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. For Ezra had set his heartThe phrase "set his heart" indicates a deliberate and intentional decision. In Hebrew, the word for "heart" is "lev," which often refers to the inner self, including mind, will, and emotions. Ezra's commitment was not superficial; it was a deep, heartfelt dedication. This reflects the biblical principle that true devotion to God begins internally, with a sincere and purposeful resolve. to study the Law of the LORD
The word "study" in Hebrew is "darash," which means to seek, inquire, or investigate. Ezra's approach to the Law was not passive; it was active and diligent. The "Law of the LORD" refers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which were central to Jewish life and worship. Ezra's commitment to study underscores the importance of understanding God's Word deeply and thoroughly, a principle that remains vital for believers today. to practice it
The phrase "to practice it" highlights the application of knowledge. In Hebrew, the word "asah" means to do or to make. Ezra's intention was not merely academic; he aimed to live out the teachings of the Law. This reflects the biblical teaching that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). True understanding of Scripture is demonstrated through obedience and action. and to teach its statutes and ordinances
The word "teach" in Hebrew is "lamad," which implies learning and instructing. Ezra's role as a teacher was crucial for the spiritual renewal of Israel. "Statutes and ordinances" refer to the specific commands and decrees within the Law. Ezra's mission was to ensure that the people of Israel understood and followed God's commands, emphasizing the importance of sound teaching and discipleship in the community of faith. in Israel
The phrase "in Israel" situates Ezra's mission within the covenant community. Israel was the nation chosen by God to be a light to the nations, and Ezra's work was part of God's redemptive plan. This highlights the communal aspect of faith, where individual devotion contributes to the spiritual health and witness of the entire community. Ezra's example serves as an inspiration for believers to commit to personal growth and to contribute to the edification of the church. Persons / Places / Events 1. EzraA scribe and priest, Ezra was a key figure in the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was dedicated to the study and teaching of God's Law. 2. The Law of the LORDRefers to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which contain God's commandments and instructions for His people. 3. IsraelThe nation of God's chosen people, who were returning from exile to rebuild their community and reestablish their covenant relationship with God. 4. Babylonian ExileThe period during which the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon, which lasted approximately 70 years. 5. JerusalemThe city where the temple was located and the center of Jewish worship and governance. Teaching Points Commitment to God's WordEzra's example shows the importance of setting one's heart on studying God's Word. Believers today should prioritize regular Bible study to grow in their faith. Practice What You LearnEzra not only studied the Law but also practiced it. Christians are called to live out the teachings of the Bible in their daily lives. Teaching OthersEzra's dedication to teaching the statutes and ordinances of God highlights the responsibility of believers to share their knowledge of God's Word with others. Heart PreparationThe phrase "set his heart" indicates intentionality and preparation. Believers should prepare their hearts to receive and apply God's Word. Community ImpactEzra's teaching had a significant impact on the community of Israel. Christians are encouraged to influence their communities positively through the application of biblical principles. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Ezra's commitment to studying, practicing, and teaching the Law challenge your current approach to Bible study? 2. In what ways can you "set your heart" to study God's Word more diligently in your daily life? 3. How can you ensure that you are not only a hearer of the Word but also a doer, as Ezra was? 4. What opportunities do you have to teach or share God's Word with others in your community or church? 5. How does the example of Ezra inspire you to impact your community with the teachings of the Bible? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 6:6-9This passage emphasizes the importance of keeping God's commandments in one's heart and teaching them diligently to the next generation, similar to Ezra's commitment. Psalm 119:11Highlights the importance of hiding God's word in one's heart to avoid sin, reflecting Ezra's dedication to studying and practicing the Law. James 1:22-25Encourages believers to be doers of the word, not just hearers, which aligns with Ezra's commitment to practice what he learned. 2 Timothy 2:15Paul instructs Timothy to be diligent in presenting himself approved to God, a worker who correctly handles the word of truth, echoing Ezra's dedication to teaching. People Aaron, Abishua, Ahitub, Amariah, Artaxerxes, Azariah, Bukki, Eleazar, Ezra, Hilkiah, Israelites, Levites, Meraioth, Phinehas, Seraiah, Shallum, Uzzi, Zadok, ZerahiahPlaces Babylonia, Beyond the River, Jerusalem, PersiaTopics Decisions, Decrees, Devoted, Directed, Ezra, Heart, Judgment, Judgments, Law, Laws, Learning, Mind, Observance, Ordinances, Practice, Prepared, Rules, Seek, Statute, Statutes, Study, Teach, TeachingDictionary of Bible Themes Ezra 7:10 5894 intelligence
8235 doctrine, nature of
8674 study Ezra 7:1-21 7464 teachers of the law Library Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
1. The Greek word Apocrypha, hidden, that is, hidden or secret books, was early applied by the fathers of the Christian church to anonymous or spurious books that falsely laid claim to be a part of the inspired word. By some, as Jerome, the term was extended to all the books incorporated by the Alexandrine Jews, in their Greek version, into the proper canon of the Old Testament, a few of which books, though not inspired, are undoubtedly genuine. Another designation of the books in question …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the BibleReading the Law with Tears and Joy
'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Rome and Ephesus
Corinth as portrayed in the Epistles of Paul gives us our simplest and least contaminated picture of the Hellenic Christianity which regarded itself as the cult of the Lord Jesus, who offered salvation--immortality--to those initiated in his mysteries. It had obvious weaknesses in the eyes of Jewish Christians, even when they were as Hellenised as Paul, since it offered little reason for a higher standard of conduct than heathenism, and its personal eschatology left no real place for the resurrection …
Kirsopp Lake—Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity Authorship of the Pentateuch.
The term Pentateuch is composed of the two Greek words, pente, five, and teuchos, which in later Alexandrine usage signified book. It denotes, therefore, the collection of five books; or, the five books of the law considered as a whole. 1. In our inquiries respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, we begin with the undisputed fact that it existed in its present form in the days of Christ and his apostles, and had so existed from the time of Ezra. When the translators of the Greek version, …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Brave Encouragements
'In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture General Account of Jesus' Teaching.
^A Matt. IV. 17; ^B Mark I. 14, 15; ^C Luke IV. 14, 15. ^a 17 From that time Jesus began to preach [The time here indicated is that of John the Baptist's imprisonment and Jesus' return to Galilee. This time marked a new period in the public ministry of Jesus. Hitherto he had taught, but he now began to preach. When the voice of his messenger, John, was silenced, the King became his own herald. Paul quoted the Greeks as saying that preaching was "foolishness," but following the example here set by …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
1. The Greek word canon (originally a straight rod or pole, measuring-rod, then rule) denotes that collection of books which the churches receive as given by inspiration of God, and therefore as constituting for them a divine rule of faith and practice. To the books included in it the term canonical is applied. The Canon of the Old Testament, considered in reference to its constituent parts, was formed gradually; formed under divine superintendence by a process of growth extending through …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Ezra 7:10 NIVEzra 7:10 NLTEzra 7:10 ESVEzra 7:10 NASBEzra 7:10 KJV
Ezra 7:10 Commentaries
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