Ezra 7:1 - Matthew Henry

Ezra 7:1

The Arrival of Ezra

1 Now after these things, in the reign of ^aArtaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the ^bson of Seraiah, ^cthe son of Azariah, the son of ^dHilkiah,

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 came up from Babylon; and he was ^aa skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, ^baccording to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

7 ^aSome of the children of Israel, the priests, ^bthe Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and ^cthe Nethinim came up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

Commentaries:

Matthew Henry

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Ezra 7:2 >>

Ezra 7:1-28

Ezra goes up to Jerusalem. (1-10) The commission to Ezra. (11-26) Ezra blesses God for his favour. (27,28)

Verses 1-10 Ezra went from Babylon to Jerusalem, for the good of his country. The king was kind to him; he granted all his requests, whatever Ezra desired to enable him to serve his country. When he went, many went with him; he obtained favour from his king, by the Divine favour. Every creature is that to us, which God makes it to be. We must see the hand of God in the events that befal us, and acknowledge him with thankfulness.

Verses 11-26 The liberality of heathen kings to support the worship of God, reproached the conduct of many kings of Judah, and will rise up in judgment against the covetousness of wealthy professed Christians, who will not promote the cause of God. But the weapons of Christian ministers are not carnal. Faithful preaching, holy lives, fervent prayers, and patient suffering when called to it, are the means to bring men into obedience to Christ.

Verses 27-28 Two things Ezra blessed God for: 1. For his commission. If any good appear in our hearts, or in the hearts of others, we must own that God put it there, and bless him; it is he that worketh in us, both to will and to do that which is good. 2. For his encouragement: God has extended mercy to me. Ezra was a man of courage, yet he ascribed this not to his own heart, but to God's hand. If God give us his hand, we are bold and cheerful; if he withdraw it, we are weak as water. Whatever we are enabled to do for God and those around us, God must have all the glory.

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Ezra 7:2 >>

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The Arrival of Ezra

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning