Ezra 7:1-10

Ezra 7:1-10

[1] Now after  these things,  in the reign  of Artaxerxes  king  of Persia,  Ezra  the son  of Seraiah,  the son  of Azariah,  the son  of Hilkiah,  [2] The son  of Shallum,  the son  of Zadok,  the son  of Ahitub,  [3] The son  of Amariah,  the son  of Azariah,  the son  of Meraioth,  [4] The son  of Zerahiah,  the son  of Uzzi,  the son  of Bukki,  [5] The son  of Abishua,  the son  of Phinehas,  the son  of Eleazar,  the son  of Aaron  the chief  priest:  [6] This 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. [7] And 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.  [8] And he came  to Jerusalem  in the fifth  month,  which was in the seventh  year  of the king.  [9] For 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  [10] For Ezra  had prepared  his heart  to seek  the law  and to do  it, and to teach  in Israel  statutes  and judgments. 

What does Ezra 7:1-10 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"These things" ( Ezra 7:1) refers to the events of the first return that the writer described in chapters1-6.
Ezra"s genealogy ( Ezra 7:1-5) shows that he was a man of importance whom his fellow Jews would have respected. His name is a shortened form of " Prayer of Azariah ," meaning "Yahweh helps." He was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel ( Ezra 7:8-9). There are gaps in this genealogy (cf. 1 Chronicles 6:3-15). "Son of" occasionally means "descendant of," as elsewhere in the Old Testament. [1] The purpose of this linear genealogy was not to record all of Ezra"s ancestors but to trace his lineage from Aaron.
A "scribe" ( Ezra 7:6) was a person who functioned as a copier, writer, and communicator. Scribes fulfilled various roles before the exile. These included military officer ( Judges 5:14; 2 Kings 25:19), messenger of the king ( Nehemiah 8:1-9), secretary to the king ( 2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 20:25), clerk, and writer ( Jeremiah 36:26; Jeremiah 36:32). In the Gospels we have many references to scribes. In Jesus" day they were primarily students and teachers of the Law. In Ezra"s time this specialized function of the scribe was developing. Ezra himself, as a scribe and priest, was able to teach the Law (cf. Leviticus 10:11; 2 Kings 18:18; Nehemiah 8:13). He also enjoyed special divine protection and enablement ( Ezra 7:6; cf. Ezra 7:9; cf. Ezra 7:28; Ezra 8:18; Ezra 8:22; Ezra 8:31). [2]
"The wise scribe followed an honored profession in which he might take pride ( Sirach 38:24-34). His was the highest privilege and virtue: to study the law, to meditate on it and apply it to life (cf. Psalm 1; Psalm 19:7-14; Psalm 119)." [3]
Ezra and his companions left Babylon in the spring of458 B.C. The Jewish month of Nisan corresponds to our late March and early April.
"It is emphasized that the date of departure from Babylon was carefully calculated to take place on the first day of the first month, though in the event they could leave only on the twelfth day due to the need to recruit Levites ( Ezra 8:31). While the point is not made explicitly, this arrangement implies that the Ezra caravan, like the Israelites of old, marked their departure with the celebration of Passover (cf Exodus 12:1; Numbers 33:3), and that therefore this second episode in the restoration of the commonwealth begins in the same way that the first ends." [4]
Ezra and his fellow travelers completed their900-mile journey exactly four months later ( Ezra 7:5) because of God"s enablement ( Ezra 7:9). [5]
Ezra"s personal resolve provides an excellent example for every believer ( Ezra 7:10). He first purposed to study (lit. seek) the law (Heb. torah) of God, then to apply that teaching to his own life, and then to teach others the revealed will of God. This was the key to Ezra"s impact. "Torah" means "instruction," and it describes the Law of Moses, the Book of Deuteronomy , the Pentateuch, and the whole Old Testament in various places in Scripture. Here it probably refers to all the revealed will of God that Ezra had, all the scrolls of the Old Testament sacred writings to which he had access.
"The order is very significant, for you cannot effectively practice what you have not thoroughly learned, and you cannot convincingly teach what you have not practically applied." [6]
"One called by God to teach must also study and obey." [7]