Ezra 7:1

"Ezra."

Key Reflection

Ezra 7:1 introduces a pivotal figure, Ezra the son of Seraiah, setting the stage for his significant role in the biblical narrative. This verse marks the beginning of Ezra's journey back to Jerusalem from Babylon with the support and authorization of King Artaxerxes I of Persia, highlighting the political and religious importance of this return as part of the broader efforts to restore the Jewish community and its religious practices after the Babylonian exile.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

After these things -The words mark an interval of 57 years; if, with most commentators, we take Artaxerxes to be Longimanus. See the introduction to the Book of Ezra. Three kings named Artaxerxes, the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Artakhshasta, and the Persian Artakhshatra, ruled over Persia, namely,: Longimanus, Mnemon, and Ochus. The evidence is in favor of the first being meant here: he was the grandson of Darius Hystaspis, Jeshua’s contemporary. The genealogy of Ezra here is incomplete. The time between the Exodus and Ezra must have exceeded one thousand years, and cannot have been covered by 16 generations.

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