Ezra 7:1-10
New English Translation
The Arrival of Ezra
7 Now after these things had happened, during the reign of King Artaxerxes[a] of Persia, Ezra came up from Babylon.[b] Ezra was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Hilkiah, 2 who was the son of Shallum, who was the son of Zadok, who was the son of Ahitub, 3 who was the son of Amariah, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Meraioth, 4 who was the son of Zerahiah, who was the son of Uzzi, who was the son of Bukki, 5 who was the son of Abishua, who was the son of Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar, who was the son of Aaron the chief priest. 6 This Ezra is the one who came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king supplied him with everything he requested, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him. 7 In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, Ezra brought up[c] to Jerusalem some of the Israelites and some of the priests, the Levites, the attendants, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants. 8 He entered Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. 9 On the first day of the first month he had determined to make[d] the ascent from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived at Jerusalem,[e] for the good hand of his God was on him. 10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself[f] to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching[g] its statutes and judgments in Israel.
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- Ezra 7:1 sn If the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I Longimanus (ca. 464-423 b.c.), Ezra must have arrived in Jerusalem ca. 458 b.c., since Ezra 7:7-8 connects the time of his arrival to the seventh year of the king. The arrival of Nehemiah is then linked to the twentieth year of the king (Neh 1:1), or ca. 445 b.c. Some scholars, however, have suggested that Ezra 7:7 should be read as “the thirty-seventh year” rather than “the seventh year.” This would have Ezra coming to Jerusalem after, rather than before, the arrival of Nehemiah. Others have taken the seventh year of Ezra 7:7-8 to refer not to Artaxerxes I but to Artaxerxes II, who ruled ca. 404-358 b.c. In this understanding Ezra would have returned to Jerusalem ca. 398 b.c., a good many years after the return of Nehemiah. Neither of these views is certain, however, and it seems better to retain the traditional understanding of the chronological sequence of returns by Ezra and Nehemiah. With this understanding there is a gap of about fifty-eight years between chapter six, which describes the dedication of the temple in 516 b.c., and chapter seven, which opens with Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem in 458 b.c.
- Ezra 7:1 tn The words “came up from Babylon” do not appear in the Hebrew text until v. 6. They have been supplied here for the sake of clarity.
- Ezra 7:7 tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular וַיַּעֲל (vayyaʿal, “he [Ezra] brought up”) rather than the Qal plural וַיַּעַלוּ (vayyaʿalu, “they came up”) of the MT.tn Heb “he brought”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Ezra 7:9 tc The translation reads יִסַּד (yissad, “he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading יְסֻד (yesud, “foundation”) of the MT. (The words “to make” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.)
- Ezra 7:9 sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the 500 mile journey.
- Ezra 7:10 tn Heb “established his heart.”
- Ezra 7:10 tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”
Ezra 7:1-10
International Standard Version
Ezra’s Return to Jerusalem(A)
7 After all of this, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Seraiah’s son Ezra (who was the grandson of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest) 6 left[a] Babylon. He was a skillful scribe of the Law of Moses that the Lord God of Israel had given. And the king granted him everything he had requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. 7 Some of the descendants of Israel also left for Jerusalem, including the priests, the descendants of Levi, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Temple Servants, during the seventh year of king Artaxerxes.
8 He arrived in Jerusalem during the fifth month of the seventh year of the king’s reign.[b] 9 On the first day[c] of the first month he left Babylon and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day[d] of the fifth month, since the beneficent hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, to obey it, and to teach God’s[e] statutes and judgments in Israel.
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