an enactment · noun, common masculine singular absolute
judgments
וּמִשְׁפָּֽטu.mish.Pat
H4941
properly · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Malachi 2:7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Ezra 7:25 And 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 beyo…
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
Deuteronomy 33:10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Ezra 7:1-10
Here is, I. Ezra's pedigree. He was one of the sons of Aaron, a priest. Him God chose to be an instrument of good to Israel, that he might put honour upon the priesthood, the glory of which had been much eclipsed by the captivity. He is said to be the son of Seraiah, that Seraiah, as is supposed, whom the king of Babylon put to death when he sacked Jerusalem, Kg2 25:18, Kg2 25:21. If we take the shortest computation, it was seventy-five years since Seraiah died; many reckon it much longer, and, because they suppose Ezra called out in the prime of his time to public service, do therefore think that Seraiah was not his immediate parent, but his grandfather or great-grandfather, but that he was…
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.
Adam Clarke on Ezra 7:10
Ezra had prepared his heart - Here is a fine character of a minister of God: He prepares, הכין hechin, he fixes, purposes, and determines, לבבו lebabo, with his heart - with all his powers and affections, to seek the law of God, and to do it himself, that he may be properly qualified to teach its statutes and judgments to Israel.
John Gill on Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord,.... To attain to the knowledge of it, that he might be master of it, and expert in it, and know what was not to be done, and what to be done; he had set his heart upon this, bent his studies this way, and taken a great deal of pains in searching into it, in reading of it, and meditating on it:
and to do it; he was not only concerned to get the theory of it, but to put it in practice, to exercise himself in it, that it might be habitual to him; and the rather, as his view and intentions were not merely for the sake of himself, but
to teach in Israel statutes and judgments: and therefore it was not only necessary that he should hav…
The Church Fathers
For Ezra had prepared his heart, etc. Oh, what great virtue of this saying, what sublimity of merit, for a man to prepare his heart for the obedience of the divine will, and to be able to say: "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing, and I will chant a psalm to the Lord" (Psalm LVI)! That is, I will exult in the Lord with my whole soul, and I will accomplish in the execution of works what has been commanded by Him. Therefore, he prepared his heart to investigate and rewrite the law of the Lord, which the devouring flame had consumed. He also prepared so that he himself might first fulfill this by doing, and thus open his mouth to teach others. This can similarly be understood of the Lord Jesus; for He prepared His heart to investigate the law of the Lord, as He divinely provided for Himself a man He would take up, who would not only be without sin but also full of grace and truth, because with no law of sin conflicting in Him, He would keep the law of God without any contradiction of mind or flesh. Hence, He says in the Psalm: "In the volume of the book it is written of me: I desired to do your will, O my God, and your law is in the midst of my heart" (Psalm XXXIX). Likewise, the Lord investigated the law of God, because, setting aside the traditions of the Pharisees, He taught how the Holy Scripture was to be understood mystically, what spiritual secrets were hidden under the cover of the letter; because He showed that the decrees of the Gospel, which He brought to the world, were more perfect, more acceptable to God the Father, than those He had previously sent through Moses. Hence, He Himself says: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy': but I say to you, love your enemies;" and so forth.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Scribes — Anciently held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation. The Hebrew word so rendered (sopher) is first used to designate the holder of some military office (Judg. 5:14; A.V.,…
Ezra · 1. A famous scribe and priest — 1. A famous scribe and priest
Heart · .It should seek God — .It should seek God
Heart, Character Of The Renewed · Prepared to seek God — Prepared to seek God
Law Of God, The · Saints: Prepare their hearts to seek — Saints: Prepare their hearts to seek
Obedience · ENJOINED — ENJOINED
Obedience To God · Prepare the heart for — Prepare the heart for
Seekers · .Ezra — .Ezra
Seeking God · Exemplified: Ezra — Exemplified: Ezra
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Ezr 7:1-10 form the introduction to the narrative which follows of Ezra's return to Jerusalem and his ministry there, and speak in general terms of himself and his arrival at Jerusalem with a band of exiles. They are followed, vv. 11-26, by a copy of the royal commission, and a thanksgiving, Ezr 7:27, Ezr 7:28, on the part of Ezra, for the mercy of God bestowed upon him.
Ezr 7:1-6
What follows is slightly combined with the former occurrences by the formula "after these things," without any more exact chronological definition; comp. Gen 15:1; Gen 22:1, and elsewhere. Between the dedication of the temple in the sixth year of Darius and the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem, a period of fifty-seven…
Ezra had three life goals: (1) to study God’s word, (2) to obey what God said, and (3) to teach . . . the people of Israel. He allowed God’s word to transform his character and behavior so that he could influence the lives of others.
Rashi on Ezra 7:10
For Ezra... Therefore, he went and prospered in his way, because Ezra prepared his heart, etc. He gives a reason for his words.
