Text -- Ezra 7:1 (NET)

The Arrival of Ezra

7:1 Now after these things had happened, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon. Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah,

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Ezr 7:1

The same of whom he speaks, Ezr 6:14.

Wesley: Ezr 7:1

His grand - son. Here are divers persons omitted for brevity sake, which may be supplied out of 1Ch. 6:1-11:47. Ezra was not himself the high priest; but he was nearly related to him.

JFB: Ezr 7:1-2

The Ahasuerus of Esther.

JFB: Ezr 7:1-2

That is, grandson or great-grandson. Seraiah was the high priest put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (2Ki 25:18). A period of one hundred thirty years had elapsed between that catastrophe and the journey of Ezra to Jerusalem. As a grandson of Seraiah, namely, Jeshua, who held the office of high priest, had accompanied Zerubbabel in the first caravan of returning exiles, Ezra must have been in all probability a grandson, descended, too, from a younger son, the older branch being in possession of the pontificate.

Clarke: Ezr 7:1

In the reign of Artaxerxes - This was Artaxerxes Longimanus, the seventh of whose reign chronologers place A.M. 3547, sixty-eight years after Cyrus had sent back Zerubbabel. - Calmet. See the introduction

Clarke: Ezr 7:1

Son of Seraiah - Either this could not have been Seraiah the high priest, who had been put to death by Nebuchadnezzar one hundred and twenty-one years before this time, or the term son here must signify only his descendants, or one of his descendants. Were it otherwise, Ezra must now be at least one hundred and twenty-two years of age, supposing him to have been born in the year of his father’ s death; if, indeed Seraiah the high priest was his father; but this is evidently impossible. In this place there are only sixteen generations reckoned between Ezra and Aaron, but in 1Ch 6:3, 1Ch 6:4, etc., there are not less than twenty-two. We must therefore supply the deficient generations from the above place, between Amariah son of Meraioth, 1Ch 6:7, and Azariah the son of Johanan, 1Ch 6:10. There are other discrepancies relative to genealogies in these historical books which it would be useless to investigate. On these differences much has been already said in different parts of this comment.

Defender: Ezr 7:1

This Artaxerxes commissioned Ezra to go to Jerusalem and then, about thirteen years later, also sent Nehemiah (Ezr 7:8; Neh 2:1). Since "Artaxerxes," as well as "Ahasuerus" - and even "Cyrus" and "Darius" - are believed by some scholars to be titles (like "Pharaoh") rather than personal names, he may or may not be the same man mentioned in Ezr 4:8. The temple was evidently completed about sixteen years after its foundations were laid, whereas there seems to be a much larger interval, sixty years or so, between the completion of the post-exilic temple and the period of Ezra and Nehemiah. The precise identifications of these Persian kings has long been controversial, even among conservative historians and Biblical scholars.

Defender: Ezr 7:1

Ezra was both a scribe (Ezr 7:6) and a priest, being a direct descendant of "Aaron the chief priest" (Ezr 7:5).

Defender: Ezr 7:1

Hilkiah, Ezra's great-grandfather, was the high priest (2Ki 22:4) who led the pre-exilic revival under King Josiah."

TSK: Ezr 7:1

am 3547, bc 457

Artaxerxes : Ezr 7:12, Ezr 7:21, Ezr 6:14; Neh 2:1

Ezra : Ezr 7:10, 8:1-10:44; Neh 8:2-9

Seraiah : 2Ki 25:18; 1Ch 6:4-14, 1Ch 9:11; Neh 11:11; Jer 52:24-27

Hilkiah : 2Ki 22:4, 2Ki 22:8; 2Ch 34:9, 2Ch 34:15

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Ezr 7:1

After these things - The words mark an interval of 57 years; if, with most commentators, we take Artaxerxes to be Longimanus. See the introduction to the Book of Ezra. Three kings named Artaxerxes, the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Artakhshasta, and the Persian Artakhshatra, ruled over Persia, namely,: Longimanus, Mnemon, and Ochus. The evidence is in favor of the first being meant here: he was the grandson of Darius Hystaspis, Jeshua’ s contemporary.

The genealogy of Ezra here is incomplete. The time between the Exodus and Ezra must have exceeded one thousand years, and cannot have been covered by 16 generations. One gap may be filled up from 1Ch 6:7-10, which supplies six names between Meraioth and Azariah Ezr 7:3 : another gap probably occurs between Seraiah Ezr 7:1 and Ezra himself; since Seraiah appears to be the high priest of Zedekiah’ s time (marginal reference), who lived at least 130 years before Ezra. Three or four names are probably missing in this place. Another name (Meraioth) may be supplied from 1Ch 9:11, between Zadok and Ahitub Ezr 7:2. These additions would produce 27 generations - a number nearly sufficient - instead of 16 generations.

Poole: Ezr 7:1

Artaxerxes the same of whom he speaks Ezr 6:14 . The son of Seraiah i.e. his grandson. Here are divers persons omitted for brevity sake, which may be supplied out of 1Ch 6 1Ch 7 1Ch 8 1Ch 9 .

Haydock: Ezr 7:1

Salt was used in all the sacrifices, Leviticus ii. 13. In 3 Esdras no mention is made of oil or salt; but we read, "and all other things in abundance."

Haydock: Ezr 7:1

Things, sixty-eight years after the journey of Zorobabel. (Calmet) ---

Salien adds ten years more. (Haydock) ---

Artaxerxes Longimanus. (Menochius) (Tirinus) ---

Son, or great grandson of Saraias, who had been slain 121 years. Esdras was still living, in the days of Nehemias. Many persons are omitted in this genealogy. The immediate descendants of Azarias may be found, 1 Paralipomenon vi. Similarity of names has occasioned many mistakes. 3 Esdras viii. reckons only eleven persons between Aaron and Esdras; and 4 Esdras i. has eighteen; whereas here we behold sixteen generations, and [in] 1 Paralipomenon, twenty-two. (Calmet)

Gill: Ezr 7:1-5

Now after these things,.... The finishing of the temple, 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, 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, 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; see Gill on 1Ch 6:3.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Ezr 7:1

¹ sn If the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I Longimanus (ca. 464–423 B.C.), Ezra must have arrived in Jerusalem ca. 458 B.C., since Ezra 7:7-8 connects the time of his arrival to the seventh year of the king. The arrival of Nehemiah is then linked to the twentieth year of the king (Neh 1:1), or ca. 445 B.C. Some scholars, however, have suggested that Ezra 7:7 should be read as “the thirty-seventh year” rather than “the seventh year.” This would have Ezra coming to Jerusalem after, rather than before, the arrival of Nehemiah. Others have taken the seventh year of Ezra 7:7-8 to refer not to Artaxerxes I but to Artaxerxes II, who ruled ca. 404–358 B.C. In this understanding Ezra would have returned to Jerusalem ca. 398 B.C., a good many years after the return of Nehemiah. Neither of these views is certain, however, and it seems better to retain the traditional understanding of the chronological sequence of returns by Ezra and Nehemiah. With this understanding there is a gap of about fifty-eight years between chapter six, which describes the dedication of the temple in 516 b.c., and chapter seven, which opens with Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem in 458 b.c.

² tn The words “came up from Babylon” do not appear in the Hebrew text until v. 6. They have been supplied here for the sake of clarity.

Geneva Bible: Ezr 7:1

Now after these things, in the reign of ^{( a )} Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

^{( a )} The Hebrews write that many of the kings of Persia were called by this name, as Pharaoh was a common name to the kings of Egypt and Caesar to the Romans emperors.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Ezr 7:1-28

1 Ezra goes up to Jerusalem.

11 The gracious commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra.

27 Ezra blesses God for this favour.

MHCC: Ezr 7:1-10

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 befall us, and acknowledge him with thankfulness.

Matthew Henry: Ezr 7:1-10

Here is, I. Ezra's pedigree. He was one of the sons of Aaron, a priest. Him God chose to be an instrument of good to Israel, that he might put honour upon the priesthood, the glory of which had been much eclipsed by the captivity. He is said to be the son of Seraiah, that Seraiah, as is supposed, whom the king of Babylon put to death when he sacked Jerusalem, 2Ki 25:18, 2Ki 25:21. If we take the shortest computation, it was seventy-five years since Seraiah died; many reckon it much longer, and, because they suppose Ezra called out in the prime of his time to public service, do therefore think that Seraiah was not his immediate parent, but his grandfather or great-grandfather, but that he was the first eminent person that occurred in his genealogy upwards, which is carried up here as high as Aaron, yet leaving out many for brevity-sake, which may be supplied from 1Ch 6:4, etc. He was a younger brother, or his father was Jozadak, the father of Jeshua, so that he was not high priest, but nearly allied to the high priest.

II. His character. Though of the younger house, his personal qualifications made him very eminent. 1. He was a man of great learning, a scribe, a ready scribe, in the law of Moses, Ezr 7:6. He was very much conversant with the scriptures, especially the writings of Moses, had the words ready and was well acquainted with the sense and meaning of them. It is to be feared that learning ran low among the Jews in Babylon; but Ezra was instrumental to revive it. The Jews say that he collected and collated all the copies of the law he could find out, and published an accurate edition of it, with all the prophetical books, historical and poetical, that were given by divine inspiration, and so made up the canon of the Old Testament, with the addition of the prophecies and histories of his own time. If he was raised up of God, and qualified and inclined to do this, all generations have reason to call him blessed, and to bless God for him. God sent to the Jews prophets and scribes, Mat 23:34. Ezra went under the latter denomination. Now that prophecy was about to cease it was time to promote scripture-knowledge, pursuant to the counsel of God by the last of the prophets, Mal 4:4. Remember the law of Moses. Gospel ministers are called scribes instructed to the kingdom of heaven (Mat 13:52), New Testament scribes. It was a pity that such a worthy name as this should be worn, as it was in the degenerate ages of the Jewish church, by men who were professed enemies to Christ and his gospel ( Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees ), who were learned in the letter of the law, but strangers to the spirit of it. 2. He was a man of great piety and holy zeal (Ezr 7:10): He had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, etc. (1.) That which he chose for his study was the law of the Lord. The Chaldeans, among whom he was born and bred, were famed for literature, especially the study of the stars, to which, being a studious man, we may suppose that Ezra was tempted to apply himself. But he got over the temptation; the law of his God was more to him than all the writings of their magicians and astrologers, which he knew enough of with good reason to despise them. (2.) He sought the law of the Lord, that is, he made it his business to enquire into it, searched the scriptures, and sought the knowledge of God, of his mind and will, in the scriptures, which is to be found there, but not without seeking. (3.) He made conscience of doing according to it; he set it before him as his rule, formed his sentiments and temper by it, and managed himself in his whole conversation according to it. This use we must make of our knowledge of the scriptures; for happy are we if we do what we know of the will of God. (4.) He set himself to teach Israel the statutes and judgments of that law. What he knew he was willing to communicate for the good of others; for the ministration of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. But observe the method: he first learned and then taught, sought the law of the Lord and so laid up a good treasure, and then instructed others and laid out what he had laid up. He also first did and then taught, practised the commandments himself and then directed others in the practice of them; thus his example confirmed his doctrine. (5.) He prepared his heart to do all this, or he fixed his heart. He took pains in his studies, and thoroughly furnished himself for what he designed, and then put on resolution to proceed and persevere in them, and thus he became a ready scribe. Moses in Egypt, Ezra in Babylon, and both in captivity, were wonderfully fitted for eminent services to the church.

III. His expedition to Jerusalem for the good of his country: He went up from Babylon (Ezr 7:6), and, in four months' time, came to Jerusalem, Ezr 7:8. It was strange that such a man as he staid so long in Babylon after his brethren had gone up; but God sent him not thither till he had work for him to do there; and none went but those whose spirits God raised to go up. Some think that this Artaxerxes was the same with that Darius whose decree we had (ch. 6), and that Ezra came the very year after the temple was finished: that was the sixth year, this the seventh (v. 8), so Dr. Lightfoot. My worthy and learned friend, lately deceased, Mr. Talents, in his chronological tables, places it about fifty-seven years after the finishing of the temple; others further on. I have only to observe, 1. How kind the king was to him. He granted him all his request, whatever he desired to put him into a capacity to serve his country. 2. How kind his people were to him. When he went many more went with him, because they desired not to stay in Babylon when he had gone thence, and because they would venture to dwell in Jerusalem when he had gone thither. 3. How kind his God was to him. He obtained this favour from his king and country by the good hand of the Lord that was upon him, v. 6, 9. Note, Every creature is that to us which God makes it to be, and from him our judgment proceeds. As we must see the events that shall occur in the hand of God, so we must see the hand of God in the events that do occur, and acknowledge him with thankfulness when we have reason to call it his good hand.

Keil-Delitzsch: Ezr 7:1-10

Ezr 7:1-10 form the introduction to the narrative which followsof Ezra's return to Jerusalem and his ministry there, and speak in generalterms of himself and his arrival at Jerusalem with a band of exiles. Theyare followed, vv. 11-26, by a copy of the royal commission, and athanksgiving, Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28, on the part of Ezra, for the mercy of Godbestowed upon him.

Ezr 7:1-6

What follows is slightly combined with the former occurrencesby the formula "after these things,"without any more exact chronologicaldefinition; comp. Gen 15:1; Gen 22:1, and elsewhere. Between the dedicationof the temple in the sixth year of Darius and the arrival of Ezra inJerusalem, a period of fifty-seven years had elapsed. "In the reign ofArtachshasta king of Persia, went up Ezra,"etc. The verb of the subject עזרא does not follow till Ezr 7:6, where, after the interposition of thelong genealogy, Ezr 7:1-5, the distant subject is again taken up in עזרא הוּא . It is all but universally agreed that ArtaxerxesLongimanus is intended by ארתּחשׁסתּא ; the explanation of thisappellation as Xerxes in Joseph. Antiq . xi. 5. 1, for which Fritzsche (on 1Esdr. 8:1) has recently decided, being a mere conjecture on the part of thatnot very critical historian. The fact that the Artachshasta of the book ofNehemiah (Neh 1:1; Neh 5:14; Neh 13:6) can be no other than Artaxerxes, isdecisive of this point: for in Neh 13:6 the thirty-second year ofArtachshasta is mentioned; while according to Neh 8:9; Neh 12:26, Neh 12:36, Ezra andNehemiah jointly exercised their respective offices at Jerusalem.

(Note: Very superficial are the arguments, and indeed the whole pamphlet, Etude Chronologique des livres d'Esdras et de Néhémie, Paris 1868, p. 40, etc., by which F. de Saulcy tries to show that theArtachshasta of Ezra 7 and of Nehemiah is Artaxerxes II (Mnemon).)

Ezra is called Ben Seraiah, whose pedigree is traced to Eleazar the son ofAaron; Seraiah the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, was the father ofJosedec the high priest carried into captivity (1Ch 6:14, etc.), and washimself the high priest whom Nebuchadnezzar slew at Riblah (2Ki 25:18-21). Between the execution of Seraiah in the year 588 and the returnof Ezra from Babylon in 458 b.c., there is a period of 130 years. HenceEzra could have been neither the son nor grandson of Seraiah, but only hisgreat or great-great-grandson. When we consider that Joshua, or Jeshua(Ezr 2:2), the high priest who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel,was the grandson of Seraiah, we cannot but regard Ezra, who returnedthence 78 years later, as a great-great-grandson of Seraiah. Moreover, weare justified in inferring from the fact that Ezra is not, like Joshua,designated as Ben Josedech, that he did not descend from that line ofSeraiah in which the high-priestly dignity was hereditary, but from ayounger son, and hence that his immediate ancestors were not (though hisforefathers from Seraiah upwards were) of high-priestly descent. Hence the names of Ezra's ancestors from Seraiah up to Aaron (Ezr 7:1-5)agree also with the genealogy of the high-priestly race (1Ch 6:4-14),with the one deviation that in Ezr 7:3, between Azariah and Meraioth, sixmembers are passed over, as is frequently the case in the longergenealogies, for the sake of shortening the list of names. - In v. 6 Ezra, forthe sake of at once alluding to the nature of his office, is designated בת מהיר סוף ר , a scribe skilful in the law of Moses. The word סופר means in older works writer or secretary; but even so early as Jer 8:8 the lying pen of the ספרים is spoken of, and here therefore סופר has already attained the meaning of one learned in theScripture, one who has made the written law a subject of investigation. Ezra is, however, the first of whom the predicate הסּופר , ὁ γραμματεύς , is used as a title. He is so called also in the letter of Artaxerxes (Ezr 7:11), because he is said (Ezr 7:9) to have applied his heart to seek out and to do the law of the Lord, andto teach in Israel statutes and judgment, i.e., because he had made theinvestigation of the law, for the sake of introducing the practice of thesame among the congregation, his life-task; and the king granted him all hisdesire, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. The peculiarexpression עליו אלהיו יהוה כּיד which is found only here and in Ezr 7:9, Ezr 7:28, Ezr 8:18; Neh 2:8, Neh 2:18, and in aslightly altered guise in Ezr 8:22, Ezr 8:31, "according to the good hand of hisGod, which was over him,"means: according to the divine favour or divinecare arranging for him; for the hand of God is הטּובה , the good(Ezr 7:9, and Ezr 8:18), or לטובה , Ezr 8:22. בּקּשׁה , the desire,request, demand, occurs only here and in the book of Esther.

Ezr 7:7-10

With Ezra went up a number of Israelites, priests, and Levites. מן partitive: a part of the whole. That they went up with Ezraappears from the context, and is expressly stated both in the royal edict(Ezr 7:13) and in the further description of the expedition (Ezr 7:28, Ezr 8:1). They went up in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, and reached Jerusalem inthe fifth month of that year. - In Ezr 7:8 Ezra is again, as in Ezr 7:6, the subject ofthe sentence; the intervening seventh verse being really only in appositionwith Ezr 7:6. - In Ezr 7:9 the time occupied by the journey is more preciselydefined; כּי is explanatory. Namely, on the first day of the firstmonth, he had appointed the journey from Babylon, etc. The Keri יסד הוּא can only mean, ipsum erat fundamentum profectionis ,as J. H. Mich. after R. Sal. explains it, for יסד is pointed as theconstruct state. The departure of the expedition from the place of meeting occurred,according to Ezr 8:31, on the twelfth day of the first month. Since,however, they encamped three days there, making the final preparationsfor their journey, eleven days might easily elapse between the period whenthe whole caravan had assembled, and the day of actual departure. TheKeri offers no appropriate signification; for since הוּא can only betaken for the subject, and הם יסד for the predicate, the sentencewould contain an anacoluthon. To translate הוּא by ipsum cannotbe justified by the usages of the language, for there is no such emphasis on יסד as to cause הוּא to be regarded as an emphaticreference to the following noun. יסד must be pointed יסד or יסּד , as the third pers. perf. Kal or Piel, meaning to arrange, toappoint, and הוּא referred to Ezra. On הטּובה אלהיו כּיד , comp. Ezr 7:6. The hand of his God graciouslyarranged for him, for he had prepared his heart to seek and to do the law ofJahve, i.e., to make the law of God his rule of action. לבבו הכין , like 2Ch 12:14; 2Ch 19:3; 2Ch 30:19. To teach in Israel statutesand judgments, as both are prescribed in the law of God.

Constable: Ezr 7:1--10:44

II. THE SECOND RETURN UNDER EZRA chs. 7--10

A period of 58 years separates Ezra 6 from Ezra 7 (515-458 B.C.). During this time the events in the Book of Esther took place in Persia and, in particular, Susa, one of the Persian capitals.

Darius I (Hystaspes; 521-486 B.C.) became a very capable ruler who united the vast reaches of the Persian Empire under his control. He organized the empire effectively into 20 satrapies each of which functioned under a satrap appointed by the king. The satraps, who were usually from the Persian noble families, were virtual kings over their satrapies. They levied taxes and provided troops for the emperor.¹⁰⁰ Darius also built a huge palace at Persepolis, a canal that connected the Nile River with the Red Sea, and a system of roads that greatly facilitated travel and communication within the empire.¹⁰¹

". . . under Darius, Persia reached her zenith."¹⁰²

Darius' son, Xerxes I (486-464 B.C., known as Ahasuerus in Ezra 4:6 and the Book of Esther), succeeded this great king. He was not as successful as his father militarily. He was, however, able to subdue rebellions in Egypt and Babylon but lost a third of the Persian fleet to the Greeks and eventually had to withdraw Persian troops from Europe. He died at the hand of an assassin.

The next Persian king was Artaxerxes I (Longimanus; 464-424 B.C.), the younger son of Xerxes who killed his older brother to obtain the throne. During his reign the empire continued to decline in strength. The Greeks attacked Cyprus, Egypt rebelled, and parts of Asia Minor attained independence.

In Judah, the Persian providence of Yehud that was part of the larger satrapy of Eber Nari (lit. "beyond [i.e., west of] the [Euphrates] river"),¹⁰³ the Jews did not continue to fortify Jerusalem. They were content simply to worship at the temple. Their earlier zeal to return to the Mosaic ordinances that included separation from non-Jews waned. Over this 58-year period some of them intermarried with unbelieving Gentiles (9:1-2). Evidently the Levites neglected the teaching of the law (7:25; cf. Neh. 8:1-12), and temple worship became formal rather than sincere (7:23).

Constable: Ezr 7:1--8:36

A. The Return to Jerusalem CHS. 7-8

In 458 B.C. God moved Ezra, a Jewish priest and scribe who was living in Babylon, to lead another group of exiles back to Judah. In Jerusalem Ezra's ministry consisted primarily of leading the people to return to observance of their law. Since his time the Jews have regarded Ezra as a second Moses because he re-established Israel on the Mosaic Law.

"The emphasis in these chapters is on the character of Ezra, which sets the scene for chapters 9 and 10 where sin is uncovered in the postexilic community. Ezra is presented as a man who was strongly motivated by the Law of God."¹⁰⁴

Constable: Ezr 7:1-10

Ezra's background 7:1-10

"These things" (v. 1) refers to the events of the first return that the writer described in chapters 1-6.

Ezra's genealogy (vv. 1-5) shows that he was a man of importance whom his fellow Jews would have respected. He was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel (v. 5). There are gaps in this genealogy (cf. 1 Chron. 6:3-15). "Son of" occasionally means "descendant of" as elsewhere in the Old Testament.¹⁰⁵ The purpose of this genealogy was not to record all of Ezra's ancestors but to trace his lineage from Aaron.

A "scribe" (v. 6) was a person who functioned as a copier, writer, and communicator. Scribes fulfilled various roles before the exile. These included military officer (Judg. 5:14; 2 Kings 25:19), messenger of the king (2 Kings 18:18), secretary to the king (2 Sam. 8:17; 20:25), clerk, and writer (Jer. 36:26, 32). In the Gospels we have many references to scribes. In Jesus' day they were primarily students and teachers of the law. In Ezra's time this specialized function of the scribe was developing. Ezra himself as a scribe and priest was able to teach the law (cf. Lev. 10:11; Neh. 8:1-9, 13). He also enjoyed special divine protection and enablement (v. 6; cf. 7:9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31).¹⁰⁶

Ezra and his companions left Babylon in the spring of 458 B.C. Nisan corresponds to our late March and early April.

"It is emphasized that the date of departure from Babylon was carefully calculated to take place on the first day of the first month, though in the event they could leave only on the twelfth day due to the need to recruit Levites (Ezra 8:31). While the point is not made explicitly, this arrangement implies that the Ezra caravan, like the Israelites of old, marked their departure with the celebration of Passover (cf Ex 12:1; Num. 33:3), and that therefore this second episode in the restoration of the commonwealth begins in the same way that the first ends."¹⁰⁷

They completed their 900-mile journey exactly four months later (vv. 8-9) because of God's enablement (v. 9).¹⁰⁸

Ezra's personal resolve provides an excellent example for every believer (v. 10). He first purposed to study (lit. seek) the Law (Heb. torah) of God, then to apply that teaching to his own life, and then to teach others the revealed will of God. This was the key to Ezra's impact.

"The order is very significant, for you cannot effectively practice what you have not thoroughly learned, and you cannot convincingly teach what you have not practically applied."¹⁰⁹

"One called by God to teach must also study and obey."¹¹⁰

Guzik: Ezr 7:1-28

Ezra 7 - Ezra's Return from Babylon

"At Jerusalem, Malachi may well have prophesied shortly before the coming of Ezra, giving us, if so, a sharp taste of the mood and temper of the times which occupy our chapters 7-10." (Kidner)

A. An overview of Ezra's return.

1. (1-5) The genealogy of Ezra the Scribe.

Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest;

a. Now after these things: Some 60 largely uneventful years passed between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7. The ruler of Persia at the end of that period was Artaxerxes, who is also known to history as Artaxerxes Longimanus, the successor to Xerxes, the king who married Esther. the events of the Book of Esther took place between Ezra 6 and 7.

i. "There can be no reasonable doubt that his reference is to the son and successor of Xerxes - known by the Greeks as 'Macrocheir,' and by the Romans as 'Longimanus' - Artaxerxes 'of the long hand,' for this Artaxerxes alone enjoyed a sufficiently extended reign to include both the commencement of Ezra's public work and the later scenes in the life of Nehemiah which the chronicler associates with the same king." (Adeney)

ii. "If this was Artaxerxes I as the traditional view maintains, which we believe is correct, Ezra arrived in Palestine in 458 (457). . . . The traditional view assumes a gap of almost sixty years between the events of chapter 6 and chapter 7." (Yamauchi)

b. Son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah . . . the son of Aaron the chief priest: This list is not all inclusive (there are some generations left out). Nevertheless, it shows that Ezra was a descendant both of Aaron and also of Seraiah, who was the last High Priest before the captivity.

i. " 'Zadok' was a priest under David whom Solomon appointed chief priest in place of Abiathar, who supported the rebel Adonijah (1 Kings 1:7-8; 2:35). Ezekiel regarded the Zadokites as free from idolatry (Ezekiel 44:15-16). Zadokites held the office of high priest till 171 B.C. The Sadducees were named after Zadok, and the Qumran community looked for the restoration of the Zadokite priesthood." (Yamauchi)

2. (6) Ezra, a skilled scribe.

This Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.

a. This Ezra came up from Babylon: Ezra was one of the later Jews who returned from the captivity to Judea and Jerusalem. Though there was a first great return (described in Ezra 1-2), there were also many others who returned in the years following.

i. "His name stands very high in Jewish tradition, where he came to be regarded as a second Moses, and indeed it was he, more than any other man, who stamped Israel with its lasting character as the people of a book." (Kidner)

b. A skilled scribe in the Law of Moses: To us a scribe sounds like a glorified secretary, someone who simply writes. That is not the idea of this description of Ezra. For the Jewish culture of that day, a skilled scribe was an expert in the Law of Moses, someone who was like a highly trained lawyer in the word of God.

i. "In his case it is emphasized by the word skilled, or literally 'rapid' (cf. Psalm 45:1) - suggesting a quickness of grasp and ease of movement amid this complex material which was the fruit of the devoted study described in verse 10." (Kidner)

ii. Scribes were important and influential, and one might say that they had three main duties: to preserve the Word of God, to teach the Word of God, and to administrate the Word of God (in the sense of interpreting and applying it).

iii. By the time of Jesus there were many scribes and they were respected as lawyers of the law of God among most of the Jews of that time. However, they had degenerated greatly from the ideal originally established by Ezra, so much so that they were active opponents of Jesus and His ministry and targets of His rebukes (Matthew 7:29; Matthew 23).

iv. "As messengers of the will of God, they took the place of the prophets, with this difference: instead of receiving new revelations, they explained and applied the old. Of this new order, Ezra was at once the founder and type." (Morgan)

v. With critical theories in fashion since the enlightenment it became popular to say that Ezra, or others in his day, actually first compiled the Pentateuch (or more) from various written and oral traditions they gathered. Yet this verse alone (which the LORD God of Israel had given) shows this is wrong. As Derek Kidner observed, "Incidentally the present verse shares none of the doubts of some modern criticism over the antiquity (Moses) or the authority (the Lord) of the law, nor does it see Ezra as a reviser or compiler. He is concerned with it as something given."

c. The king granted him all his request: Again, the favor of God towards Jerusalem and the Jewish people is again evident. The great generosity of the king was because the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.

3. (7-10) Ezra's arrival to Jerusalem and his mission.

Some of the children of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

a. And Ezra came to Jerusalem: Ezra came to a city that had been repopulated by the Jewish people from their exile for about 20 years.

i. "Though the direct distance between Babylon and Jerusalem is about five hundred miles, the travelers would have had to traverse nine hundred miles, going northwest along the Euphrates River and then south." (Yamauchi)

ii. Some of the children of Israel: "And but some; for many chose rather to continue in the land of their captivity, though God by his prophets, and the king by his proclamation, had cried out, 'Ho, ho, come forth' [and so forth]. 'Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon,' Zechariah 2:6-7." (Trapp)

b. According to the good hand of his God upon him: Ezra credited his successful journey (lasting four months) to God's good hand of blessing on him.

i. "This little summary of the expedition gives no hint of the initial disappointment and delay, the fasting and prayer, and the dangers of such a journey, which will emerge in the full account." (Kidner)

c. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach: We see here a threefold intention in Ezra. He came to seek, to do, and to teach God's word.

i. Had prepared his heart: "An instrument must be turned ere it can be played upon; sour wines need good sweetening." (Trapp)

ii. We may say that this threefold intention is essential in anyone who wants to make an impact on others with the word of God.

· First, to seek the Law of the LORD. This means that full impact with God's word is made by those who diligently seek after His word and fellowship with God in His word.

· Second, to do it. This means that full impact with God's word is made by those who are not only hearers of the word, but actual doers of the word. It has to be lived, not only known.

· Third, to teach. This means that full impact with God's word is made by those who actually teach it to others. What has been learned in the seeking and the doing must be put into effect through the teaching of God's word.

iii. "Here is a fine character of a minister of God: He prepares, he fixes, purposes, and determines, with his heart - with all his powers and affections, to seek the law of God, and to do it himself, that he may be properly qualified to teach its statutes and judgments to Israel." (Clarke)

iv. The Living Bible translates Ezra 7:10 as so: Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel.

B. The letter of Artaxerxes.

1. (11-16) The king commissions helpers, a copy of the Law, and gifts for the temple to go with Ezra upon his return to Jerusalem.

This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe, expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of His statutes to Israel: Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth. I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem; and whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be freely offered for the house of their God in Jerusalem;

a. Ezra the priest, the scribe, the expert in the words of the commandments of the LORD: Ezra was indeed more than a glorified secretary or copyist. He was a well-trained expert in the Word of God.

b. Whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem: This tells us that not only did Ezra go to Jerusalem, he was actually sent by Artaxerxes to gather information for the king and his seven counselors.

c. Who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem: With this, Artaxerxes hoped to encourage others to go with Ezra to increase the chance of his success and to strengthen the province of Judah.

d. You are to carry the silver and gold: Artaxerxes also authorized the giving of many silver and gold gifts to the temple, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests.

i. "The vessels may have been some which had been overlooked when the captured vessels were restored by Cyrus (1:7ff), but it is just as likely that they were a goodwill gift, newly presented." (Kidner)

2. (17-22) Providing for the temple and sacrificial expenses.

Now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury. And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the region beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, let it be done diligently, up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of wine, one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribed limit.

a. Be careful to buy with this money: Ezra carried with him government money that was meant to advance the interests of Artaxerxes. This money was to be spent on sacrificial animals and the promotion of temple worship at the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.

b. Whatever seems good to you: Ezra was commanded to be careful, but also given latitude to make his own decisions about how to best spend the money he came with.

c. Whatever more may be needed for the house of your God . . . pay for it from the king's treasury: Artaxerxes was very generous to Ezra and the work in Jerusalem, allowing him to draw on the king's treasury for whatever he needed.

i. "A 'talent' in the Babylonian sexagesimal system was 60 minas, with a mina being 60 shekels. A talent weighed about 75 pounds. A hundred talents was an enormous sum, about 3¾ tons of silver. This amount, together with a talent of gold, was the tribute that Pharaoh Neco imposed on Judah (2 Kings 23:33)." (Yamauchi)

3. (23) The motive of Artaxerxes.

Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

a. Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done: In all this, we see that Artaxerxes went to great lengths to promote the operations of the temple in Jerusalem.

i. "Without shucking and hucking, without delays and consults." (Trapp)

b. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? This shows the motive of Artaxerxes. Like other monarchs of the Persian Empire, he wanted to placate the gods of the people and the territory that they had conquered. He believed it was good and safe policy for his kingdom to do this.

4. (24-26) Ezra is given legal power to enforce God's Law.

Also we inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God. And you, Ezra, according to your God-given wisdom, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are in the region beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and teach those who do not know them. Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be death, or banishment, or confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.

a. It shall not be lawful to impose tax: To promote the work of the temple in Jerusalem, Artaxerxes commanded that priests and other workers at the temple be given tax-exempt status.

i. "Darius had ordered a similar exemption for cult-servants of Apollo." (Kidner)

b. Set magistrates and judges: Artaxerxes gave Ezra significant authority in the civil administration of the province (the region beyond the River).

i. According to your God-given wisdom: "The wisdom of thy God that is in thine hand, i.e. which God hath put into thy heart, and which appears in the works of thy hand. Wisdom is sometimes ascribed to the hands, as Psalm 78:72."

c. Teach those who do not know: Artaxerxes gave Ezra authority to teach this generation of returned exiles. Yet he also gave authority - perhaps too much authority - to punish those who did not observe the law of your God and the law of the king.

i. "Later passages show that Ezra was primarily a priest and scholar rather than an administrator. Yet the assurance that God had called him and had opened the doors gave Ezra the courage and strength to undertake this great task." (Yamauchi)

5. (27-28) Ezra gives thanks.

Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

a. Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers: Ezra knew that such generous and broad support and authority could only be granted by God who put such a thing as this in the king's heart.

i. As God had moved the heart of Darius (Ezra 6:1-12), we see that God also moved the heart of Artaxerxes. Truly, The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1)

b. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me: Ezra was certainly encouraged; not so by the king's support but more so because it was all clear evidence of God's support and blessing. Ezra found great encouragement in knowing that the hand of the LORD was upon him.

© 2006 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: Ezra (Book Introduction)

EZRA was, along with Nehemiah, reckoned one book by the ancient Jews, who called them the First and Second Books of Ezra, and they are still designated by Roman Catholic writers the First and Second Books of Esdras. This book naturally divides itself into two parts or sections, the one contained in the first six chapters, and which relates the circumstances connected with the return of the first detachment of Babylonish exiles under Zerubbabel with the consequent rebuilding of the temple and the re-establishment of the divine service. The other part, embraced in the four concluding chapters, narrates the journey of a second caravan of returning captives under the conduct of Ezra himself, who was invested with powers to restore, in all its splendor, the entire system of the Jewish ritual. The general opinion of the Church in every succeeding age has been that Ezra was the author of this book. The chief objection is founded on Ezr 5:4, where the words, "Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?" have occasioned a surmise that the first portion of the book was not written by Ezra, who did not go to Jerusalem for many years after. But a little attention will show the futility of this objection, as the words in question did not refer to the writer, but were used by Tatnai and his associates [Ezr 5:3]. The style and unity of object in the book clearly prove it to have been the production of but one author. The canonical authority of this book is well established; but another under the name of Ezra is rejected as apocryphal.

JFB: Ezra (Outline)

• PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE. (Ezr 1:1-6)
• CYRUS RESTORES THE VESSELS. (Ezr 1:7-11)
• NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE THAT TURNED. (Ezra 2:1-70)
• THE ALTAR SET UP. (Ezr 3:1-13)
• OFFERINGS RENEWED. (Ezr 3:4-7)
• THE FOUNDATION OF THE TEMPLE LAID. (Ezr 3:8-13)
• THE BUILDING HINDERED. (Ezr 4:1-6)
• LETTER TO ARTAXERXES. (Ezra 4:7-24)
• ZERUBBABEL AND JESHUA SET FORWARD THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE IN THE REIGN OF DARIUS. (Ezra 5:1-17)
• DARIUS' DECREE FOR ADVANCING THE BUILDING. (Ezr 6:1-12)
• THE TEMPLE FINISHED. (Ezr 6:13-15)
• FEASTS OF THE DEDICATION. (Ezr 6:16-18)
• AND OF THE PASSOVER. (Ezr 6:19-22)
• EZRA GOES UP TO JERUSALEM. (Ezr 7:1-10)
• GRACIOUS COMMISSION OF ARTAXERXES. (Ezra 7:11-26)
• EZRA BLESSES GOD FOR THIS FAVOR. (Ezr 7:27-28)
• EZRA'S COMPANIONS FROM BABYLON. (Ezr 8:1-14)
• HE SENDS TO IDDO FOR MINISTERS FOR THE TEMPLE SERVICE. (Ezr 8:15-20)
• A FAST PROCLAIMED. (Ezra 8:21-36)
• EZRA MOURNS FOR THE AFFINITY OF THE PEOPLE WITH STRANGERS. (Ezr 9:1-4)
• EZRA REFORMS THE STRANGE MARRIAGES. (Ezra 10:1-17)
• THOSE THAT HAD TAKEN STRANGE WIVES. (Ezra 10:18-44)

TSK: Ezra (Book Introduction)

This book details the events of a very interesting period of the Sacred History, when, according to the decree of Providence, the Jewish people were to be delivered from their captivity, at the expiration of seventy years, and restored to the land of their fathers. This book informs us how the Divine goodness accomplished this most gracious design, and the movers and agents He employed on the occasion. Ezra was undoubtedly the chief agent under God in effecting this arduous work; and his zeal, piety, knowledge, and discretion, appear here in a most conspicuous point of view, and claim our utmost admiration. Descended from Seraiah, in a direct line from Aaron, he seems to have united all the requisites of a profound statesmen with the functions of the sacerdotal character. He appears to have made the Sacred Scriptures, during the captivity, his peculiar study; and, perhaps assisted by Nehemiah and the great synagogue, he corrected the errors which had crept into the Sacred Writings, through the negligence or mistake of transcribers; he collected all the books of which the Sacred Scriptures then consisted, disposed them in their proper order, and settled the canon of Scriptures for his time; he occasionally added, under the dictation of the Holy Spirit, whatever appeared necessary for the purpose of illustrating, completing, or connecting them; he substituted the modern for the ancient names of some places, which had now become obsolete; and transcribed the whole of the Scriptures into the Chaldee character. He is said to have lived to the age of 120 years, and, according to Josephus, was buried in Jerusalem; but the Jews believe he died in Persia, in a second journey to Artaxerxes, where his tomb is shown in the city of Zamusa. Though not styled a prophet, he wrote under the Divine Spirit; and the canonical authority of his book has never been disputed. It is written with all the spirit and fidelity that could be displayed by a writer of contemporary times; and those parts which chiefly consist of letters, decrees, etc., are written in Chaldee, because it seemed more suitable to the fidelity of a sacred historian to give these official documents, as they may be termed, in the original language, especially as the people, recently returned from the captivity, were familiar, and perhaps more conversant with the Chaldee, than with the Hebrew.

TSK: Ezra 7 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

Ezr 7:1, Ezra goes up to Jerusalem; Ezr 7:11, The gracious commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra; Ezr 7:27, Ezra blesses God for this favour.

Poole: Ezra (Book Introduction)

THE ARGUMENT

THAT this book of EZRA is part of the canonical Scripture is evident, partly from the testimony of the Jewish church, to which were committed the oracles of God , Rom 3:2 , who also did carefully keep them, and faithfully transmit them to us, and are not once charged either by Christ or his apostles with breach of that trust; and partly by the unanimous consent of all, both Jews and Christians, at this day. And that Ezra was thee writer of this book, is also, and ever was, the opinion of the Jews, who had thee best means of knowing this, and is most agreeable to his quality, for he was the son, or grandson , (as the word is elsewhere used,) of Seraiah , Ezr 7:1 , who was the high priest, 2Ki 25:18 1Ch 6:14 ; and he was a ready scribe of the law of Moses , Ezr 7:6 , and endowed with a more than ordinary measure of God’ s Spirit, as is evident from this book; and was himself an eye-witness of these transactions. In his time also there lived divers other holy men of God, as Daniel, and Nehemiah, and Mordecai, and Zorobabel, and Joshua; which makes that probable which the Jews report, that these prophets and other holy and learned men did review thee canonical books of the Old Testament, and added here and there some few passages in the historical books, and digested them into that order in which now we have them in our Hebrew Bibles; this being a work most suitable to the prudence, and piety, and sacred function of these persons, and to the present estate of the Jewish nation, who had been long in captivity in Babylon, where it was to be feared that many of them were ignorant or corrupt in the principles of religion, and who were yet in a broken condition, and likely to be exposed to further calamities and dispersions; which also might be signified to some of them; and it was suitable also to that care which the wise and gracious God hath ever used for the guidance of his church, according to their several occasions and necessities.

Poole: Ezra 7 (Chapter Introduction)

CHAPTER 7

Ezra’ s genealogy, Ezr 7:1-5 . The priests, Levites, and Ezra go up to Jerusalem, Ezr 7:6-10 . The gracious commission of Artaxerxes to Ezra, Ezr 7:1-26 . Ezra blesseth God for his favour to his people, Ezr 7:27,28 .

MHCC: Ezra (Book Introduction)

The history of this book is the accomplishment of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the return of the Jews out of Babylon. From its contents we especially learn, that every good work will meet with opposition from enemies, and be hurt by the misconduct of friends; but that God will make his cause to prevail, notwithstanding all obstacles and adversaries. The restoration of the Jews was an event of the highest consequence, tending to preserve religion in the world, and preparing the way for the appearance of the Great Deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

MHCC: Ezra 7 (Chapter Introduction)

(Ezr 7:1-10) Ezra goes up to Jerusalem.

(v. 11-26) The commission to Ezra.

(Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28) Ezra blesses God for his favour.

Matthew Henry: Ezra (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Book of Ezra

The Jewish church puts on quite another face in this book from what it had appeared with; its state much better, and more pleasant, than it was of late in Babylon, and yet far inferior to what it had been formerly. The dry bones here live again, but in the form of a servant; the yoke of their captivity is taken off, but the marks of it in their galled necks remain. Kings we hear no more of; the crown has fallen from their heads. Prophets they are blessed with, to direct them in their re-establishment, but, after a while, prophecy ceases among them, till the great prophet appears, and his fore-runner. The history of this book is the accomplishment of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the return of the Jews out of Babylon at the end of seventy years, and a type of the accomplishment of the prophecies of the Apocalypse concerning the deliverance of the gospel church out of the New Testament Babylon. Ezra preserved the records of that great revolution and transmitted them to the church in this book. His name signifies a helper; and so he was to that people. A particular account concerning him we shall meet with, ch. 7, where he himself enters upon the stage of action. The book gives us an account, I. Of the Jews' return out of their captivity, Ezr 1:1-11, 2. II. Of the building of the temple, the opposition it met with, and yet the perfecting of it at last, ch. 3-6. III. Of Ezra's coming to Jerusalem, ch. 7, 8. IV. Of the good service he did there, in obliging those that had married strange wives to put them away, Ezr 9:1-15, 10. This beginning again of the Jewish nation was small, yet its latter end greatly increased.

Matthew Henry: Ezra 7 (Chapter Introduction)

Ezra's precious name saluted us, at first, in the title of the book, but in the history we have not met with it till this chapter introduces him into public action in another reign, that of Artaxerxes. Zerubbabel and Jeshua we will suppose, by this time, to have grown old, if not gone off; nor do we hear any more of Haggai and Zechariah; they have finished their testimony. What shall become of the cause of God and Israel when these useful instruments are laid aside? Trust God, who has the residue of the Spirit, to raise up others in their room. Ezra here, and Nehemiah in the next book, are as serviceable in their days as those were in theirs. Here is, I. An account, in general, of Ezra himself, and of his expedition to Jerusalem for the public good (Ezr 7:1-10). II. A copy of the commission which Artaxerxes gave him (v. 11-26). III. His thankfulness to God for it (Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28). The next chapter will give us a more particular narrative of his associates, his journey, and his arrival at Jerusalem.

Constable: Ezra (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title

The title in the English text comes from the main character in the second part of the book (chapters 7-10). In the Septuagint translation this book also bore the name of Ezra or Esdras, the Greek transliteration of "Ezra." "Ezra" is a short form of Azariah, which means "Yahweh has helped." The Hebrew Bible has the same title.

Early Hebrew copyists placed Ezra together with Nehemiah because Nehemiah continues the history of Ezra.¹ Another reason they may have done this was to make the total number of canonical books agree with the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.² Another view is that they were written originally as one book and than divided later.³ Even today the Hebrew Bible links Ezra and Nehemiah as did the Septuagint translators. However the repetition of Ezra 2 in Nehemiah 6:7-70 suggests that these two books were not originally one. Evidently Origen (third century A.D.) was the first to divide Ezra-Nehemiah into two books, and Jerome followed this precedent in his Latin (Vulgate) translation.⁴

Writer and Date

Due to the ancient tradition that the same writer composed both parts of the book (chapters 1-6 and 7-10), many scholars believe Ezra produced all of it.⁵ A passage in the Talmud credits Ezra with the authorship of Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles.⁶ Ezra speaks in the first person in Ezra 7:28-8:34 and in chapter 9. This may suggest that he drew from a source such as the so-called "Ezra Memoirs" that recorded Ezra's personal recollections in the first person.⁷

Another popular view is that Ezra and Nehemiah each wrote the books that bear their names.⁸ A third view is that the joint book was a compilation that a "chronicler" made long after the events recorded took place.⁹

As a scribe (7:21), Ezra had the qualifications needed to write this book. He was a general contemporary of Nehemiah (Neh. 8:1-9; 12:36). Another reference in the Talmud claimed that Ezra was a disciple of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe.¹⁰

The last historical reference in the book is in 4:21-23. In view of other chronological references in the book this event must have occurred about 446 B.C. Therefore Ezra could have written the book about 446 B.C. or shortly after that.

"Regardless of one's view of the authorship of Ezra-Nehemiah and its relationship to Chronicles, the theological viewpoint of the whole collection is essentially the same. The message is addressed to the postexilic community of Jews who wonder if there is any hope of political and religious restoration. Its central thrust is that there indeed is hope but that hope must be incarnated in the rebuilding of the Temple, the cultus, and the priesthood. Only as the remnant people became the theocratic nation, founded on and faithful to the covenant Yahweh made with their fathers, could they revive the Davidic house and anticipate the resumption of their mediatorial role among the nations of the earth. Ezra and Nehemiah are therefore burdened to clarify (1) the Person and works of God, (2) Israel's own identity and function as a covenant people, and (3) the nature of that covenant in postexilic times."¹¹

Scope

The earliest historical reference in Ezra is to the decree of Cyrus that he issued in his first year on the throne (1:1), 538 B.C.¹² The latest historical reference was just prior to Nehemiah's first trip to Jerusalem (4:21-23; cf. Neh. 1:1-3), 446 B.C. Therefore this book spans a period of 92 years of history.¹³

However most of the events recorded took place in 538-515 B.C. (chapters 1-6) and 458 B.C. (chapters 7-10). Between these two separate series of events the Book of Ezra records nothing. The events in the Book of Esther transpired during those years (482-473 B.C.).

Message¹⁴

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther have much in common. Among other things, they all deal with God's dealings with Israel following the captivity. Jeremiah had spoken of these years before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (Jer. 25:11-14; 29:10-14). Now 70 years had passed, Babylon had fallen, and Cyrus was on the throne of Medo-Persia. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther all reveal God overruling human failure. They show God remaking the vessel that had proven obstinate, Israel (cf. Jer. 18:1-6).

The Book of Ezra reveals four things about God's dealings with Israel that are of permanent value.

1. God's instruments are very diverse. In shaping Israel again God used instruments outside the nation as well as inside it.

His primary instruments outside were Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Each one issued a decree that God had inspired just as much as any message of Isaiah or any of the other prophets of Israel (e.g., 1:1-4). God turned the hearts of these kings in the direction He wanted them to go (cf. Prov. 21:1). God directed the marching of their armies as well as the praying of the captives to accomplish His will.

His primary instruments inside the nation of Israel were Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and Ezra. Zerubbabel was a descendant of King Jehoiachin, and Jeshua was a descendant of Aaron. Thus God raised up a member of the kingly family and a member of the priestly family to resume His dealings with the nation as formerly. They began to inspire other Israelites, and the movement to return was under way. The third Israelite instrument was Ezra who was a scribe. We begin here to read of the scribes who are prominent in the Gospels. A scribe was a student, interpreter, teacher, and expositor of the Word of God. God uses both people who do not know Him and people who do know Him to carry out His plans.

2. God's might is awesome, another clear revelation in this book. We see this not only in the way God uses the two kinds of people just differentiated. We see it in the way He qualifies His workers to accomplish their tasks, as I have noted. We also see it in God's gathering His people from all over the ancient world to bring them back into Palestine. Most of the exiles did not return. Ezra's revelation provided the original readers with hope for the future.

3. God's people are changeable, another significant revelation. God gathered people from all the tribes, not just Judah, back to the land (2:70; 6:16-17). In exile the Israelites had renounced idolatry. They had returned to the worship of the one true God. The Lord's severe punishment of them for idolatry, as well as their own observation of idolatry for 70 years, took away their appetite for it. God had purged out this dross and could now fashion the nation anew.

4. God's work is proceeding, another important revelation. Note what God did to the nation. When the people returned to Palestine they had lost their national influence. They could not demonstrate how glorious it is to live under God's government as they had formerly. They also lost their independence. However they gained a place for themselves as a nation again. Furthermore God had saved them from racial extinction and absorption. The Pharisees (lit. separated ones) came into existence during the captivity. They wanted to prevent the Jews from intermixing with others. That attitude was good then, but it became bad later. In all these respects we can see God's work of reshaping the nation.

The message of the book arises from these observations on its emphases. I could state it this way. God does not discard what He has chosen but remakes it when it fails.

With people if one fails, he is out. With God if a person fails, he gets other opportunities. This is how God dealt with Jonah. It is how He dealt with Israel. Moreover it is how He deals with us. This is a great testimony to the eternal security of the believer. When the vessel is unyielding, God crushes it and begins to fashion it into a useful vessel again. That is a greater evidence of God's sovereignty than if He discarded it as hopeless. God's reason for doing this is His loyal love, compassion, and pity.

This revelation brings hope to everyone who fails. It gives hope when our good causes fall to pieces. It gives hope when God's servants fail. It also gives hope when we make a mess. God is still on His throne (cf. Hag. 2:4-5). No matter how you may have failed in the past God will use you if you renounce your sin, re-commit yourself to Him, and return to His Word.

Constable: Ezra (Outline)

Outline

I. The first return under Sheshbazzar chs. 1-6

A. The return from Babylon chs. 1-2

1. The edict of Cyrus and its consequences ch. 1

2. The exiles who returned ch. 2

B. The rebuilding of the temple chs. 3-6

1. The beginning of construction ch. 3

2. The opposition to construction ch. 4

3. The delay of construction ch. 5

4. The completion of construction ch. 6

II. The second return under Ezra chs. 7-10

A. The return to Jerusalem ch. 7-8

1. The decree of Artaxerxes and its consequences ch. 7

2. The journey itself ch. 8

B. The restoration of the people chs. 9-10

1. The problem of mixed marriages ch. 9

2. The solution to the problem ch. 10

Constable: Ezra

Ezra

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: Ezra (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST BOOK OF ESDRAS.

INTRODUCTION.

This Book taketh its name from the writer, who was a holy priest and doctor of the law. He is called by the Hebrews Ezra, (Challoner) and was son, (Tirinus) or rather, unless he lived above 150 years, a descendant of Saraias, 4 Kings xxv. 18. It is thought that he returned first with Zorobabel; and again, at the head of other captives, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, with ample authority. Esdras spent the latter part of his life in exhorting the people, and in explaining to them the law of God. He appeared with great dignity at the dedication of the walls of Jerusalem, 2 Esdras xii. 26, 35. We have four books which bear his name. (Calmet) --- This and the following book of Nehemias, originally made but one in Hebrew, (St. Jerome, &c.) as the transactions of both those great men are recorded. The third and fourth are not in Hebrew nor received into the canon of the Holy Scriptures, though the Greek Church hold the third as canonical, and place it first; (Worthington) and Genebrard would assert that both ought to be received, as they were by several Fathers. But they contain many thing which appear to be erroneous, and have been rejected by others of great authority, and particularly by St. Jerome. The third book seems to have been written very early, by some Hellenist Jew, who was desirous of embellishing the history of Zorobabel; and the fourth was probably composed by some person of the same nation, who had been converted to Christianity, before the end of the second century; and who injudiciously attempted to convert his brethren, by assuming the name of a man who was so much respected. Many things have been falsely attributed to Esdras, on the same account. It is said that he invented the Masora; restored the Scriptures, which had been lost; fixed the canon of twenty-two books; substituted the Chaldaic characters instead of the ancient Hebrew, Samaritan, or Phœnician. But though Esdras might sanction the latter, now become common, the characters might vary insensibly, (Bianconi; Kennicott, Dis. ii.) as those of other languages have done, (Haydock) and the sacred books never perished wholly; nor could the canon be determined in the time of Esdras. (Calmet) --- As for the Masoretic observations and points, they are too modern an invention. (Elias Levita; Capel.; Houbigant, &c.) --- What we know more positively of Esdras, is, (Worthington) that he was empowered by Artaxerxes to bring back the Jews, and that he acted with great zeal. (Haydock) --- This book contains the transactions of 82 years, till the year of the world 3550. The letter of Reum, and the king's answer, (chap. iv. 7., till chap. vi. 19., and well as chap. vii. 12, 27.) are in Chaldean; the rest of the work is in Hebrew. (Calmet) --- We may discover various mysteries concealed under the literal sense of this and the following book. (St. Jerome, ep. ad Paulin.) (Worthington) --- Esdras is supposed by this holy doctor, as well as by some of the Rabbins, &c., to have been the same person with the prophet Malachy[Malachias]; (Button) and several reasons seems to support this conjecture, though it must still remain very uncertain. (Calmet) --- Some think that (Haydock) Esdras wrote only the four last chapters, and the author of Paralipomenon the six preceding ones. (Du Hamel) --- But it is most probable that he compiled both from authentic documents. (Haydock) --- Some few additions may have been inserted since, by divine authority, 2 Esdras xii. 11, 22. (Tirinus)

Gill: Ezra (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA

This book, in the Vulgate Latin and Arabic versions, is called the "First" Book of Ezra, Nehemiah being reckoned the "second"; but with the Jews both were accounted but one book ^a; in the Syriac version, it is called the Writing or Book of Ezra the Prophet; and this title is given him, both by Jews ^b and Christians ^c; in the Arabic version, it is called the First Book of Ezra the Priest, skilful in the Law; and that he was a priest is clear, since he was the son of Seraiah the high priest, who was slain by Nebuchadnezzar, and the younger brother of Josedech, who succeeded his father as high priest, and uncle to Joshua that succeeded him; and he was also a ready scribe in the law of Moses, see Ezr 7:1. That Ezra was the writer of this book is believed by the Jews ^d, and by the generality of Christians; only Huetius ^e thinks that the six first chapters were written by another hand, but his reasons are not satisfactory; and it has been universally received as canonical by all; it agrees with the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, and serves to illustrate them; it is of use for the continuation of the sacred history, to point at the fulfilment of prophecies concerning the return of the Jews from captivity, and the rebuilding of the temple; and to give us an account of the state of the church in those times, the troubles and difficulties it met with, and what care was taken to keep the tribes and families distinct, that it might be known from whom the Messiah sprung; this book contains an history of seventy years, according to the calculation of Bishop Usher ^f, from A. M. 3468, to A. M. 3538.

Gill: Ezra 7 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO EZRA 7

In this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra described, Ezr 7:1, his expedition to Jerusalem, and of many others with him, Ezr 7:7, a copy of the commission King Artaxerxes gave him to execute, Ezr 7:11, and his thankfulness, Ezr 7:27.