Ezra 7 Study Notes

7:1-10:44 The second major part of Ezra consists primarily of the Ezra Memoir (see “Structure” in the Introduction), which tells of the ministry of Ezra the scribe in bringing spiritual renewal to the Jewish people. The final verses of chap. 6 take place in April 515 BC while the opening verses of chap. 7 begin with Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem in 458 BC, a gap of over fifty years. This section is written in Hebrew, except for the copy of Artaxerxes’s letter (7:12-26) in Aramaic.

7:1-5 Ezra’s name is a short form of the common Hebrew name Azariah, meaning “Yahweh Has Helped,” and is often followed by various titles, such as “Ezra the priest” (see v. 12; 10:10,16; Neh 8:2), “Ezra the scribe” (see Neh 8:4,13; 12:36), “Ezra the priest and scribe” (Ezr 7:11; Neh 8:9), and “Ezra the priest, an expert in the law” (Ezr 7:21). The genealogy given for Ezra is representative and not complete, as a comparison with 1Ch 6:3-15 demonstrates. It is enough to show that Ezra’s pedigree is impeccable.

7:6 Ezra was a scribe (Hb sopher), which in this context means more than reading, writing, and keeping records; it identifies a Torah expert who could read and interpret the law. Some scholars understand the term here and in v. 11 as designating Ezra as a Persian government official. However, it probably more accurately refers to his role in the Jewish community as a teacher and interpreter of the law.

7:7 Those returning to the land with Ezra are listed in the same order as in the return under Zerubbabel and Jeshua almost eighty years before (2:2-53).

7:8-9 Ezra’s journey toward Jerusalem probably began on April 8, 458 BC, but 8:15-31 tells of an immediate delay when it was discovered that no Levites were present. Taking the shortest route, this would be a journey of about five hundred miles. However, such a route across the desert would be unlikely in summer, particularly during a time of political upheaval that made travel even more dangerous. The more common route covered about nine hundred miles. After a fourteen-week pilgrimage, they probably arrived in Jerusalem on August 4, 458 BC

7:10 Ezra’s greatness is seen is his resolve to study . . . obey, and teach God’s law to God’s people.

7:11-28 Ezra came to Jerusalem bearing a letter from King Artaxerxes authorizing him and everyone who wanted to join with him to go to Jerusalem (v. 13). Some scholars in the past have dismissed this letter (vv. 12-26) as literary fiction. However, most now recognize its essential integrity. The letter was written in Aramaic (4:8) that was common to its era and in a format common throughout the Persian period. It is possible that Ezra himself composed the letter and submitted it to Artaxerxes for royal approval.

7:11 This verse, written in Hebrew, provides an introduction to Artaxerxes’s letter that was written in Aramaic (vv. 12-26).

7:12 Artaxerxes used the common royal Persian title king of kings, used in the NT in reference to God (1Tm 6:15; Rv 19:16). The word law here is not the common Hebrew word torah but the word dath, a Persian loanword (data) found in both postexilic biblical Hebrew and Aramaic.

7:13-14 The Greek historian Herodotus described the practice of a Persian king having seven trusted counselors. Esther 1:13-14 names Xerxes’s seven trusted advisers and states that they had personal access to the king.

7:15-17 Funds for Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem and the purchase of sacrificial animals there came from the royal treasury and from gifts gathered from the Jewish exiles in Babylon.

7:18 The king trusted Ezra completely. According to the will of your God probably refers to the Mosaic law.

7:19 It is not clear what the royal articles (Aramaic ma’n) were. In 5:14 the same term is used to describe the gold and silver articles looted from the temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC and returned by King Cyrus (1:7).

7:20 Amazingly, the king gave Ezra a “blank check.”

7:21-22 The provisions that Ezra was entitled to were used daily in the sacrifices at the temple. The quantities listed here would be sufficient for approximately two years. The 7,500 pounds (lit “a hundred talents”) of silver seems out of proportion to the other items. The entire annual tax for the “Beyond the River” region was 350 talents. A textual corruption, common when scribes were copying numbers, may explain the seemingly implausible amount of silver. A gift of even ten talents of silver (750 pounds) would have been generous.

7:23 King Darius had asked the Jewish community to pray for the king and his sons (6:10). Now Artaxerxes commanded that the regular sacrifices and worship be properly maintained.

7:24 Persian texts and Greek writings about Persian practice confirm that exemption from taxes was granted to temples and the sacred personnel who served there.

7:25 The charge given to Ezra here is not clear. He was to appoint magistrates and judges, but it is not certain how their roles related to those of the regular Persian judges and officials. Probably these judges and magistrates dealt only with cases specific to the OT law.

7:26 Those who refused to keep the law were subject to typical Persian punishments. Imprisonment was not stipulated in OT law, but it did occur in preexilic Israel, for example, in the case of Jeremiah the prophet (Jr 37-38).

7:27-28 With the completion of the official letter written in Aramaic (vv. 12-26), the author reverts to Hebrew. Here in v. 27 begin the first words of Ezra in the Ezra Memoir (see “Structure” in the Introduction).