John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 7:12
Artaxerxes, king of kings ,.... Having many kings and kingdoms subject and tributary to him; for this was not merely a proud haughty title which the eastern kings F16 See the Universal History, vol. 5. p. 16, 137. & vol. 11. p. 7, 8. margin, & p. 66. assumed, particularly the Persians; for after Cyrus they were so in fact, who took this title also, and had it put on his sepulchral monument,"Here I lie, Cyrus, king of kings F17 Strabo, Geograph. l. 15. p. 502. ;'this title... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Ezra 7:11-26
We have here the commission which the Persian emperor granted to Ezra, giving him authority to act for the good of the Jews; and it is very ample and full, and beyond what could have been expected. The commission runs, we suppose, in the usual form: Artaxerxes, King of kings. This however is too high a title for any mortal man to assume; he was indeed king of some kings, but to speak as if he were king of all kings was to usurp his prerogative who hath all power both in heaven and in earth. He... read more