Ezra 7:3-13

3 the son of Amaryah, the son of `Azaryah, the son of Merayot,

4 the son of Zerachyah, the son of `Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

5 the son of Avishua, the son of Pinechas, the son of El`azar, the son of Aharon the chief Kohen;

6 this Ezra went up from Bavel: and he was a ready Sofer in the law of Moshe, which the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God on him.

7 There went up some of the children of Yisra'el, and of the Kohanim, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the temple servants, to Yerushalayim, in the seventh year of Artachshasta the king.

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

9 For on the first [day] of the first month began he to go up from Bavel; and on the first [day] of the fifth month came he to Yerushalayim, according to the good hand of his God on him.

10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Yisra'el statutes and ordinances.

11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artachshasta gave to Ezra the Kohen, the Sofer, even the Sofer of the words of the mitzvot of the LORD, and of his statutes to Yisra'el:

12 Artachshasta, king of kings, to Ezra the Kohen, the Sofer of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

13 I make a decree, that all those of the people of Yisra'el, and their Kohanim and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own free will to go to Yerushalayim, go with you.

Ezra 7:3-13 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