Ezra 7

Ezra Journeys from Babylon to Jerusalem

1 ¹Now after these things, in the reign of ²Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,

2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,

3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,

4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,

5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest.

6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a ³scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all he requested ⁴because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.

7 ⁵Some 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, ⁶because 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 ⁷to 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, ⁸king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now

13 ⁹I 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 ¹⁰seven 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, ¹¹whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

16 with ¹²all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along ¹³with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who ¹⁴offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

17 with this money, therefore * *, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, ¹⁵with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and ¹⁶offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

18 "Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.

19 "Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

20 "The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, ¹⁷provide for it from the royal treasury.

21 "I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the River, that whatever * Ezra the priest, ¹⁸the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently,

22 even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt as needed.

23 "Whatever * is commanded * by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, ¹⁹so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

24 "We also inform you that ²⁰it is not allowed to impose tax, tribute or toll ²¹on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.

25 "You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, ²²appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge * all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may ²³teach anyone who is ignorant * of them.

26 "²⁴Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment."

The King's Kindness

27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, ²⁵who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to adorn the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,

28 and ²⁶has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to ²⁷the hand of the LORD my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

Ezra goes up to Jerusalem. (1-10) The commission to Ezra. (11-26) Ezra blesses God for his favour. (27,28)

Verses 1-10 Ezra went from Babylon to Jerusalem, for the good of his country. The king was kind to him; he granted all his requests, whatever Ezra desired to enable him to serve his country. When he went, many went with him; he obtained favour from his king, by the Divine favour. Every creature is that to us, which God makes it to be. We must see the hand of God in the events that befal us, and acknowledge him with thankfulness.

Verses 11-26 The liberality of heathen kings to support the worship of God, reproached the conduct of many kings of Judah, and will rise up in judgment against the covetousness of wealthy professed Christians, who will not promote the cause of God. But the weapons of Christian ministers are not carnal. Faithful preaching, holy lives, fervent prayers, and patient suffering when called to it, are the means to bring men into obedience to Christ.

Verses 27-28 Two things Ezra blessed God for: 1. For his commission. If any good appear in our hearts, or in the hearts of others, we must own that God put it there, and bless him; it is he that worketh in us, both to will and to do that which is good. 2. For his encouragement: God has extended mercy to me. Ezra was a man of courage, yet he ascribed this not to his own heart, but to God's hand. If God give us his hand, we are bold and cheerful; if he withdraw it, we are weak as water. Whatever we are enabled to do for God and those around us, God must have all the glory.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Chronicles 6:4-14
• 2. Ezra 7:12, 21; Nehemiah 2:1
• 3. Ezra 7:11, 12, 21
• 4. Ezra 7:9, 28; Ezra 8:22
• 5. Ezra 8:1-20
• 6. Ezra 7:6; Nehemiah 2:8
• 7. Deuteronomy 33:10; Ezra 7:25; Nehemiah 8:1
• 8. Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37
• 9. Ezra 6:1
• 10. Ezra 7:15, 28; Ezra 8:25
• 11. 2 Chronicles 6:2; Ezra 6:12; Psalms 135:21
• 12. Ezra 8:25
• 13. Ezra 1:4, 6
• 14. 1 Chronicles 29:6
• 15. Numbers 15:4-13
• 16. Deuteronomy 12:5-11
• 17. Ezra 6:4
• 18. Ezra 7:6
• 19. Ezra 6:10
• 20. Ezra 4:13, 20
• 21. Ezra 7:7
• 22. Exodus 18:21; Deuteronomy 16:18
• 23. Ezra 7:10; Malachi 2:7; Colossians 1:28
• 24. Ezra 6:11, 12
• 25. Ezra 6:22
• 26. Ezra 9:9
• 27. Ezra 5:5

Footnotes

• [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"
• [g]. I.e. Euphrates River, and so throughout the ch
• [h]. I.e. One kor equals approx ten bu
• [i]. Lit "without prescription"
• [j]. Lit "from the decree of"
• [k]. Lit "throw on them"
• [l]. Lit "rooting out"
• [m]. Lit "heads"

Chapter Summary

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