Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

7:1-7 Ezra is introduced first as a priest, his lineage going back to Aaron the chief priest (v. 5), the brother of Moses (cf. Ex. 4:14; 28:1-2). He comes in the reign of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:1), in the seventh year (v. 7), i.e., 458 b.c.--57 years after the temple dedication.

7:6-7 Ezra is also a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses. No doubt God raised up a scribe with expert knowledge of the law because, after 70 years of exile, the people badly need instruction in how to live according to the Law of Moses. Ezra has apparently asked the king for permission and resources to go to Jerusalem (v. 7). Artaxerxes is supportive, again at the prompting of God, who gives favor to Ezra: and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him (see notes on 1:1; 6:14). He comes with a new wave of migrants, priests, laity, and Levites, including singers and gatekeepers (7:7; see note on 2:36-58). The return of exiles did not happen all at once.

7:9 the first month . . . the fifth month. The journey from Babylon to Jerusalem had taken nearly four months. It was about 900 miles (1,448 km). This was a slow pace, probably because the caravan included children and elderly people. (And 8:31 indicates that there was an 11-day delay before departure.)

7:10 Ezra's mission was to teach God's statutes and rules, i.e., the extensive laws of God given to Moses in addition to the Ten Commandments (see Deut. 4:1; 5:1), under the general rubric of the Law (Hb. torah) of the Lord. These are contained throughout Exodus to Deuteronomy, especially in Exodus 20-23, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy 12-26. Readers are told nothing of how this mission came to be in Ezra's heart. The terms study, do, and teach (indeed, the whole account of Ezra 7-10) present Ezra as the ideal priest in Israel, whose task is to lead God's people in worship and holiness of life (see Deut. 33:10): his ministry stems from a faithful life (cf. Mal. 2:1-9; 1 Tim. 4:6-16).

7:11-28 This section tells how Artaxerxes supports Ezra by commissioning him and providing further for the temple. The text of the letter (vv. 12-26) is in Aramaic (see note on 4:7-8).

7:11 The king's decree is in the form of a letter addressed to Ezra, which could be used to enforce the king's command.

7:12 The title king of kings was used by kings of Persia and expresses their sovereignty over many subject peoples. Ezra is called the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, which possibly refers to a kind of responsibility for Jewish affairs that he already held in Babylon.

7:13 The decree echoes that of Cyrus in authorizing any Jews who wish to go to Jerusalem (see 1:3).

7:14 The commission to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God no doubt reflects Ezra's own priority, and perhaps his belief that the law is not being properly kept.

7:15-20 Artaxerxes turns to the needs of the temple, perhaps showing his own perception of Ezra's task, in accordance with Cyrus's original decree in 538 b.c., 80 years earlier (see note on 1:1).

7:15-16 The king and his counselors give money for the temple and permit Ezra to gather further resources in the whole province of Babylonia, perhaps from non-Jews as well as Jews.

7:17-18 The provision specifies the temple worship but also leaves extensive discretion to Ezra in his expenditure.

7:19-20 vessels . . . for the service of the house of your God. Artaxerxes adds these to the temple treasures originally returned by Cyrus, apparently as his own gift, and, finally, allows Ezra to take whatever he needs from the king's treasury (v. 20), i.e., from public funds.

7:21 The decree now specifically addresses the royal treasury officials in Beyond the River, compelling them to make provision for Ezra up to specified limits.

7:22 The talent was 75 pounds (34 kg), and the amount of silver specified has been estimated at between a quarter and a third of all the annual taxation raised in "Beyond the River." The wheat, wine, and oil would have been used for cereal offerings, for drink offerings, and for the lamp kept lit in the temple (Ex. 27:20; 29:2). With a "cor" at 6 bushels (220 liters) and a "bath" at 6 gallons (23 liters), the quantities would have supplied the temple's needs for perhaps two years. Salt, supplied without limit, was for preservation and seasoning (Ex. 30:35; Lev. 2:13).

7:23 In making these provisions (v. 22), the king may actually intend to ward off the wrath of God against the king and his sons, i.e., his own kingdom, present and future (see also 6:10).

7:27 Blessed be the Lord . . . who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king. See note on 1:1. to beautify the house of the Lord. The author uses the same terms as Isa. 60:7 (see note), indicating that he sees this event as fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy.