Ezra 7:21

21 “I, Artaxerxes the king, hereby send this decree to all the treasurers in the province west of the Euphrates River : ‘You are to give Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the God of heaven, whatever he requests of you.

Ezra 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 7:21

And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the
treasurers which are beyond the river
The receivers of his tribute, tax, and custom, beyond the river Euphrates, on the side towards the land of Israel:

that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of
heaven;
see ( Ezra 7:12 ) ,

shall require of you, it be done speedily;
which seems at first a grant at large for whatsoever he should want or demand, but is limited and restrained by what follows.

Ezra 7:21 In-Context

19 “But as for the cups we are entrusting to you for the service of the Temple of your God, deliver them all to the God of Jerusalem.

20 If you need anything else for your God’s Temple or for any similar needs, you may take it from the royal treasury.

21 “I, Artaxerxes the king, hereby send this decree to all the treasurers in the province west of the Euphrates River : ‘You are to give Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the God of heaven, whatever he requests of you.

22 You are to give him up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 500 bushels of wheat, 550 gallons of wine, 550 gallons of olive oil, and an unlimited supply of salt.

23 Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons?

Footnotes

• [a]. Aramaic the province beyond the river; also in 7:25 .