27 Blessed H1288 be the LORD H3068 God H430 of our fathers, H1 which hath put H5414 such a thing as this in the king's H4428 heart, H3820 to beautify H6286 the house H1004 of the LORD H3068 which is in Jerusalem: H3389
And kept H6213 the feast H2282 of unleavened bread H4682 seven H7651 days H3117 with joy: H8057 for the LORD H3068 had made them joyful, H8055 and turned H5437 the heart H3820 of the king H4428 of Assyria H804 unto them, to strengthen H2388 their hands H3027 in the work H4399 of the house H1004 of God, H430 the God H430 of Israel. H3478
Wherefore David H1732 blessed H1288 the LORD H3068 before H5869 all the congregation: H6951 and David H1732 said, H559 Blessed H1288 be thou, LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 our father, H1 for H5704 ever H5769 and ever. H5769 Thine, O LORD, H3068 is the greatness, H1420 and the power, H1369 and the glory, H8597 and the victory, H5331 and the majesty: H1935 for all that is in the heaven H8064 and in the earth H776 is thine; thine is the kingdom, H4467 O LORD, H3068 and thou art exalted H4984 as head H7218 above all. Both riches H6239 and honour H3519 come of thee, H6440 and thou reignest H4910 over all; and in thine hand H3027 is power H3581 and might; H1369 and in thine hand H3027 it is to make great, H1431 and to give strength H2388 unto all. Now therefore, our God, H430 we thank H3034 thee, and praise H1984 thy glorious H8597 name. H8034 But who am I, and what is my people, H5971 that we should be H6113 able H3581 to offer so willingly H5068 after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own H3027 have we given H5414 thee. For we are strangers H1616 before H6440 thee, and sojourners, H8453 as were all our fathers: H1 our days H3117 on the earth H776 are as a shadow, H6738 and there is none abiding. H4723 O LORD H3068 our God, H430 all this store H1995 that we have prepared H3559 to build H1129 thee an house H1004 for thine holy H6944 name H8034 cometh of thine hand, H3027 and is all thine own. I know H3045 also, my God, H430 that thou triest H974 the heart, H3824 and hast pleasure H7521 in uprightness. H3476 As for me, in the uprightness H4339 of mine heart H3824 I have willingly offered H5068 all these things: and now have I seen H7200 with joy H8057 thy people, H5971 which are present H4672 here, to offer willingly H5068 unto thee. O LORD H3068 God H430 of Abraham, H85 Isaac, H3327 and of Israel, H3478 our fathers, H1 keep H8104 this for ever H5769 in the imagination H3336 of the thoughts H4284 of the heart H3824 of thy people, H5971 and prepare H3559 their heart H3824 unto thee: And give H5414 unto Solomon H8010 my son H1121 a perfect H8003 heart, H3824 to keep H8104 thy commandments, H4687 thy testimonies, H5715 and thy statutes, H2706 and to do H6213 all these things, and to build H1129 the palace, H1002 for the which I have made provision. H3559 And David H1732 said H559 to all the congregation, H6951 Now bless H1288 the LORD H3068 your God. H430 And all the congregation H6951 blessed H1288 the LORD H3068 God H430 of their fathers, H1 and bowed down their heads, H6915 and worshipped H7812 the LORD, H3068 and the king. H4428 And they sacrificed H2076 sacrifices H2077 unto the LORD, H3068 and offered H5927 burnt offerings H5930 unto the LORD, H3068 on the morrow H4283 after that day, H3117 even a thousand H505 bullocks, H6499 a thousand H505 rams, H352 and a thousand H505 lambs, H3532 with their drink offerings, H5262 and sacrifices H2077 in abundance H7230 for all Israel: H3478 And did eat H398 and drink H8354 before H6440 the LORD H3068 on that day H3117 with great H1419 gladness. H8057 And they made Solomon H8010 the son H1121 of David H1732 king H4427 the second time, H8145 and anointed H4886 him unto the LORD H3068 to be the chief governor, H5057 and Zadok H6659 to be priest. H3548 Then Solomon H8010 sat on H3427 the throne H3678 of the LORD H3068 as king H4428 instead of David H1732 his father, H1 and prospered; H6743 and all Israel H3478 obeyed H8085 him. And all the princes, H8269 and the mighty men, H1368 and all the sons H1121 likewise of king H4428 David, H1732 submitted themselves H5414 H3027 H8478 unto Solomon H8010 the king. H4428 And the LORD H3068 magnified H1431 Solomon H8010 exceedingly H4605 in the sight H5869 of all Israel, H3478 and bestowed H5414 upon him such royal H4438 majesty H1935 as had not been on any king H4428 before H6440 him in Israel. H3478 Thus David H1732 the son H1121 of Jesse H3448 reigned H4427 over all Israel. H3478 And the time H3117 that he reigned H4427 over Israel H3478 was forty H705 years; H8141 seven H7651 years H8141 reigned H4427 he in Hebron, H2275 and thirty H7970 and three H7969 years reigned H4427 he in Jerusalem. H3389 And he died H4191 in a good H2896 old age, H7872 full H7649 of days, H3117 riches, H6239 and honour: H3519 and Solomon H8010 his son H1121 reigned H4427 in his stead. Now the acts H1697 of David H1732 the king, H4428 first H7223 and last, H314 behold, they are written H3789 in the book H1697 of Samuel H8050 the seer, H7200 and in the book H1697 of Nathan H5416 the prophet, H5030 and in the book H1697 of Gad H1410 the seer, H2374 With all his reign H4438 and his might, H1369 and the times H6256 that went over H5674 him, and over Israel, H3478 and over all the kingdoms H4467 of the countries. H776
And a letter H107 unto Asaph H623 the keeper H8104 of the king's H4428 forest, H6508 that he may give H5414 me timber H6086 to make beams H7136 for the gates H8179 of the palace H1002 which appertained to the house, H1004 and for the wall H2346 of the city, H5892 and for the house H1004 that I shall enter into. H935 And the king H4428 granted H5414 me, according to the good H2896 hand H3027 of my God H430 upon me.
And I arose H6965 in the night, H3915 I and some H4592 few H4592 men H582 with me; neither told H5046 I any man H120 what my God H430 had put H5414 in my heart H3820 to do H6213 at Jerusalem: H3389 neither was there any beast H929 with me, save the beast H929 that I rode upon. H7392
And my God H430 put H5414 into mine heart H3820 to gather together H6908 the nobles, H2715 and the rulers, H5461 and the people, H5971 that they might be reckoned by genealogy. H3187 And I found H4672 a register H5612 of the genealogy H3188 of them which came up H5927 at the first, H7223 and found H4672 written H3789 therein,
The glory H3519 of Lebanon H3844 shall come H935 unto thee, the fir tree, H1265 the pine tree, H8410 and the box H8391 together, H3162 to beautify H6286 the place H4725 of my sanctuary; H4720 and I will make the place H4725 of my feet H7272 glorious. H3513
But G1161 thanks G5485 be to God, G2316 which G3588 put G1325 the same G846 earnest care G4710 into G1722 the heart G2588 of Titus G5103 for G5228 you. G5216
For G3754 this G3778 is the covenant G1242 that G3739 I will make G1303 with the house G3624 of Israel G2474 after G3326 those G1565 days, G2250 saith G3004 the Lord; G2962 I will put G1325 my G3450 laws G3551 into G1519 their G846 mind, G1271 and G2532 write G1924 them G846 in G1909 their G846 hearts: G2588 and G2532 I will be G2071 to G1519 them G846 a God, G2316 and G2532 they G846 shall be G2071 to G1519 me G3427 a people: G2992
This G3778 is the covenant G1242 that G3739 I will make G1303 with G4314 them G846 after G3326 those G1565 days, G2250 saith G3004 the Lord, G2962 I will put G1325 my G3450 laws G3551 into G1909 their G846 hearts, G2588 and G2532 in G1909 their G846 minds G1271 will I write G1924 them; G846
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Ezra 7
Commentary on Ezra 7 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 7
Ezr 7:1-10. Ezra Goes Up to Jerusalem.
1, 2. in the reign of Artaxerxes—the Ahasuerus of Esther.
Ezra the son of Seraiah—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.
6. This Ezra … was a ready scribe in the law of Moses—The term "scribe" does not mean merely a penman, nor even an attorney well versed in forms of law and skilled in the method of preparing public or private deeds. He was a rabbi, or doctor, learned in the Mosaic law, and in all that related to the civil and ecclesiastical polity and customs of the Hebrew people. Scribes of this description possessed great authority and influence (compare Mt 23:25; Mr 12:28).
the king granted him all his request—left Babylon entrusted with an important commission to be executed in Jerusalem. The manner in which he obtained this office is minutely related in a subsequent passage. Here it is noticed, but with a pious acknowledgment of the divine grace and goodness which disposed the royal mind in favor of Ezra's patriotic objects. The Levites, &c., did not go at that time, but are mentioned here by anticipation.
8. he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month—that is, corresponding to the end of our July or beginning of our August. As he left Babylon on the Jewish New Year's Day (Ezr 7:9), the journey must have occupied not less than four months (a long period), but it was necessary to move at a slow pace and by short, easy stages, as he had to conduct a large caravan of poor people, including women, children, and all their household gear (see on Ezr 8:24).
10. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, &c.—His reigning desire had been to study the divine law—its principles, institutions, privileges, and requirements; and now from love and zeal, he devoted himself, as the business of his life, to the work of instructing, reforming, and edifying others.
Ezr 7:11-26. Gracious Commission of Artaxerxes.
11. this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave—The measure which this document authorized, and the remarkable interest in the Jews displayed in it, were most probably owing to the influence of Esther, who is thought to have been raised to the high position of queen a few months previous to the departure of Ezra [Hales]. According to others, who adopt a different chronology, it was more probably pressed upon the attention of the Persian court by Ezra, who, like Daniel, showed the prophecies to the king; or by some leading Jews on his accession, who, seeing the unsettled and disordered state of the colony after the deaths of Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Haggai, and Zechariah, recommended the appointment of a commission to reform abuses, suppress disorder, and enforce the observance of the law.
12. Artaxerxes, king of kings—That title might have been assumed as, with literal truth, applicable to him, since many of the tributary princes of his empire still retained the name and authority of kings. But it was a probably a mere Orientalism, denoting a great and powerful prince, as the heaven of heavens signified the highest heaven, and vanity of vanities, the greatest vanity. This vainglorious title was assumed by the kings of Assyria, from whom it passed to the sovereigns of Persia.
unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven—The appointment of Ezra to this influential mission was of the highest importance to the Hebrew people, as a large proportion of them were become, in a great measure, strangers both to the language and the institutions of their forefathers.
14. sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors—This was the fixed number of the privy council of the kings of Persia (Es 1:10, 14). The document describes, with great clearness and precision, the nature of Ezra's commission and the extent of power and prerogatives with which he was invested. It gave him authority, in the first place, to organize the colony in Judea and institute a regular government, according to the laws of the Hebrew people, and by magistrates and rulers of their own nation (Ezr 7:25, 26), with power to punish offenders by fines, imprisonment, exile, or death, according to the degree of their criminality. Secondly, he was empowered to carry a large donation in money, partly from the royal treasury and partly raised by voluntary contributions among his countrymen, to create a fund out of which to make suitable provision for maintaining the regular worship of God in Jerusalem (Ezr 7:16, 17). Thirdly, the Persian officers in Syria were commanded to afford him every assistance by gifts of money within a certain specified limit, in carrying out the objects of his patriotic mission (Ezr 7:21).
22-24. an hundred talents of silver—£22,000 according to the rate of the silver talent of Babylon. Fourthly, Artaxerxes gave his royal sanction in the establishment of the divine law, which exempted priests and Levites from taxation or tribute and confirmed to them the exclusive right to officiate in the sacred services of the sanctuary. And, finally, in the expression of the king's desire for the divine blessing upon the king and his government (Ezr 7:23), we see the strong persuasion which pervaded the Persian court, and had been produced by the captivity of the Hebrew people, as to the being and directing providence of the God they worshipped. It will be observed, however, that the commission related exclusively to the rebuilding of the temple—not of the walls. The Samaritans (Ezr 4:20-22) had succeeded in alarming the Persian court by their representations of the danger to the empire of fortifying a city notorious for the turbulent character of its inhabitants and the prowess of its kings.
Ezr 7:27, 28. Ezra Blesses God for This Favor.
27. Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers—This devout thanksgiving is in unison with the whole character of Ezra, who discerns the hand of God in every event, and is always ready to express a pious acknowledgment for the divine goodness.