Ezra 7:27

7:27 ¹ Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who so moved in the heart of the king to so honor the temple of the Lord which is in Jerusalem!

Ezra 3:5-6

3:5 Afterward they offered the continual burnt offerings and those for the new moons and those for all the holy assemblies of the Lord and all those that were being voluntarily offered to the Lord. 3:6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. However, the Lord’s temple was not at that time established. ² 

Ezra 1:1

The Decree of Cyrus

1:1 ³ In the first ⁴  year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message ⁵  spoken through ⁶  Jeremiah, ⁷  the Lord stirred the mind ⁸  of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated ⁹  a proclamation ¹⁰  throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict ¹¹  the following: ¹² 

Ezra 3:10

3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, ¹³  and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by ¹⁴  King David of Israel. ¹⁵ 

Ezra 7:6

7:6 This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

Ezra 1:7

1:7 Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed ¹⁶  in the temple of his gods.

Ezra 2:68

2:68 When they came to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, some of the family leaders ¹⁷  offered voluntary offerings for the temple of God in order to rebuild ¹⁸  it on its site.

Ezra 7:10-11

7:10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself ¹⁹  to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching ²⁰  its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission

7:11 What follows ²¹  is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. ²²  Ezra was ²³  a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:

Ezra 8:29

8:29 Be careful with them and protect them, until you weigh them out before the leading priests and the Levites and the family leaders of Israel in Jerusalem, ²⁴  in the storerooms of the temple of the Lord.”

Ezra 9:5

9:5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, ²⁵  with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God.

Ezra 1:2-3

1:2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia:

“‘The Lord God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple ²⁶  for him in Jerusalem, ²⁷  which is in Judah. 1:3 Anyone from ²⁸  his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the Lord God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1:5

The Exiles Prepare to Return to Jerusalem

1:5 Then the leaders ²⁹  of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and the Levites – all those whose mind God had stirred – got ready ³⁰  to go up in order to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. ³¹ 

Ezra 3:11

3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, ³²  praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;

his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud ³³  shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established.

Ezra 6:22

6:22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion ³⁴  of the king of Assyria ³⁵  toward them, so that he assisted ³⁶  them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7:28

7:28 He has also conferred his favor on me before the king, his advisers, and all the influential leaders of the king. I gained strength as the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Ezra 9:8

9:8 “But now briefly ³⁷  we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position ³⁸  in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes ³⁹  and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

Ezra 9:15

9:15 O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt ⁴⁰  no one can really stand before you.”

Ezra 3:8

3:8 In the second year after they had come to the temple of God in Jerusalem, ⁴¹  in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak initiated the work, ⁴²  along with the rest of their associates, ⁴³  the priests and the Levites, and all those who were coming to Jerusalem from the exile. They appointed ⁴⁴  the Levites who were at least twenty years old ⁴⁵  to take charge of the work on the Lord’s temple.

[7:27]  ¹ sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.

[3:6]  ² tn Or “the foundation of the LORD’s temple was not yet laid.

[1:1]  ³ sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.

[1:1]  ⁴ sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 B.C. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 B.C.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ⁶ tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.

[1:1]  ⁷ sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “caused to pass.”

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.

[1:1]  ¹¹ sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).

[1:1]  ¹² tn Heb “in writing, saying.”

[3:10]  ⁴ sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).

[3:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “according to the hands of.”

[3:10]  ⁶ sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.

[1:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he gave them.”

[2:68]  ⁶ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[2:68]  ⁷ tn Heb “cause it to stand.”

[7:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “established his heart.”

[7:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”

[7:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “this.”

[7:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.

[7:11]  ¹⁰ tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:5]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word used here is a hapax legomenon. It refers to the self-abasement that accompanies religious sorrow and fasting.

[1:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “house.” The Hebrew noun בַּיִת (bayit, “house”) is often used in reference to the temple of Yahweh (BDB 108 s.v. 1.a). This is also frequent elsewhere in Ezra and Nehemiah (e.g., Ezra 1:3, 4, 5, 7; 2:68; 3:8, 9, 11, 12; 4:3; 6:22; 7:27; 8:17, 25, 29, 30, 33, 36; 9:9; 10:1, 6, 9).

[1:2]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:3]  ¹² tn Heb “from all.”

[1:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[1:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “arose.”

[1:5]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they answered.”

[3:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “great.”

[6:22]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “heart.”

[6:22]  ¹⁶ sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612 b.c., long before the events of this chapter. Perhaps the expression is intended subtly to contrast earlier kings of Assyria who were hostile toward Israel with this Persian king who showed them favor.

[6:22]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”

[9:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “according to a little moment.”

[9:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a peg” or “tent peg.” The imagery behind this word is drawn from the experience of nomads who put down pegs as they pitched their tents and made camp after times of travel.

[9:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “to cause our eyes to shine.” The expression is a figure of speech for “to revive.” See DCH 1:160 s.v. אור Hi.7.

[9:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “this”; the referent (the guilt mentioned previously) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:8]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “began”; the phrase “the work” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “their brothers.”

[3:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “stood.”

[3:8]  ²² tn Heb “from twenty years and upward.”