Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers ,.... This is Ezra's thanksgiving to God for the above decree: which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart ; which he rightly took to be of God, who wrought in him to will and to do: to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem ; to provide for the ornamenting of it, for vessels in it, as well as for sacrifices; for as for the building of it, that was finished. read more
And hath extended mercy unto me, before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes ,.... Before Artaxerxes, his seven counsellors, Ezra 7:14 and the nobles of his realm, in being appointed by them to carry their freewill offerings to Jerusalem, and the king's commands to his treasurers, with leave to take as many of the Jews with him as were willing to go: and I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me ; animated to undertake this work,... read more
And I was strengthened - In what the king decreed he saw the hand of God; he therefore gave him the praise, and took courage. There is a most amiable spirit of piety in these reflections. Ezra simply states the case; shows what the king had determined, and tells what he said; and then points out the grand agent in the whole business - it was the Lord God of his fathers. Thus God had put it into the king's heart to beautify the house of Jehovah; and, as that house was built for the... read more
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. permission to Ezra to draw on the royal treasury to the amount of a hundred talents of... read more
Influence. These verses give us the idea of Ezra as a man of great influence over his fellows; one of those men that lead others, that inspire them with confidence and regard; one of those who can make their thoughts and their desires tell powerfully on the mind and the will of others. We see his influence— I. OVER THE KING AND HIS COURT (verse 27). He puts it modestly, as becomes a devout man accustomed to refer everything to the Divine hand that governs everywhere, and... read more
Having concluded the important document, which he has transcribed, and not translated, and which is consequently in the Chaldee dialect, Ezra now resumes the use of the more sacred Hebrew, and henceforth employs it uninterruptedly to the close of his narrative. The form of his thanksgiving a little resembles that of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10 . The Lord God of our fathers is an unusual phrase, only elsewhere employed by David ( 1 Chronicles 29:18 ) and Jehoshaphat ( 2 Chronicles 20:6... read more
EZRA 'S THANKSGIVING ON RECEIPT OF ARTAXERXES ' LETTER ( Ezra 7:27 , Ezra 7:28 ). With an abruptness that may appear strange, but which has many parallels in the works of Oriental writers, Ezra passes without a word of explanation from Artaxerxes' letter to his own thanksgiving upon the receipt of it. Compare the interjectional prayers of Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 4:4 ; Nehemiah 5:19 ; Nehemiah 6:9 , Nehemiah 6:14 , etc.). read more
The reformer's psalm. Very abruptly, even in our translation, does this short psalm of praise come in. Still more so in the original, where the writer here passes suddenly from Chaldee to Hebrew; that being, in his case, the natural language of such praise ( Psalms 137:3 ). This makes the psalm all the more valuable to us as an index of inward feeling. Carefully studied forms of expression may or may not be the language of the heart. Sudden and unpremeditated expressions, words that... read more
The extension of the mercy of the covenant. After recounting the wonderful success of his enterprise, Ezra breaks out into a rapture of gratitude to God. "Blessed be the Lord God," etc. Here— I. HE ACKNOWLEDGES GOD IN HIS COVENANT CAPACITY . 1. This is expressed in the terms " God of. " 2. Covenant relationship subsists in Christ. 3. The promise of the Christ was the establishment of the covenant with the " fathers. " II. HE ASCRIBES HIS ... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 7:27-28
Ezra cannot proceed in his story without inserting his thankful acknowledgement of the goodness of God to him and his people in this matter. As soon as he has concluded the king's commission, instead of subjoining, God save the king (though that would have been proper enough), he adds, Blessed be the Lord; for we must in every thing give thanks, and, whatever occurrences please us, we must own God's hand in them, and praise his name. Two things Ezra blessed God for:?1. For his commission. We... read more