Ezra 7:24

_WHATSOEVER IS COMMANDED BY THE GOD OF HEAVEN, LET IT BE DILIGENTLY DONE FOR THE HOUSE OF THE GOD OF HEAVEN: FOR WHY SHOULD THERE BE WRATH AGAINST THE REALM OF THE KING AND HIS SONS?_ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THESE VERSES....

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 24. _IT SHALL NOT BE LAWFUL TO IMPOSE TOLL_] As these persons had no private revenues, it would have been unreasonable to have laid them under _taxation_....

The decree of Artaxerxes was more favorable to the Jews than those of all previous Persian monarchs. We hear of a similar exemption of ecclesiastics from tribute, only to a less extent, under the Seleucidae. MINISTERS - The rare word here used, which in Daniel has the sense of “worshippers,” appears to designate in this place the lowest class of persons employed in the service of the temple....

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

ALSO WE CERTIFY YOU, THAT TOUCHING ANY OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES, SINGERS, PORTERS, NETHINIMS, OR MINISTERS OF THIS HOUSE OF GOD,.... The king had a right and perfect knowledge of the distinct offices and services of those persons, see Ezra 7:7, IT SHALL NOT BE LAWFUL TO IMPOSE TOLL, TRIBUTE, OR CUSTOM, UPON THEM; that they might be the less encumbered with the affairs of life, and be more at leisure to attend divine service, and do it the more readily and freely; it was usual with the Heathens to except ecclesiastics from taxes, tributes, and imposts; so the priests in Egypt w, and the Druids here in Britain x. w Diodor. Sicul. l. 1. p. 66. x Caesar. Comment. de Bello Gall. l. 6. c. 13....

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. _'elahah_. Hebrew Eloah (emph.) See App-4....

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