Ezra 7:26

26 Whoever will not strictly follow your God's Teachings and the king's orders should be promptly exiled, have his goods confiscated, be imprisoned or be sentenced to die.

Ezra 7:26 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 7:26

And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of
the king
Either the judge who delays judgment, or does not execute it according to the law of God, and of the king; or the people, that do not obey the law of God in matters of religion, and the law of the king in civil things, Judea being now a province of the Persian empire; though some think the law of the king only refers to this law or decree of the king, which gave the Jews power to execute their own laws:

let judgment be executed speedily upon him;
immediately, without delay, according to the nature of his crime:

whether it be unto death;
if guilty of a capital crime, deserving death, let him be put to death:

or to banishment;
from his native country to a foreign distant land;

or to rooting out
F25, as the word signifies; an utter extirpation of him and his family, a destroying him root and branch; or, as Jarchi expresses it, a rooting him out of the world, his seed and family:

or to confiscation of goods;
to payment of mulcts and fines:

or to imprisonment;
for such a term of time; all according to the breach of what law he may be guilty of; thus far the king's decree.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 (wvrvl) "ad eradicationem ejus", Pagninus, Montanus; "ad eradicationem", Tigurine version, Vatablus, De Dieu, Michaelis.

Ezra 7:26 In-Context

24 Furthermore, we are notifying you that you are forbidden to make any priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, servant, or worker in the temple of this God pay any taxes, fees, or tolls.
25 You, Ezra, using your God's wisdom--the Teachings you hold in your hands--will appoint judges and administrators for all the people who know your God's Teachings and live [in the province] west of the Euphrates River. In addition, you will teach anyone who doesn't know the Teachings.
26 Whoever will not strictly follow your God's Teachings and the king's orders should be promptly exiled, have his goods confiscated, be imprisoned or be sentenced to die.
27 [I, Ezra, said:] Thanks be to the LORD God of our ancestors. He put this into the king's mind to make the LORD's temple in Jerusalem beautiful.
28 He made the king, his advisers, and all the king's powerful officials treat me kindly. I was encouraged because the LORD my God was guiding me. So I gathered leaders in Israel to go with me.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.