Ezr 7:11-26 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Ezra 7:11-26: 7:11-26 In this letter , King Artaxerxes granted Ezra the power and responsibility to evaluate the situation in Jerusalem (7:14 ), present freewill offerings to God (7:15-20 ), obtain supplies and finances from local authorities (7:21-24 ), and institute judicial reforms (7:25-26 ).

Summary for Ezra 7:11-26: 7:11-26 ^a In this letter, King Artaxerxes granted Ezra the power and responsibility to evaluate the situation in Jerusalem (7:14 ^b), present freewill offerings to God (7:15-20 ^c), obtain supplies and finances from local authorities (7:21-24 ^d), and institute judicial reforms (7:25-26 ^e).
7:14 ^f I and my council of seven: The Greek historian Xenophon knew of this council (Xenophon, Anabasis 1.6.4-5), and Esth 1:14 ^g lists the names of the seven princes of Xerxes, Artaxerxes’ father.

• your God’s law: The word translated law in this verse is the Aramaic word dath rather than the Hebrew torah (7:10 ^h), suggesting that a Persian wrote this letter (7:11-26 ⁱ).
7:15 ^j who lives in Jerusalem: God’s Temple was located there. Artaxerxes probably thought that he was helping rebuild the house of Jerusalem’s local deity (cp. 1 Kgs 8:27 ^k; Ps 24:1 ^l).
7:16 ^m Like Cyrus (1:4 ⁿ, 6 ^o), Artaxerxes allowed Jews in Babylon to send freewill offerings to Jerusalem. A sizeable sum was collected from the king and his council as well as from Jewish contributors (8:25-27 ^p).
Summary for Ezra 7:21-22: 7:21-22 ^q The items listed were typically used as offerings in worship (cp. Exod 27:20 ^r; 29:2 ^s; Lev 2:4 ^t, 13 ^u; 14:10 ^v; Num 28:7 ^w).
7:23 ^x the God of heaven: This is the title by which the Jews had referred to the Lord (5:11-12 ^y) and that Cyrus had used (1:2 ^z). The Persian king probably believed, like others in the ancient Near East, that each country’s god or gods controlled their territory. Artaxerxes did not want to risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and undermine the peace of his empire by failing to provide for the God of Jerusalem (7:19 ^aa) the worship that he required.
7:24 ^ab The tax exemptions given to Temple personnel in Jerusalem were similar to the conciliatory gestures made to those in other nations.
Summary for Ezra 7:25-26: 7:25-26 ^ac Ezra was to teach God’s laws and govern the area occupied by the Jews in accordance with God’s laws and the law of the king—i.e., Persian civil law.