Ezra 7:6

6 that Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a swift writer in the law of Moses (this Ezra left Babylon, and he was a writer, or a teacher, learned in the Law of Moses), which the Lord God of Israel gave; and the king gave to him all his asking, by the good hand of his Lord God on him.

Ezra 7:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 7:6

This Ezra went up from Babylon
A second time; for that he went up with Zerubbabel is clear from ( Nehemiah 12:1 ) , and is plainly intimated, ( Ezra 5:4 ) ,

and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of
Israel had given;
the meaning is, not that he had a quick hand in writing out copies of it, but was well versed in the knowledge of it; had studied it thoroughly, well instructed in it, and was abundantly qualified to teach it others; he was an eminent doctor of the law; so scribes, in the New Testament, who are the same with the lawyers, were such as were teachers of the law; the word here used in the Arabic language signifies to be expert, as Jarchi F15 learned from one of their doctors:

and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the
Lord his God upon him;
either upon Ezra, giving him favour with the king, and so success and prosperity; or it may denote the divine influence of the God of Ezra upon the heart of the king, moving him to grant what he asked of him, even everything he desired: he seems to have been sent upon an embassy to the king from the chief men at Jerusalem; perhaps the governors of Syria had not so fully made the disbursements the king in his decree had required them to make, since the following commission chiefly respects such things; and he was sent on that errand to acquaint the king with it, as well as to persuade those that remained to return, and to obtain leave for it.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 Comment. in Psal. xlv. 1. <arabic> "acutus ingenio et solers fuit", Golius, col. 2272. "in re exercitatus fuit et excultus", Castel. col. 2008. Ethiop. "docuit, erudivit", ib. col. 2007.

Ezra 7:6 In-Context

4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, priest at the beginning (the chief priest, or the High Priest), this Ezra was (serving God) in the realm of Artaxerxes, king of Persia;
6 that Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a swift writer in the law of Moses (this Ezra left Babylon, and he was a writer, or a teacher, learned in the Law of Moses), which the Lord God of Israel gave; and the king gave to him all his asking, by the good hand of his Lord God on him.
7 And in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (the) king, there went up into Jerusalem men of the sons of Israel, and of the sons of priests, and of the sons of deacons, and of singers, and of porters, and of Nethinims. (And in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, some men of the Israelites, and of the sons of the priests, and of the sons of the Levites, and some of the singers, and the guards, or the doorkeepers, and the Temple workers, went up with Ezra to Jerusalem.)
8 And they came into Jerusalem in the fifth month; that is (in) the seventh year of the king('s) (reign).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.