Ezra 7:12

Ezra 7:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now
• New King James Version (NKJV)Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Perfect peace, and so forth.

Context of Ezra 7:12

10This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. 11King Artaxerxes had given a copy of the following letter to Ezra, the priest and scribe who studied and taught the commands and decrees of the Lord to Israel: “From Artaxerxes, the king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the teacher of the law of the God of heaven. Greetings. 13“I decree that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may volunteer to return to Jerusalem with you. 14I and my council of seven hereby instruct you to conduct an inquiry into the situation in Judah and Jerusalem, based on your God’s law, which is in your hand.

Ezra 7:12 word by word

אַ֨רְתַּחְשַׁ֔סְתְּא מֶ֖לֶךְ מַלְכַיָּ֑א לְעֶזְרָ֣א כָ֠הֲנָא סָפַ֨ר דָּתָ֜א דִּֽי־אֱלָ֧הּ שְׁמַיָּ֛א גְּמִ֖יר וּכְעֶֽנֶת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Artaxerxesאַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתְּא'artachshashtâ' 'artachshasht' · ArtaxerxesH783
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
• unto Ezraעֶזְרָא‛ezrâ' · EzraH5831
• the priestכָּהֵןkâhên · priestH3549
• a scribeסָפִרsâphêr · scribeH5613
• of the lawדָּתdâth · lawH1882
• of the Godאֱלָהּ'ĕlâhh · godH426
• of heavenשָׁמַ֫יִןshâmayin · heavenH8065
• perfectגְּמַרgemar · to completeH1585
• and at such a timeכְּעֶ֫נֶתke‛eneth ke‛eth · nowH3706

Cross-references for Ezra 7:12

• 1 Kings 4:24Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders.
• 1 Kings 20:1About that time King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his army, supported by the chariots and horses of thirty-two allied kings. They went to besiege Samaria, the capital of Israel, and launched attacks against it.
• Isaiah 10:8He will say, ‘Each of my princes will soon be a king.
• Ezekiel 26:7“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I will bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon against Tyre. He is king of kings and brings his horses, chariots, charioteers, and great army.
• Daniel 2:37Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor.
• 1 Timothy 6:15For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
• Revelation 17:14Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”
• Revelation 19:16On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
• Ezra 4:10They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported and relocated in Samaria and throughout the neighboring lands of the province west of the Euphrates River.

Commentaries on Ezra 7:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Artaxerxes, king of kings - This letter, from the beginning of this verse to the end of Ezra 7:26, is in the Aramitic or Chaldee language. This title of the king would, in Persian, run thus: Ardsheer shahinshah, or padshah, "Ardsheer, king of kings;" "great or supreme king, or emperor."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12The 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.”Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-26Verses 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.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-26In this letter, King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the authority to assess the situation in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:14), offer voluntary gifts to God (7:15–20), acquire supplies and funds from local leaders (7:21–24), and implement legal reforms (7:25–26).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. 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 a 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 vainglorious title was assumed by the kings of Assyria, from whom…Read the comment

Topics related to Ezra 7:12

• King
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Artaxerxes
• Ezra
• God
• Chaldee language
• Extend
• Scribes
• Ahitub
• Aramaic; Aramaic Language
• Bible, the
• Esdras, the First Book of

Commentaries on Ezra 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings