Ezra 7:6
in Ezra 7this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
this Ezra went up from Babylon. And he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him.
KJV
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.
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This verse in Ezra 7
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA ready scribe - סופר מחיר sopher machir does not merely signify a speedy writer or an excellent penman, but one who was eminently skillful in expounding the law. In this sense the word γραμματευς, scribe, is repeatedly used in the New Testament, and we find that both in the Old and New Testament it had the same signification. The Syriac gives the sense of the word by translating sophro chocimo, a wise scribe, or expounder.
This site's exposition
a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses
Ezra was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses. Adam Clarke takes the term for one able to expound the law, the sense the New Testament gives the word scribe. The king granted all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Now that prophecy was about to cease it was time to promote scripture-knowledge, pursuant to the counsel of God by the last of the prophets, Mal. iv. Remember the law of Moses. Gospel ministers are called scribes instructed to the kingdom of heaven ( Matt. xiii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
This Ezra went up from Babylon,....
The commission runs, we suppose, in the usual form: Artaxerxes, King of kings. This however is too high a title for any mortal man to assume; he was indeed king of some kings, but to speak as if he were king of all kings was to usurp his prerogative who hath all power both in heaven and in earth.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
This Ezra . . . was a ready scribe in the law of Moses--The term "scribe" does not mean merely a penman, nor even an attorney well versed in forms of law and skilled in the method of preparing public or private deeds. He was a rabbi, or doctor, learned in the Mosaic law, and in all that related to the civil and ecclesiastical polity and customs of the Hebrew people.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
A ready scribe - Or, “a ready writer” Psa 45:1. The professional scribe was well known in Egypt from an early date (see Gen 39:4 note); and under David and his successors “scribes” were attached to the court as the king’s secretaries (2Sa 8:17; 2Sa 20:25; 2Ki 12:10, etc.). It was scarcely, however, until the time of the captivity that the class to which Ezra belonged arose. The “scribes” of this time, and of later Jewish history, were students, interpreters, and copiers of the Law (see the marginal references and Jer 8:8). They retained the knowledge of the old dialect, which was being rapidly superseded by a new one. The emphatic application of the title “the scribe” to Ezra marks the high honor in which the office was now held. Its glories eclipsed those of the priesthood. The hand of the Lord ... upon him - The use of this phrase in a good sense is rare elsewhere (compare 1Ki 18:46), but is a favorite one with both Ezra and Nehemiah (see the marginal references; Neh 2:8, Neh 2:18).
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ה֤וּא | hu' | that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| עֶזְרָא֙ | ʾezra' | Ezra | H5830 → | 22 times |
| עָלָ֣ה | ʾalah | he came up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| מִבָּבֶ֔ל | mibavel | from Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
| וְהֽוּא־ | vehu'- | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| סֹפֵ֤ר | sofer | [was] a scribe | H5608 → | 159 times |
| מָהִיר֙ | mahir | skilled | H4106 → | |
| בְּתוֹרַ֣ת | betorat | in [the] law of | H8451 → | 219 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֔ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֥ן | natan | he had given | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | [the] God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיִּתֶּן־ | vaiyiten- | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| כְּיַד־ | keyad- | according to [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱלֹהָיו֙ | ʾelohav | God his | H430 → | 2601 times |
| עָלָ֔יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֹּ֖ל | kol | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בַּקָּשָׁתֽוֹ׃ פ | bakashato | request his | H1246 → |
ה֤וּאthat
hu'H1931 →1879 times
עֶזְרָא֙Ezra
ʾezra'H5830 →22 times
עָלָ֣הhe came up
ʾalahH5927 →890 times
מִבָּבֶ֔לfrom Babylon
mibavelH894 →262 times
וְהֽוּא־and he
vehu'-H1931 →1879 times
סֹפֵ֤ר[was] a scribe
soferH5608 →159 times
מָהִיר֙skilled
mahirH4106 →
בְּתוֹרַ֣תin [the] law of
betoratH8451 →219 times
מֹשֶׁ֔הMoses
moshehH4872 →
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נָתַ֥ןhe had given
natanH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣י[the] God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיִּתֶּן־and he gave
vaiyiten-H5414 →2011 times
ל֣וֹto <the> him
lo
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
כְּיַד־according to [the] hand of
keyad-H3027 →1618 times
יְהוָ֤הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱלֹהָיו֙God his
ʾelohavH430 →2601 times
עָלָ֔יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
כֹּ֖לall
kolH3605 →5413 times
בַּקָּשָׁתֽוֹ׃ פrequest his
bakashatoH1246 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Ezra 8:22For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Psalms 33:18–19
Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
- 2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD roam to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in…
- Psalms 34:15–16
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- 1 Peter 3:12
Through
Matthew 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.”
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.
- Isaiah 41:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Ezra
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonExodus and Wilderness PeriodMosesIsrael's deliverer from Egyptian slavery, covenant mediator, and lawgiver.
- PersonReturn from exileEzraPriest and ready scribe of the law of Moses who came up from Babylon, set his heart to seek, do, and teach the law, and led the re…
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.