Ezra 7:14

_FORASMUCH AS THOU ART SENT OF THE KING, AND OF HIS SEVEN COUNSELLORS, TO INQUIRE CONCERNING JUDAH AND JERUSALEM, ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF THY GOD WHICH IS IN THINE HAND;_ Sent of the king, and of his seven counselors. This was the fixed number of the privy council of the king of Persia (see the note at Ezra 5:2: cf. Esther 1:10; Esther 1:14). The document describes, with great clearness and precision, the nature of Ezra's commission, and the extent of power and prerogatives with which he was invested. It gave him authority, in the first place, to organize the colony in Judea, and institute a regular government, according to the laws of the Hebrew people, and by magistrates and rulers of their own nation ...

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 14. _HIS SEVEN COUNSELLORS_] It is very likely that the privy counsel of the king consisted of _seven_ persons simply. The _names_ of these seven counsellors or chamberlains may be found in the book of Esther, Esther 1:10....

SEVEN COUNSELORS - Herodotus relates that there were seven families pre-eminent in Persia, those of the seven conspirators against the Pseudo-Smerdis (Ezra 4:7 note); and it is reasonable to suppose that the heads of these families formed the special council of the king; the “Achaemenidae,” or royal family, being represented by the head of the branch next in succession to that of the reigning monarch (see the marginal reference)....

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

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, Esther 1:14, and Ezra had the honour to be sent with a commission from this king and his seven counsellors, TO INQUIRE CONCERNING JUDAH AND JERUSALEM; the inhabitants thereof, whether they had knowledge of and behaved ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF THY GOD WHICH IS IN THINE HAND; a copy of which he had with him, and was very expert in and conversant with, and could readily and at once pass judgment whether they acted according to it or not....

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....

SEVEN COUNSELLORS. Compare Esther 1:10; Esther 1:14....

The contents of the letter are given in Aramaic....