Ezra 7:1-10·~1 min

Ezra Arrives in Jerusalem

The chapter opens by tracing Ezra's line back through the priests to Aaron, placing him firmly within Israel's priestly inheritance.

M¹any years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, ²the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, ³the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, ⁴the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, ⁵the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—

Ezra comes from Babylon as a skilled scribe of the Law, and the king grants his requests as God's hand rests on him. He travels to Jerusalem with other Israelites and arrives there after a journey marked by the same divine favor.

⁶this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. ⁷The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him. So in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites, including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants. ⁸Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. ⁹He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.

Ezra sets his heart on a threefold calling: to study the LORD's Law, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

¹⁰For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Section summaryEzra is introduced through his priestly ancestry and as a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses. His journey to Jerusalem succeeds under God's gracious hand, and the section ends by naming the inward resolve that shapes his work: to study, do, and teach the Law in Israel.

Role in the chapterThis opening section presents Ezra's authority and purpose before he acts. It frames the whole chapter by tying his mission to both priestly descent and God's active favor.