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The Histories · Old Testament

Ezra 7

Ezra 7: Ezra the scribe goes up with Artaxerxes's letter

General context

In the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia the narrator introduces Ezra with a genealogy running from his father Seraiah back through Zadok and Phinehas to Aaron the chief priest. Ezra goes up from Babylon as a ready scribe in the law of Moses, and the king grants all his request according to the hand of the Lord on him. Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, porters and Nethinims go up with him in the seventh year of Artaxerxes; he sets out on the first day of the first month and reaches Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month. The narrator says Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law, to do it and to teach statutes and judgments in Israel. The king's letter follows. Artaxerxes permits any of the people, priests and Levites who wish to go with Ezra; sends him to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law in his hand; entrusts him with silver and gold offered by the king and his counsellors and by the people, to buy sacrifices and to spend the rest as God wills; orders the treasurers beyond the river to supply silver, wheat, wine and oil up to stated limits, and salt without limit; exempts temple ministers from toll, tribute and custom; and tells Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach those who do not know the laws, with death, banishment, confiscation or imprisonment for those who will not obey the law of God and the law of the king. The chapter ends in Ezra's own voice, blessing the Lord for putting this in the king's heart and extending mercy to him, and saying he gathered chief men to go up with him.

Cited passages: Ezra 7:1, Ezra 7:5, Ezra 7:6, Ezra 7:7, Ezra 7:9, Ezra 7:10, Ezra 7:11, Ezra 7:13, Ezra 7:14, Ezra 7:15, Ezra 7:17, Ezra 7:18, Ezra 7:22, Ezra 7:24, Ezra 7:25, Ezra 7:26, Ezra 7:27, Ezra 7:28

Ezra 7 (KJV)

1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

2The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

3The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

4The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

5The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:

6This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

7And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

8And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.

9For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.

10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

11Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his statutes to Israel.

12Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

13I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

14Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;

15And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

16And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:

17That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

18And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

19The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.

20And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.

21And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,

22Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.

23Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?

24Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.

25And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.

26And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

27Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem:

28And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

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Historical context

Ezra is introduced as a priest by descent and a scribe by skill; the genealogy lists sixteen names from Seraiah to Aaron, and the text does not say whether every generation is included. The king is Artaxerxes, the same name as the king who stopped the wall-building in chapter 4; the text does not state whether the two passages concern one king or two, and the phrase after these things is the only sequence marker offered. The journey is dated to the seventh year of Artaxerxes and takes from the first day of the first month to the first day of the fifth month. The letter is presented as the king's own words, so the description of Ezra as a scribe of the law of the God of heaven and the reference to the king's seven counsellors come from Artaxerxes. The letter authorizes Ezra to appoint judges beyond the river and prescribes punishments up to death, which is a royal grant of judicial power stated in the king's voice. The narrator's remark that Ezra had prepared his heart is the narrator's assessment, not a quotation. From verse 27 the text switches to the first person and stays there through chapters 8 and 9; the chapter does not announce the change, so readers should note that Ezra's own account begins with the blessing. Nothing is said about Ezra's age, his earlier life in Babylon, or how the king came to know him.

Cited passages: Ezra 7:1, Ezra 7:5, Ezra 7:6, Ezra 4:23, Ezra 7:8, Ezra 7:12, Ezra 7:14, Ezra 7:26, Ezra 7:10, Ezra 7:27, Ezra 7:28, Ezra 8:1

Literary context

The chapter introduces its main figure three times over: by descent, in a long chain of the son of; by function, as a ready scribe whose heart was prepared to seek, do and teach; and by royal commission, in a letter that repeats his titles of priest and scribe. The narrator's summary of the journey comes before the letter that authorized it, so the reader knows the outcome before reading the document. Twice the narrator attributes success to the hand of the Lord his God upon him, and Ezra himself takes up the same phrase in his closing words, which binds the narrator's voice and Ezra's together. The letter's language of the law of thy God which is in thine hand recurs, making the book in Ezra's hand the centre of his authority. The move into first person at the end turns a report into testimony, and the blessing of the Lord for what he put in the king's heart mirrors the opening of the book, where the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus.

Cited passages: Ezra 7:2, Ezra 7:6, Ezra 7:10, Ezra 7:11, Ezra 7:9, Ezra 7:28, Ezra 7:14, Ezra 7:25, Ezra 7:27, Ezra 1:1

Key moments

  1. A line back to Aaron (Ezra 7:5). Ezra's genealogy is traced through Zadok and Phinehas to Aaron the chief priest.
  2. A ready scribe (Ezra 7:6). The narrator describes Ezra's skill in the law and the king's grant of all his request.
  3. Four months on the road (Ezra 7:9). Ezra leaves Babylon on the first day of the first month and reaches Jerusalem on the first of the fifth.
  4. A heart prepared (Ezra 7:10). The narrator says Ezra set his heart to seek, do and teach the law.
  5. The king's letter (Ezra 7:12). Artaxerxes addresses Ezra as priest and scribe of the law of the God of heaven.
  6. Judges and penalties (Ezra 7:25). The king tells Ezra to appoint magistrates and judges and to teach those who do not know the law.
  7. Ezra blesses the Lord (Ezra 7:27). The text shifts to Ezra's voice as he blesses God for moving the king's heart.

For reflection

The narrator says Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law, to do it, and to teach it, in that order. What does that sequence suggest about the relation between studying, keeping and teaching, and where might a reader be tempted to skip a step?

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