Ezra 7:22

_UNTO AN HUNDRED TALENTS OF SILVER, AND TO AN HUNDRED MEASURES OF WHEAT, AND TO AN HUNDRED BATHS OF WINE, AND TO AN HUNDRED BATHS OF OIL, AND SALT WITHOUT PRESCRIBING HOW MUCH._ An hundred talents of silver - 22,000 British pounds, according to the rate of the silver talent of Babylon. Fourthly, Artaxerxes gave his royal sanction in establishment of the divine law which exempted priests and Levites from taxation or tribute, and confirmed to them the exclusive right to officiate in the sacred services of the sanctuary. And, finally, in the expression of the king's desire for the divine blessing upon the king and his government (Ezra 7:23), we see the strong persuasion which pervaded the Persian court, and had been produced by the captivity of the Hebrew people as to the Being and Directing Providence of the God they worshipped. It will be observed, however, that the commission rel

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 22. _A HUNDRED TALENTS OF SILVER_] The talent of silver was 450_£_. _A HUNDRED MEASURES OF WHEAT_] A hundred _cors_; each _cor_ was a little more than _seventy-five gallons, one quart_, and _a pint_, wine measure. _A HUNDRED BATHS OF WINE_] Each _bath_ was _seven gallons_ and _five_ _pints_....

This verse assigns limits to the permission of Ezra 7:20. As the Persian tribute was paid partly in money and partly in kind (see Ezra 4:13 note), the treasuries would be able to supply them as readily as they could furnish money....

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

UNTO ONE HUNDRED TALENTS OF SILVER,.... Which amounted to 35,300 pounds sterling; these, according to Jarchi, were to buy the offerings or sacrifices with: AND AN HUNDRED MEASURES OF WHEAT; or corn, the same measure with the homer, each of which held ten ephahs, or seventy five wine gallons, five pints, and upwards; these, according to the same writer, were for meat offerings, made of fine flour, or rather bread offerings, as they may be called: AND TO AN HUNDRED BATHS OF WINE; which was the same measure in liquids as the ephah in things dry, a tenth part of the cor or homer, and held seven wine gallons, five pints, and upwards u; these were for the drink offerings: AND TO AN HUNDRED BATHS OF OIL; the same measure as before; these were to mix in the meat offerings: AND SALT WITHOUT PRESCRIBING HOW MUCH; because it was used in all offerings, and was cheap, and therefore no measure is...

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....

WINE. Compare Ezra 6:9. Hebrew. _chemer._ App-27. WITHOUT PRESCRIBING HOW MUCH. without measure....

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