John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Ezra 7:17
That thou mayest buy speedily with this money ,.... Thus freely contributed by one and another: bullocks, rams, lambs ; which were for burnt offerings: with their meat offerings, and their drink offerings ; which always went along with the burnt offerings, according to the law of Moses; and which the king seemed to have a right knowledge of, being, no doubt, instructed by Ezra, or some other Jew in his court: and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in... 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