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Ezra 1:3

in Ezra 1

Whoever among you belongs to His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel (he is God), which is in Jerusalem.

KJV

Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

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This verse in Ezra 1

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

This sounds a little vain-glorious, for there were many kingdoms of the earth which he had nothing to do with; but he means that God had given him all that was given to Nebuchadnezzar, whose dominion, Daniel says, was to the end of the earth, Dan. iv.

This site's exposition

may he go to Jerusalem in Judah

on Ezra 1:3-4

Anyone who belongs to His people may go to Jerusalem and build the house of the LORD. Those who stay are to assist the survivors with silver, gold, goods, and livestock. The decree leaves the going to each person's choice and asks those who remain to fund those who go.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Cosmas Indicopleustes

The Christian Topography, Book 8 · Written before 550.

proposed

The decree of Cyrus, which is committed to writing and recorded in Chronicles and in Esdras (Ezra), and which enjoined all the people to go up, runs thus: In the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the …

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah · Written before 735.

proposed

Who among you of all His people, let his God be with him, etc. Great is the faith of the king in these words, great shines his piety. Faith indeed, that he understood the people of Israel to be the people of God above all …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

Who is there among you of all his people?....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

(2.) The honour of the religion of his country. Why did he not order them to build a temple to the gods of Babylon or Persia? He believed the God of Israel to be the God of heaven, and therefore obliged his Israel to worship him only.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Who is there among you of all his people--The purport of the edict was to grant full permission to those Jewish exiles, in every part of his kingdom, who chose, to return to their own country, as well as to recommend those of their countrymen who remained to aid the poor and feeble on their way, and contribute liberally towards the rebuilding of the temple.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

So said Cyrus, the king of Persia..delivered to me that I am the king and ruler over all the kingdoms.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Ezra 1:2:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And whoever remains and every Jew who remains in his place, who cannot ascend because he has no money.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Ezra 1:4:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

21 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • מִֽי־who?

    mi-H4310 →

  • בָכֶ֣ם[is] among you

    vakhem

  • מִכָּל־from all

    mikolH3605 →5413 times

  • עַמּ֗וֹpeople his

    amoH5971 →1873 times

  • יְהִ֤יmay he be

    yehiH1961 →3559 times

  • אֱלֹהָיו֙God his

    ʾelohavH430 →2601 times

  • עִמּ֔וֹwith him

    imoH5973 →1050 times

  • וְיַ֕עַלand let him go up

    veyaalH5927 →890 times

  • לִירוּשָׁלִַ֖םto Jerusalem

    lirushalimH3389 →643 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בִּיהוּדָ֑ה[is] in Judah

    bihudahH3063 →819 times

  • וְיִ֗בֶןand let him build

    veyivenH1129 →376 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • בֵּ֤ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • יְהוָה֙Yahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of

    ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael

    yisraelH3478 →2507 times

  • ה֥וּאhe

    hu'H1931 →1879 times

  • הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים[is] <the> God

    haelohimH430 →2601 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֥רwho

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃[is] in Jerusalem

    birushalimH3389 →643 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

17 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Daniel 6:26I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.7 worksJeremiah 10:10But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.6 worksIsaiah 45:5I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,4 worksEzra 5:3At that time Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”4 worksMatthew 28:20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”3 worksJoshua 1:9Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”3 works
The other 11 cross-references, with their words ▾
Acts 10:36He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.3 worksLeviticus 25:10So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.3 worksDeuteronomy 32:31For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies concede.2 worksPsalms 83:18May they know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.2 works1 Chronicles 28:20David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.2 worksDaniel 2:47The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”2 worksEsther 3:4Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.2 worksDaniel 3:28Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.2 worksEzra 7:14You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.2 worksIsaiah 45:13I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”2 worksEzra 7:13I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Joshua 1:9

    Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

    it leads to

    • Genesis 28:15

      Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what…

    • Jeremiah 1:7–8

      But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.

    • Psalms 27:1–2

      The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?

    • Joshua 1:6–7

      Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.

    • Deuteronomy 20:1

      When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you out…

  • Through

    Matthew 28:20

    and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 41:10

      Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…

    • Joshua 1:5

      No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

    • Acts 18:9–10

      One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.

Where this verse is studied

About Ezra

Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Ezra: the study guide →Read Ezra 1 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 8; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Ezra 1 →