New Living Translation
Ezra 7:14
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 7:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
- New International Version (NIV)You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
- English Standard Version (ESV)For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And whereas you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand;
Context of Ezra 7:14
12“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. I 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. 15We also commission you to take with you silver and gold, which we are freely presenting as an offering to the God of Israel who lives in Jerusalem. 16“Furthermore, you are to take any silver and gold that you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the voluntary offerings of the people and the priests that are presented for the Temple of their God in Jerusalem.
Read all of Ezra 7Ezra 7:14 word by word
כָּל־קֳבֵ֗ל דִּי֩ מִן־קֳדָ֨ם מַלְכָּ֜א וְשִׁבְעַ֤ת יָעֲטֹ֙הִי֙ שְׁלִ֔יחַ לְבַקָּרָ֥א עַל־יְה֖וּד וְלִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם בְּדָ֥ת אֱלָהָ֖ךְ דִּ֥י בִידָֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forasmuchקֳבֵלqebêl qŏbêl · before: becauseH6903
- Forasmuchדִּיdîy · thatH1768
- asכֹּלkôl · allH3606
- thou art sentשְׁלַחshelach · to sendH7972
- ofקֳדָםqŏdâm qedâm · beforeH6925
- ofמִן־min · fromH4481
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
- and of his sevenשִׁבְעָהshib‛âh · sevenH7655
- counsellorsיָעֵטye‛aţ · counsellorH3272
- to enquireבְּקַרbeqar · to enquireH1240
- concerningעַל‛al · uponH5922
- Judahיְהוּדyehûd · JudahH3061
- and Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlêm · JerusalemH3390
- according to the lawדָּתdâth · lawH1882
- of thy Godאֱלָהּ'ĕlâhh · godH426
- in thine handיַדyad · handH3028
Cross-references for Ezra 7:14
- Esther 1:14The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.
- Ezra 7:25“And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it.
- Deuteronomy 17:18“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
- Isaiah 8:20Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.
- Ezra 1:3Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!
- Ezra 5:8“The king should know that we went to the construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success.
- Ezra 6:12May the God who has chosen the city of Jerusalem as the place to honor his name destroy any king or nation that violates this command and destroys this Temple. “I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed with all diligence.”
- Daniel 2:47The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”
- Daniel 6:20When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Commentaries on Ezra 7:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14His 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.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Seven 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).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. 14the king and his seven counselors: The Greek historian Xenophon knew about this council (Xenophon, Anabasis 1.6.4–5). Esther 1:14 lists the names of the seven princes of Xerxes, who was Artaxerxes’ father. the Law of your God: The word translated as law in this verse is the Aramaic word dath, not the Hebrew torah (Ezra 7:10). This suggests that a Persian wrote this letter (Ezra 7:11–26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors--This was the fixed number of the privy council of the kings of Persia (Es 1:10, 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…Read the comment
Topics related to Ezra 7:14
In the dictionaries
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
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