Ezra 7:6-16

6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ¹scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested ²because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.

7 ³Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

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

9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, ⁴because the good hand of his God was upon him.

10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and ⁵to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

King's Decree on Behalf of Ezra

11 Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD and His statutes to Israel:

12 "Artaxerxes, ⁶king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now

13 ⁷I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

14 "Forasmuch * * as you are sent by the king and his ⁸seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ⁹whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

16 with ¹⁰all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along ¹¹with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who ¹²offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

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Ezra 7:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 7

In this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra described, Ezr 7:1-6, his expedition to Jerusalem, and of many others with him, Ezr 7:7-10, a copy of the commission King Artaxerxes gave him to execute, Ezr 7:11-26, and his thankfulness, Ezr 7:27,28.

and the dedication of it, and keeping the passover:

\\in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia\\; in the seventh year of his reign, Ezr 7:7,8, who is the same with Darius in the preceding chapter; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; \\See Gill on "Ezr 6:14"\\.

\\Ezra the son of Seraiah\\; the high priest slain by Nebuchadnezzar Jer 52:24,27, this Ezra was a younger son of his, brother to Josedech, and uncle to Joshua, who were high priests in succession; his pedigree is carried in the ascending line up to Aaron, in this and the four following verses; only six generations, for brevity sake, are omitted, between Azariah and Meraioth, which may be supplied from 1Ch 6:7-10, \\See Gill on "1Ch 6:3\\. 20133-950205-1547-Ezr7.2

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 12

1. Ezra 7:11, 12, 21
2. Ezra 7:9, 28; Ezra 8:22
3. Ezra 8:1-20
4. Ezra 7:6; Nehemiah 2:8
5. Deuteronomy 33:10; Ezra 7:25; Nehemiah 8:1
6. Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37
7. Ezra 6:1
8. Ezra 7:15, 28; Ezra 8:25
9. 2 Chronicles 6:2; Ezra 6:12; Psalms 135:21
10. Ezra 8:25
11. Ezra 1:4, 6
12. 1 Chronicles 29:6

Footnotes 6

[a]. Lit "his request"
[b]. Lit "was the foundation"
[c]. Lit "seek"
[d]. Lit "the scribe of"
[e]. Ch 7:12-26 is in Aram
[f]. Lit "from before"