra with whatever supplies he requests for the Temple upkeep.

Verse 22

The decree authorized massive specific quantities of resources (100 talents of silver is roughly 3.4 tons), demonstrating the significant financial support the Persian Empire provided to ensure the Temple’s operation.

Verse 23

This verse reveals the pragmatic motivation behind the royal generosity: the Persians sought to appease the powerful 'God of heaven' to avoid incurring divine wrath upon their empire and dynasty.

Verse 24

This crucial provision grants full tax exemption (toll, tribute, or custom) to all individuals engaged in Temple service, ensuring the financial viability and stability of the entire religious infrastructure.

Verse 25

Ezra is granted the authority to establish the Law of God as the civil law for the province, appointing judges and magistrates. This empowered Ezra to restructure the Jewish community based on the Torah.

Verse 26

The decree is backed by severe legal penalties (including death and banishment), confirming that the laws established by Ezra, based on the Torah, now carried the full weight of Persian imperial enforcement.

Verse 27

Ezra returns to the Hebrew language here and offers immediate praise to God. He recognizes that the extraordinary goodwill and detailed support from the pagan king were ultimately God’s sovereign work on behalf of His people.

Verse 28

Ezra credits his own strength and success in gathering leaders for the return entirely to the divine assistance, reinforcing the theme that God’s 'hand' was the true source of his authority and effectiveness.

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Ezra7

Introduction of Ezra the Scribe

Ezra Prepares for the Journey

The Decree of King Artaxerxes

Ezra's Doxology and Response

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