Keraia
People

Ezra

Ezra was a priest and scribe who led a group of Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem and played a key role in the spiritual reformation of the people.

The name Ezra means “help; court”

MalePriestTribe of LeviExile and Return eraOld Testament2 books74 verses

Summary

A priest from the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezra 7:1; referred to as Ezra (עֶזְרָא, Aramiac עֶזְרָא); son of Seraiah; a brother of Jehozadak.

Profile

Ezra was a priest and scribe (teacher and copier of Scripture). He came from an important family of high priests descended from Zadok (Ezra 7:1–5, 11–12; see also Nehemiah 8:2, 9). He led in Judah after the Jews returned from exile. As a scribe, Ezra was more than a copyist; he was a dedicated student of God's laws (Ezra 7:6). He was qualified to teach, preach, and explain the Scriptures.

Ezra, an important official who helped the king with Jewish matters in the Persian Empire, visited Jerusalem around 458 BC. He brought items for the Temple and aimed to establish God's laws and the laws of Persia. One of his first actions was to address the issue of intermarriage with non-Jewish neighbors (Ezra 9:1–10:44). Later, after the city walls were rebuilt in 445 BC (Nehemiah 6:15), Ezra led the community to follow God's law more closely (Nehemiah 8:13–15).

Ezra honored God by managing finances well. The Persian king trusted Ezra's judgment and let him request more money when needed (Ezra 7:15–20). Ezra gave financial responsibilities to others whenever possible and demanded strict financial honesty (Ezra 8:24–30). He identified some financial resources as sacred and belonging to God.

Ezra humbled himself before God when the people began their journey (Ezra 8:21–23), when he learned about the people's unholy marriages (Ezra 9:5–15), and when he gathered those required to divorce their pagan wives (10:6). He always recognized that God's gracious hand—not his own ability or wisdom—made good things happen (Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31; 9:8–9). He studied and lived by God's Word and taught others to follow what God revealed (Ezra 7:10). He was a teacher and servant-leader, not a self-important official who dominated others.

Ezra showed his devotion through prayer and fasting. This showed his strong desire to help people follow God. He set an example for life in the Jewish community after the exile, focusing on God's Word and worship as main priorities.

Passages for Further Study

Ezra 7:1–10:44; Nehemiah 8:1–18; 12:1, 26, 36

Glossary entries

Ezra (Person)

Family members

Father

Seraiah

Siblings

Jehozadak

Alternative names

Mentions

Includes 52 verses that refer to Ezra without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. Ezra 7:1
    Many years later, during the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
  2. Ezra 7:6
    …this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
  3. Ezra 7:8Referred to, not named
    Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.
  4. Ezra 7:9Referred to, not named
    He had begun the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was upon him.
  5. Ezra 7:10
    For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
  6. Ezra 7:11
    This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel:
  7. Ezra 7:12
    Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
  8. Ezra 7:13Referred to, not named
    I hereby decree that any volunteers among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem.
  9. Ezra 7:14Referred to, not named
    You are sent by the king and his seven counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.
  10. Ezra 7:15Referred to, not named
    Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
  11. Ezra 7:16Referred to, not named
    …together with all the silver and gold you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.
  12. Ezra 7:17Referred to, not named
    With this money, therefore, you are to buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.
  13. Ezra 7:18Referred to, not named
    You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.
  14. Ezra 7:19Referred to, not named
    You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.
  15. Ezra 7:20Referred to, not named
    And if anything else is needed for the house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may pay for it from the royal treasury.
  16. Ezra 7:21
    I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it must be provided promptly,
  17. Ezra 7:24Referred to, not named
    And be advised that you have no authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
  18. Ezra 7:25
    And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone who does not know them.
  19. Ezra 7:26Referred to, not named
    If anyone does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.
  20. Ezra 7:27Referred to, not named
    Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
  21. Ezra 7:28Referred to, not named
    …and who has shown me favor before the king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
  22. Ezra 8:1Referred to, not named
    These are the family heads and genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
  23. Ezra 8:15Referred to, not named
    Now I assembled these exiles at the canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites there.
  24. Ezra 8:16Referred to, not named
    Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
  25. Ezra 8:17Referred to, not named
    And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.
  26. Ezra 8:21Referred to, not named
    And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.
  27. Ezra 8:22Referred to, not named
    For I was ashamed to ask the king for an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him.”
  28. Ezra 8:23Referred to, not named
    So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
  29. Ezra 8:24Referred to, not named
    Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers,
  30. Ezra 8:25Referred to, not named
    …and I weighed out to them the contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had offered for the house of our God.
  31. Ezra 8:26Referred to, not named
    I weighed out into their hands 650 talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold,
  32. Ezra 8:28Referred to, not named
    Then I told them, “You are holy to the LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.
  33. Ezra 8:30Referred to, not named
    So the priests and Levites took charge of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
  34. Ezra 8:31Referred to, not named
    On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies and bandits along the way.
  35. Ezra 8:32Referred to, not named
    So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested there for three days.
  36. Ezra 8:33Referred to, not named
    On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.
  37. Ezra 8:36Referred to, not named
    They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.
  38. Ezra 9:1Referred to, not named
    After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.
  39. Ezra 9:3Referred to, not named
    When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and sat down in horror.
  40. Ezra 9:4Referred to, not named
    Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until the evening offering.
  41. Ezra 9:5Referred to, not named
    At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
  42. Ezra 9:6Referred to, not named
    …and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.
  43. Ezra 9:7Referred to, not named
    From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and subjected to the sword and to captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.
  44. Ezra 9:8Referred to, not named
    But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.
  45. Ezra 9:9Referred to, not named
    Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
  46. Ezra 9:10Referred to, not named
    And now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken the commandments
  47. Ezra 9:11Referred to, not named
    …that You gave through Your servants the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end.
  48. Ezra 9:12Referred to, not named
    Now, therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’
  49. Ezra 9:13Referred to, not named
    After all that has come upon us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have given us such a remnant as this),
  50. Ezra 9:14Referred to, not named
    …shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving no remnant or survivor?
  51. Ezra 9:15Referred to, not named
    O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.”
  52. Ezra 10:1
    While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as well.
  53. Ezra 10:2
    Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite of this, there is hope for Israel.
  54. Ezra 10:3Referred to, not named
    So now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
  55. Ezra 10:4Referred to, not named
    Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take action!”
  56. Ezra 10:5
    So Ezra got up and made the leading priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been said. And they took the oath.
  57. Ezra 10:6
    Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
  58. Ezra 10:10
    Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.
  59. Ezra 10:12Referred to, not named
    And the whole assembly responded in a loud voice: “Truly we must do as you say!
  60. Ezra 10:14Referred to, not named
    Let our leaders represent the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this matter is turned away from us.”
  61. Ezra 10:16
    So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day of the tenth month they launched the investigation,
  62. Ezra 10:17Referred to, not named
    …and by the first day of the first month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign women.
  63. Nehemiah 8:1
    At that time all the people gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
  64. Nehemiah 8:2
    On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could listen and understand.
  65. Nehemiah 8:3Referred to, not named
    So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
  66. Nehemiah 8:4
    Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.
  67. Nehemiah 8:5
    Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he opened it, all the people stood up.
  68. Nehemiah 8:6
    Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
  69. Nehemiah 8:9
    Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Law.
  70. Nehemiah 8:12Referred to, not named
    Then all the people began to eat and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.
  71. Nehemiah 8:13
    On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law.
  72. Nehemiah 8:18Referred to, not named
    Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.
  73. Nehemiah 12:26
    They served in the days of Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
  74. Nehemiah 12:36
    …and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the scribe led the procession.