Ezra
Book Type
Book of History; the fifteenth book of the Old Testament; the fifteenth book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Ezra
The book of Ezra shows Yahweh’s faithfulness and emphasizes the loyalty He rightfully deserves. The narrative begins with the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy: After 70 years of exile in Babylon, the Jewish people would return to their homeland (Jer 25:11–12; 29:10–14; Ezra 1:1). Upon their return, the people began rebuilding the Jerusalem temple—the symbol of God’s presence among them. The book of Ezra depicts the difficulties of rebuilding a community based on faithfulness to Yahweh.Ezra recounts God’s marvelous work in bringing many Israelites back to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile in Babylon. The book highlights the restored community’s struggle to resist pagan influences, to rebuild the Temple, and to deal with sin in the lives of those who chose to follow the world’s values rather than God’s. In Ezra we see how God provides for and protects those who trust in him and faithfully obey his word.The books of Ezra and Nehemiah bear the names of the key person in each of the books. Until the third century AD, though, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as a single book. Each contains material found in the other, and they complete each other. The separation of the book in the Christian community took place through the influence of the Vulgate, the Latin translation prepared by Jerome, who, following Origen before him, separated Ezra-Nehemiah into two distinct books. In the Jewish community, Ezra and Nehemiah were not separated into two distinct books until the fifteenth-century printing of the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra-Nehemiah is part of the third division of the canon, called the Writings (Hebrew- ketuvim).Theme & Overview
A remnant of the Israelites, who had been exiled to Babylonia, return to Judah and Jerusalem to rebuild the temple under God's direction. After years of living in Babylonian exile, the Israelites saw Cyrus the Persian conquer Babylon (539 BC). He allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. The book of Ezra offers encouragement for ordinary people looking for their niche in God’s world. It focuses on the team effort rather than the heroics of a few. The NIV Quest Study Bible says Ezra, a humble, low-profile leader, was simply a part of the community at large. The main characters of the book are the people—everyone from priests to servants—who worked together for a common goal. Ezra reveals God as the power behind earthly events, moving even pagan kings according to his purposes. Ezra also contrasts purity with compromise.The book of Ezra is about the importance of staying faithful, and God’s strength to fulfill His promises. Against all odds, God worked in the heart of King Cyrus to allow the exiles to return. Despite this powerful sign of God’s favor, the temple was neglected for years because God’s people feared local opposition. It took the people receiving a message from two of God’s prophets to restart the project (Haggai and Zechariah; see Ezra 5:1). During Ezra’s time, the community again showed unfaithfulness in disobeying Yahweh’s commands about marriage (chs. 9–10). Returning to live in the promised land was not enough; the people needed to abide by God’s law. They needed to be faithful to the one who had redeemed them from exile.Being people of God comes with blessings and responsibilities. Although we experience His transforming power and grace, we also confront daily choices about the depth of our commitment. Trusting God is often about both seizing the opportunities to do His work and acting faithfully even when those around us do not.The theme of Ezra is faithfulness to the Lord, both in worship (hence the importance of building the new temple) and in keeping the Torah, the Mosaic law (7:6).Author
Ezra, a Jewish priest, teacher, and scribe.Recipients
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah may have originally been written as a single text. This was written to the Jewish people who had recently returned to Jerusalem and the surrounding area following seventy years of exile in Babylonian captivity. These Jews would have been encouraged at God's recent blessings upon their people, yet also needed both clear teaching and encouragement to live faithfully according to God's ways within a surrounding pagan culture.Date
Between 457 and 444 BC.Background
Approximately 50 years before the narrative of Ezra begins (in 586 BC), the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took the residents of Judah into exile. By the time the book of Ezra opens in 538 BC, the balance of world power had shifted from the Babylonians to the Persians. A year after conquering Babylon, Cyrus, the king of Persia, issued a decree that any Jews who wished to return to Judah and rebuild the temple would not only be allowed to do so, but would receive government support (Ezra 1:2–4).Judah’s territory was now only a small area centered around Jerusalem. Instead of being self-governed, Judah was ruled as a province of the Persian Empire. The events in Ezra primarily take place in this location, with a few references to Persian concerns related to other locations.The Jewish exiles did not leave Babylon all at once; the return to Judah happened in waves. Ezra led the third main group in 458 BC (80 years after King Cyrus’ decree). The book of Ezra probably was written a few decades later, around 445–430 BC. The text was originally part of a single work that also included Nehemiah.About 130 years before Ezra came to Jerusalem in 458 BC, God punished Judah’s persistent wickedness by sending the Babylonians to destroy the city, demolish the Temple, and take thousands into exile (see 2 Kgs 25). While in exile in Babylon, the Israelites were able to build homes, have gardens, and live a fairly good life with some religious freedom (Jer 29:4–5). Some attained positions of power (Dan 3, 6).God had promised to return his people to the holy land after seventy years (2 Chr 36:21; Jer 25:12; 29:10). About 559 BC, the Persian prince Cyrus II subdued the Medes and fused them into what would become the Persian empire. Then, in 539 BC, the Persians defeated the Babylonians, paving the way for this promise to be fulfilled. In 538 BC, Cyrus began to allow the Jewish people to leave Babylon. Sheshbazzar led the first group of exiles in the return to their homeland (1:1–8).When the people of Israel and Judah had been deported to foreign lands, the Assyrians and Babylonians had settled other conquered peoples in the land of Israel. The returning Jewish exiles found these foreigners inhabiting the land that they sought to reclaim and rebuild. These foreigners claimed to worship the same God as the Jews, but they actually advocated a “melting pot” religion that combined pagan and Jewish ideas and practices. These foreigners wanted to worship with the returning Jews, who recognized the spiritual compromise that would entail (4:3). The Jews refused the foreigners any part in their community. As a result, the Jewish community experienced severe opposition from the foreigners living in the land. Although this stand led to many years of conflict and a delay in Temple reconstruction, the Exile had taught the Jews that compromising the purity of their faith would yield worse results.When Ezra arrived in Jerusalem several decades later, he found that some of the Israelites had compromised their faith by marrying foreigners. God had expressly forbidden such marriage (see Deut 7:3–4; Josh 23:12–13) because it would inevitably lead to adopting pagan religious beliefs (9:1–2). If not confessed and rectified (9:13–15; 10:14), this sin would surely bring God’s judgment. Therefore, in accordance with the word of God, Ezra led the people to renew their covenant with God and to separate themselves from the pagans (10:1–11).The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
The people of God felt helpless as they returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. They faced the threat of robbers on their long trip back to Jerusalem, opposition to their presence in Jerusalem from neighboring states and foreigners who had settled there, inability to influence Persian government policies, and the enormous task of rebuilding a nation in ruins. How could they follow God when so many things were out of their control? Ezra focuses on four key themes to explain how God accomplishes his will in the lives of his people.God’s recurrent action in Israel’s history proved to the postexilic community that they represented the continuation of God’s redemptive plan.… In God’s providence this was a step in the preparation for the New Testament transition to the church under the new covenant.
M. BRENEMAN
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (1993)
1. Everything that happens results from God’s sovereign control over Israel’s history. Just as God had foretold (Isa 44:28–45:1; Jer 29:10), he moved Cyrus to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile (1:1–4). Later, God promised that treasures from other nations would flow to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple (Hag 2:7–8); this happened (6:6–12) because God changed Darius’s heart (6:22). Later, when Ezra came to Jerusalem, God’s gracious hand moved Artaxerxes to give Ezra everything he needed (7:6). It was God who protected the Jews from attack as they traveled to Jerusalem (8:22, 31). Ezra recognized that the future of the nation was in God’s hand (9:6–15). Only a believer who is convinced that God is sovereign over this world will be able to remain faithful to God in the midst of conflict, difficulty, and discouragement.2. God’s people must be pure and separate from sinfulness in this world. As a priest from the line of Aaron (7:1–5), Ezra was strong in his conviction regarding separateness. So were the early returnees who refused to cooperate with the local pagan people (4:1–5). While this led to many years of frustration and conflict, the people knew that they could not compromise the purity of their faith and still remain the people of God. When Ezra returned to Jerusalem, this commitment was not evident among those living there (9:1–2). Ezra recognized the crisis (9:3–15) and led the people to renew their covenant with God and to separate themselves from these pagan people (10:1–11).3. Following God’s word is of primary importance. As a scribe, Ezra was determined to study and obey the law of God and to teach it to others (7:10). Ezra repeatedly explained his decisions by pointing to God’s instructions in Scripture. The king of Persia had instructed Ezra to teach and enforce the Mosaic laws (7:14, 23–25), and that is exactly what Ezra did (e.g., 8:35; 9:1–10:15).4. Intercessory prayer invites God’s compassion and power. Ezra’s prayer of confession (9:6–15) is a model of humility in seeking God’s grace. Ezra knew that these sinful people would not be moved by a sternly worded sermon condemning them. Instead, he tore his clothes, wept, and mourned over the sinfulness of the nation. God powerfully used his confession to pierce the hearts of the people, and a great revival took place (9:6–10:15). In a similar manner, Ezra had earlier taught those who were returning to Jerusalem with him to fast and pray for safety on their journey because only God could protect them from attack (8:21–23)—and so he did (8:31–32).Ezra continues where 2 Chronicles left off. While it provides us with key historical insights, it is rich in messages for God’s people.THE CONTINUITY OF GOD’S PEOPLE: The events in Ezra-Nehemiah connect the Israelites with the preexilic community. The returning exiles experienced a new exodus and remained a part of God’s redemptive plan. God even used pagan leaders like Cyrus and Artaxerxes to restore his people.HOLINESS: For the people to continue the covenant relationship with God, it was important for them to separate and remain pure in matters of doctrine, ethics, and customs. Prior to the exile, the people experienced judgment because of their inability to remain consistently faithful and single minded in their relationship to their covenant God. Ezra-Nehemiah shows us a renewed interest in remaining separated unto God.SCRIPTURE: Ezra and Nehemiah reaffirm the centrality of the law to the life and practice of the Israelite community. They knew the authority of Scripture, but they were called back from their neglect of its teachings. Multiple times they showed that the people worked and behaved in accordance with what Moses had written (Ezr 3:2; 6:18; Neh 8:14–15; 13:1–3). Ezra and Nehemiah may give us the best example of the power of God at work through the written Word.WORSHIP: The returning exiles built an altar to sacrifice to God before they rebuilt the temple. Only after the place of worship was finished did they rebuild the walls. They got the projects in proper order because worship and a proper relationship with God precede everything else.PRAYER: Alongside worship is an abundance of prayer in these books. Two extensive prayers are recorded (Ezr 9; Neh 9). Prayer and fasting are mentioned multiple times as they set out on tasks, and the whole rebuilding of the wall was bathed in prayer. Prayer is combined with action throughout Nehemiah, and both books underscore the need to approach God in prayer constantly.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThe events which occurred in Ezra and Nehemiah, the rebuilt temple, the stabilizing of Jerusalem, and the Jewish community that developed, all played key roles in the life and ministry of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. The rebuilt temple may have paled in comparison to the temple that Solomon built, but it would serve the Jews for centuries until Christ removed the need for a physical temple.Key Verses (ESV)
Ezra 3:11: "And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, 'For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.' And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid." Ezra 7:6: "This Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him."Ezra 7:10: "For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel."Key Passages (NLT)
Ezr 1:1–11 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The…Structure & Outline 1
Ezra may be divided into two sections. The first section (chs. 1–6) records events that happened before Ezra’s time. It opens with King Cyrus’ proclamation permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Judah (1:1–4; 538 BC). The first two waves were led by Judah’s first two governors under Persian rule: Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel (1:5–11; 2:1–70). Zerubbabel and Joshua (also called Jeshua) the high priest unite to lead the temple rebuilding project. The returned Jewish exiles soon find themselves in conflict with other people living in the area and ultimately at odds with the government, and the work to rebuild the temple comes to a halt (chs. 3–5). With encouragement from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Hag 1:4, 9; Zech 1:16; 4:9), temple construction resumes around 520 BC (Ezra 6). In 516 BC, the temple, the symbol of God’s presence among His people, is rededicated—signifying the completion of the 70 years Jeremiah had proclaimed (Jer 29:10, 12).Ezra 7–10 concentrates on a later period, starting in 458 BC. A command by the Persian king Artaxerxes (who reigned about 60 years after Cyrus) sends a scribe and chief priest named Ezra to Judah as an authority in the law of God (Ezra 7:6, 25–28). When he arrives, he appoints and trains judges and magistrates for the leadership of Judah. Ezra’s attention first goes to the issue of intermarriage between men from Judah and foreign women from the local people living in the land (9:1–2). God’s people had disobeyed His command to live separately as a holy nation, and the intermarriages had likely led to synchronism of Yahweh worship with that of foreign gods (compare 1 Kgs 11:1–8; Neh 13:26). Under Ezra’s leadership, the people repent, and the men give up their foreign wives.Outline • Return from exile and rebuilding of the temple (1:1–6:22) • Ezra’s return and reforms (7:1–10:44)Outline 2
This book consists of 10 chapters and includes two main sections. The first section records the first return of the Jews to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel (Ezra 1—6). This began with the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1–4) and included many treasures being returned to the Jewish temple (Ezra 1:5–11). Chapter 2 includes a lengthy list of those who returned. Chapter 3 begins the account of the construction of the rebuilt temple (Ezra 3—6). Chapter 3 marks the beginning of the project, while chapter 4 introduces opposition of enemies. In Ezra 4:24—5:2, construction begins again after a period of interruption. The section ends with the temple completed and dedicated to the Lord (Ezra 6:13–22).The second major section records the second return of the Jewish exiles in Babylon to Jerusalem under Ezra (chapters 7—10). Ezra's background is noted as a scribe, priest, and teacher of the law. He brings many people back under his leadership to help people begin living according to the Mosaic law in Jerusalem. In chapters 9 and 10, a time of renewal and revival is recorded. The closing chapter addresses the problem of spiritually intermarriage, in which Jews had married non-Jewish people who did not follow the Lord.