290 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure,.... They were all to a man pure, and all purified as one man; all were of one mind to purify themselves, and took care to do it, and did it with as much dispatch as if only one man was purified; so that they were more generally prepared for service now than in the times...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity,.... The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with some of the ten tribes mixed with them: and all such as had separated themselves unto them, from the filthiness of the Heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel, did eat; such of the Gentiles in the dominions of Babylon, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy,.... Which immediately followed upon the passover, Exodus 12:18, for the Lord had made them joyful; the building of the temple being finished, and the service of it restored to its original purity; and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Ezra 7 In this chapter we have the lineage and character of Ezra described, Ezra 7:1, his expedition to Jerusalem, and of many others with him, Ezra 7:7, a copy of the commission King Artaxerxes gave him to execute, Ezra 7:11, and his thankfulness, Ezra 7:27.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ver. 1-5. Now after these things,.... The finishing of the temple, and the dedication of it, and keeping the passover: in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia; in the seventh year of his reign, Ezra 7:7, who is the same with Darius in the preceding chapter; so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; [See comments on Ezra 6:14]. Ezra the son of Seraiah; the high...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on Ezra 7:1].
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on Ezra 7:1].
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on Ezra 7:1]
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
[See comments on Ezra 7:1]
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
This Ezra went up from Babylon,.... A second time; for that he went up with Zerubbabel is clear from Ne 12:1, and is plainly intimated, Ezra 5:4, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; the meaning is, not that he had a quick hand in writing out copies of it, but was well versed in the knowledge of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And there went up some of the children of Israel,.... Perhaps some of the ten tribes, as well as others of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; who, notwithstanding the edict of Cyrus, chose to remain in Babylon, and in the countries of it, until they saw how things would go in Judea; and hearing that the temple was finished, and that those that had...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month,.... With the above company; this was the month Abib, answering to part of July and part of August: which was in the seventh year of the king; as in the preceding verse.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon,.... The month Nisan, answering to part of March and part of April; this was New Year's day: and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem; the first of the month Ab, as in the preceding verse; so that he was just four months on his journey: according to the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord,.... To attain to the knowledge of it, that he might be master of it, and expert in it, and know what was not to be done, and what to be done; he had set his heart upon this, bent his studies this way, and taken a great deal of pains in searching into it, in reading of it, and meditating...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now this is the copy of the letter that the King Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest,.... This title relating to his office is justly given him, since he was the son of an high priest, and lineally descended from Aaron, as the above account of his pedigree shows: the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the Lord, and of his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Artaxerxes, king of kings,.... Having many kings and kingdoms subject and tributary to him; for this was not merely a proud haughty title which the eastern kings (p) assumed, particularly the Persians; for after Cyrus they were so in fact, who took this title also, and had it put on his sepulchral monument, "Here I lie, Cyrus, king of kings (q);''...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
I make a decree,.... Which, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, when signed, might not be changed, Daniel 6:8, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm; who remained there, and took not the benefit of the edict of Cyrus, which gave them leave to go; but neglecting the opportunity, it seems as...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors,.... Such a number the kings of Persia used to have from the times of Darius Hystaspis, who was chosen out of seven nobles to be king, and ever after the Persian kings had seven counsellors privileged, as those nobles were, Es 1:14, and Ezra had the honour to be sent with a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem. In the temple built there; for the service of which, either for purchasing and procuring vessels that were wanting in it, or for sacrifices to be offered in it, the king and his nobles had made a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon,.... Not that he might take it wherever he found it, whether the owners of it were willing he should have it or not; but whatever was freely offered by them, as Jarchi, that he was allowed to take, whatever he could get in that way: with the freewill offering of the...