Ezra 7:12

_ARTAXERXES, KING OF KINGS, UNTO EZRA THE PRIEST, A SCRIBE OF THE LAW OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN, PERFECT PEACE, AND AT SUCH A TIME._ Artaxerxes, king of kings. That title might have been assumed as, with literal truth, applicable to him, since many of the tributary princes of his empire still retained the name and authority of kings. But it was as probably a mere Orientalism, denoting a great and powerful prince, as the heaven of heavens signified the highest heaven, and vanity of vanities the greatest vanity. This vain-glorious title was assumed by the kings of Assyria, from whom it passed to the sovereigns of Persia. UNTO EZRA THE PRIEST, A SCRIBE OF THE LAW OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN. The appointment of Ezra, which was in the seventh year of Artaxerxes' reign, to this influential mission, was of the highest importance to the Hebrew people, as a large proportion of them were become, in a great...

11-26 The liberality of heathen kings to support the worship of God, reproached the conduct of many kings of Judah, and will rise up in judgment against the covetousness of wealthy professed Christians, who will not promote the cause of God. But the weapons of Christian ministers are not carnal. Faithful preaching, holy lives, fervent prayers, and patient suffering when called to it, are the means to bring men into obedience to Christ....

Verse 12. _ARTAXERXES, KING OF KINGS_] This letter, from the beginning of this verse to the end of Ezra 7:12, is in the _Aramitic_ or _Chaldee_ language. This title of the king would, in Persian, run thus: [Persian] _Ardsheer shahinshah_, or [Persian] _padshah_, "Ardsheer, king of kings;" "_great_ or _supreme king_, or _emperor_....

The title, “king of kings,” is assumed by almost all the persian monarchs in their inscriptions. PERFECT PEACE - “Peace” is not in the original, and the word translated “perfect” occurs only in this place. Some prefer to take it as an adjective descriptive of Ezra (see margin); others (Septuagint) as the opening word of the first paragraph of the letter, and give it the meaning, “it is completed.”...

EXPOSITION THE DECREE OF ARTAXERXES WITH RESPECT TO EZRA (Ezra 7:11). The present decree was of the nature of a _firman _granted to an individual. It embodied, in the first place, a certain number of provisions which were temporary. Of this character were— 1. the permission accorded to all Persian subjects of Israelite descent to accompany Ezra to Jerusalem (verse 13); 2. the commission to Ezra to convey to Jerusalem certain offerings made by the king and his chief courtiers to the God of Israel (verses 15, 19); 3. the permission given him to convey to Jerusalem the free-will offerings of Jews and others resident in Babylonia (verse 16); 4. permissi

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;'' this title was given to Grecian kings, particularly Agamemnon is called king of kings r, he being general at the siege of Troy, under whom the rest of the kings fought; if this was Darius Hystaspis, of him Cyrus dreamed that he had wings on his shoulders, with one he covered Asia, and with the other Europe s: UNTO EZRA THE PRIEST, A SCRIBE OF THE LAW OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN; of which titles see Ezra 7:11: PERFECT [PEACE], AND AT SUCH A TIME; the word "perfect" belongs to Ezra's title as a scribe,

II. THE RETURN UNDER EZRA AND HIS REFORMATION CHAPTER 7 _ 1. The journey of Ezra to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1)_ 2. The decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11) 3. Ezra's thanksgiving (Ezra 7:27) Ezra 7:1. The record of the return under Zerubbabel and the rebuilding of the temple ends with the previous chapter. Many years passed after the temple had been built before the godly Ezra and his companions returned to Jerusalem. No record whatever is in existence covering the years which intervened between Zerubabbel's expedition and work, and Ezra's expedition. The critics claim that “it was in these apparently barren years that the priestly c

DECREE OF ARTAXERXES. This decree granted a further return of exiles for the purpose of reorganising the Temple worship. With the exception of the introductory words of Ezra 7:11, this section is in Aramaic. There is no reason for doubting the substantial genuineness of this document, though in the form here given the Chronicler, with his love for all that has to do with the Temple ritual, has introduced some of his own ideas....

GOD Chaldee. _'eldh._ Same as Hebrew Eloah. App-4. GOD OF HEAVEN. See note on 2 Chronicles 36:23....

_king of kings_ title common in inscriptions of Persian monarchs. (Cf. of Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37.) No mere hyperbole, when the great empire included so many subject kingdoms. _a scribe_ R.V. THE SCRIBE. _the God of heaven_ See note on Ezra 1:2. _perfect_peace, _and at such a time_ R.V. PERFECT AND SO FORTH. The Aramaic word -perfect", -g'mir", occurs only here. The salutation, probably a lengthy affair, is here condensed and the sentence breaks off abruptly. The word -perfect" refers to -the scribe" Ezra and was probably the first of a series of complimentary epithets. So the Vulgate -doctissimo". The A.V. understands the words of salutation, cf. 1 Esdras, -hail" (χαίρ