Ezra 7:6 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Ezra 7:6
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.
to ascend · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Babylon
מִבָּבֶ֔לmi.ba.Vel
H894
Babel (i.e. Babylon) · preposition + proper noun, a place name
ready
מָהִיר֙ma.Hir
H4106
quick · adjective, masculine singular absolute
scribe
סֹפֵ֤רso.Fer
H5608
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
law
בְּתוֹרַ֣תbe.to.Rat
H8451
a precept or statute · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
Moses
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.Sheh
H4872
Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name
LORD
יְהוָ֖הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
God
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
given
נָתַ֥ןna.Tan
H5414
to give · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
king
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְha.Me.lekh
H4428
a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
granted
וַיִּתֶּןvai.yi.ten-
H5414
to give · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
request
בַּקָּשָׁתֽוֹba.ka.sha.To
H1246
a petition · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
hand
כְּיַדke.yad-
H3027
a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
LORD
יְהוָ֤הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
God
אֱלֹהָיו֙'e.lo.Hav
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
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
Ezra 8:22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto…
Ezra 7:28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as th…
Ezra 8:31 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, a…
Nehemiah 2:18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us ri…
Ezra 7:21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the s…
Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertai…
Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Ezra 7:9 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, acco…
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…
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 Mat 23:25; Mar 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, b…
A ready scribe - סופר מחיר sopher machir does not merely signify a speedy writer or an excellent penman, but one who was eminently skillful in expounding the law. In this sense the word γραμματευς, scribe, is repeatedly used in the New Testament, and we find that both in the Old and New Testament it had the same signification. The Syriac gives the sense of the word by translating sophro chocimo, a wise scribe, or expounder.
John Gill on Ezra 7:6
The Church Fathers
After these words, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, etc. Josephus (Antiq. XIII, 5) considers this Artaxerxes, under whom Ezra ascended from Babylon to Jerusalem, to be Xerxes, the son of Darius, who reigned after him. Furthermore, the books of Chronicles believe that the successor of the same Xerxes, who is also called Artaxerxes by them, is here designated. Now Darius, under whom the temple was built, reigned thirty-six years; after him Xerxes reigned twenty years; after whom Artabanus for seven months, which chronographers count as a year; after whom Artaxerxes for forty years. Ezra, a swift scribe in the law of Moses, because he restored the law which had been consumed; not only the law but also, as common tradition of the elders says, he rewrote the entire series of sacred Scripture which had been equally consumed by fire, as he saw fitting for the readers. They say in this work, he added some words which he deemed appropriate; among which is this: "And there arose not a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face," etc. Words indeed which only one who lived long after Moses could say. And in the book of Samuel: "Formerly in Israel a man going to inquire of God would say, Come and let us go to the seer. For he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer" (1 Sam. IX). Moreover, he left untouched some entire volumes, which were once held among the people of Israel; of which now only the memory of the name remains in sacred Scripture; as it is said in the book of Numbers: "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord" (Num. XXI). And in Joshua: "Is this not written in the book of Jashar?" (Jos. X). But also in the volume of Kings and Chronicles, the historical books of the prophets Ahijah the Shilonite, and Shemaiah, Iddo, and Nathan, as well as Isaiah, and Jehu the son of Hanani are mentioned (1 Kings XVI; 2 Chron. IX); concerning whom it is said that he wrote the book of the kings of Israel; and many others, of which it is said no traces can be found today. The Hebrews also report, and there is no doubt among them about this matter, that the same Ezra invented lighter letters against the names of those they had hitherto used, by which he swiftly restored such a great amount of books that had been consumed. Therefore he is known not only as a scribe but also as a swift scribe. However, the earlier letters…
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
Deuteronomy — In all the Hebrew manuscripts the Pentateuch (q.v.) forms one roll or volume divided into larger and smaller sections called parshioth_ and _sedarim. It is not easy to say when it was divided into…
Hand — Called by Galen “the instrument of instruments.” It is the symbol of human action (Ps. 9:16; Job 9:30; Isa. 1:15; 1 Tim. 2:8). Washing the hands was a symbol of innocence (Ps. 26:6; 73:13; Matt.…
Pentateuch — The five-fold volume, consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament. This word does not occur in Scripture, nor is it certainly known when the roll was thus divided into five portions…
Pentateuch, The — is the Greek name given to the five books commonly called the “five books of Moses.” This title is derived from “pente”, five, and “teucos”) which, meaning originally “vessel” “instrument,” etc.,…
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
Law Of Moses, The · The scribes were learned in, and expounded — The scribes were learned in, and expounded
Scribes · Often learned in the law — Often learned in the law
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).
This Ezra went up from Babylon,.... A second time; for that he went up with Zerubbabel is clear from Nehemiah 12:1, and is plainly intimated, Ezra 5:4,
and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; the meaning is, not that he had a quick hand in writing out copies of it, but was well versed in the knowledge of it; had studied it thoroughly, well instructed in it, and was abundantly qualified to teach it others; he was an eminent doctor of the law; so scribes, in the New Testament, who are the same with the lawyers, were such as were teachers of the law; the word here used in the Arabic language signifies to be expert, as Jarchi (o) learned from one o…
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 came from Babylon, where there was still a substantial and prosperous Jewish community. • The Hebrew term translated scribe is sometimes translated as “secretary.” It describes an educated and reliable individual who transcribed and interpreted official documents. Accordingly, many scholars think that Ezra functioned like a “Secretary of State for Jewish Affairs” in the Persian government. Here, however, the emphasis is on his scribal role of studying and teaching from the five Books of Moses.
Rashi on Ezra 7:6
and the king granted him [i.e., King] Darius.
according to the command of the Lord his God upon him as the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded him. This verse is transposed [its meaning being]: and the King granted him his entire request, according to the command of the Lord upon him. And our Rabbis said (Meg. 15a) that Ezra and Malachi were one and the same.
