Ezra (Prophet)

This article is about The prophet and book author. You may be looking for The book named for him.

Ezra was the leader of a group of Jews returning to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Exile in 458 BC, during the reign of King Artaxerxes. When Ezra learned that the renewed Jewish community in Judah lacked spiritual direction, he got permission from the king to lead 1,754 exiles to Judah, to give a firm foundation to Mosaic Law there.

Background

Ezra
Biographical
Parents	Seraiah
Social
Occupation	Priest Scribe
Nationality	Persian Empire
Ethnicity	Jewish (Tribe of Levi)
Religion	Yahwism Judaism
Spoke	Hebrew Aramaic
Mentioned In	Ezra Nehemiah

Ezra was a descendant from the priestly line of Aaron, and the author of the Old Testament Book of Ezra. The name Ezra means in Hebrew " helper."

Journey to Judah

In 458 BC, the Persian king Artaxerxes gave Ezra permission to lead a group of Jews back to Judah. Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter tasking him with making inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of God. The king also gave Ezra silver and gold to give to the Temple as a freewill offering to God, and allowed Ezra to take from the royal treasury to fund the journey. Artaxerxes also promised to fund the operations of the Temple from the provincial treasury of the province of Beyond the River (which Judah was located in), with a very high limit on the quantity of goods Ezra could take. Artaxerxes also decreed that all of Jerusalem's priests, Levites, and Temple workers would be exempt from taxes. Artaxerxes also gave Ezra authority to teach the Law of God throughout all Judah, as well as to administer justice throughout the land, and to appoint magistrates and judges. The great generosity of Artaxerxes toward Ezra and Judah was a result of God's work in the king's heart, and made Ezra know that God was supporting his mission.

Ezra began his journey at the river Ahava, in Babylonia. With Ezra came a large number of Jews, but when he surveyed the people, he found that while there were priests, there were no ordinary Levites among them. The Levites were essential for the operation of the Temple as well as Ezra's mission to teach the Law, so he sent to a leading Jew named Iddo at Casiphia to find some Levites who would be willing to join the journey, and they were able to find some. Before setting out further on the journey, Ezra proclaimed a fast, and the people prayed to God for a safe journey. Ezra's company included many families and children, and they were carrying many valuable goods due to Artaxerxes' donations, which could have made them a target for robbers. Ezra had not asked the king for a military escort, because he had promised Artaxerxes that God would protect those who seek Him. God protected Ezra and his company on their journey, and after four months they arrived in Jerusalem. There, they delivered the silver and gold for the Temple to the priests, and nothing had been lost.

Confronting sins in the community

When Ezra arrived in Judah, he found a community spiritually troubled. One of the main problems was that many of the people, especially the community leaders, had married pagan women who refused the accept the Jewish religion. When he heard of this, Ezra tore his clothes and sat appalled. After fasting all day, Ezra prayed to God, confessing the sins of the community. Ezra's confession and despair over this sin convicted the rest of the community. An assembly of all Judah was gathered, and the people, led by Shecaniah, confessed their sin and decided to make a covenant to follow the Law of God, and to put away their wives who refused to convert. Ezra had all the people swear an oath that they agreed. Ezra then led the investigation, which took three months, to examine the mixed marriages and determine who would have to put away their foreign wives.

Reading the Law to the people

In 445 BC, when Nehemiah was governor of Judah, an assembly of all Judah was declared, and Ezra read the Book of the Law to the people. This reading took half the day, and Ezra and the Levites made sure that all the people understood the meaning of what was read. The reading of the Law caused many of the people to weep, but Ezra and Nehemiah declared that it was a holy day, and the people should instead rejoice and feast and be generous, for it was a good thing that all the people could now understand the Law.

Ezra continued to lead the people in the studying of the Law. It was found that the Law declared that the people of Israel should celebrate the Feast of Booths, and so all Judah celebrated a Feast of Booths with great rejoicing, the extent of which had not been seen since the days of Joshua. Ezra used the opportunity of the Feast of Booths to further teach the Law to all the people.