Now Ezra: priest and scribe, his line set down name by name back to Aaron the chief priest — 'a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, which Hashem, the God of Israel, had given.' In the seventh year of Artaxerxes he goes up from Babylon, 'for Ezra had set his heart to seek the Law of Hashem, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.' The king's own letter is quoted in its Aramaic: silver and gold freely offered, vessels for the house, the treasurers beyond the River put on notice, the Temple's ministers exempt from tribute, and Ezra charged to appoint magistrates and judges. The chapter closes in Ezra's own voice, the memoir beginning: 'Blessed be Hashem, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart... and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
verse value 4209
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "and·after" (וְאַחַר֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "Artaxerxes" (אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·after" (וְאַחַר֙), "the·words" (הַדְּבָרִ֣ים), "the·son·of·Seraiah" (בֶּן־שְׂרָיָ֔ה). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Seraiah" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "king·of·Persia" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "these" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). First appearance of the root ארתחשסתא ("Artaxerxes") in Ezra. First appearance of the root עזרא ("Ezra") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king·of·Persia', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְאַחַר֙ [and·after] (215) + הַדְּבָרִ֣ים [the·words] (261) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + בְּמַלְכ֖וּת [in·reign·of] (498) + אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא [Artaxerxes] (1370) + מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָ֑ס [king·of·Persia] (430) + עֶזְרָא֙ [Ezra] (278) + בֶּן־שְׂרָיָ֔ה [the·son·of·Seraiah] (567) + בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָ֖ה [the·son·of·Azariah] (344) + בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּֽה [the·son·of·Hilkiah] (205) = 4209.
Rashi
And after these incidents of the building of the House. Artaxerxes That is Darius.
Ibn Ezra
"Artaxerxes" — our Sages, of blessed memory, said that all [Persian] kings were called by this name in the Persian tongue; and this Artaxerxes is [in fact] Darius.
Metzudat David
'Now after these things' - after the completion of the [Temple] building. 'In the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia' - meaning, this took place during the reign [of Artaxerxes], etc. 'Ezra' - Our sages, of blessed memory, said that he is [the prophet] Malachi; and [the verse] traces his lineage back to Aaron, but for brevity's sake it skips several generations from what is counted in Chronicles (Divrei HaYamim).
Malbim
'...Zechariah son of Iddo' - and there, in Chronicles, there are six more generations [in the genealogy], for the text here shortens their number.
the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
verse value 768
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 20 letters. The shortest word is "the·son·of·Shallum" (בֶּן־שַׁלּ֥וּם, 6 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Ahitub" (בֶּן־אֲחִיטֽוּב, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·son·of·Shallum" (בֶּן־שַׁלּ֥וּם), "the·son·of·Zadok" (בֶּן־צָד֖וֹק), "the·son·of·Ahitub" (בֶּן־אֲחִיטֽוּב). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Shallum" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). Full calculation: בֶּן־שַׁלּ֥וּם [the·son·of·Shallum] (428) + בֶּן־צָד֖וֹק [the·son·of·Zadok] (252) + בֶּן־אֲחִיטֽוּב [the·son·of·Ahitub] (88) = 768.
the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,
verse value 1360
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 21 letters. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·son·of·Amariah" (בֶּן־אֲמַרְיָ֥ה), "the·son·of·Meraioth" (בֶּן־מְרָיֽוֹת). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Amariah" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֲמַרְיָ֥ה [the·son·of·Amariah] (308) + בֶן־עֲזַרְיָ֖ה [the·son·of·Azariah] (344) + בֶּן־מְרָיֽוֹת [the·son·of·Meraioth] (708) = 1360.
the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,
verse value 585
Insights
Verse structure: 3 words, 17 letters. Verse gematria: 585 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "the·son·of·Uzzi" (בֶן־עֻזִּ֖י, 5 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Zerahiah" (בֶּן־זְרַֽחְיָ֥ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·son·of·Uzzi" (בֶן־עֻזִּ֖י), "the·son·of·Bukki" (בֶּן־בֻּקִּֽי). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 1 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Zerahiah" (root בן, 167x in Ezra). Full calculation: בֶּן־זְרַֽחְיָ֥ה [the·son·of·Zerahiah] (282) + בֶן־עֻזִּ֖י [the·son·of·Uzzi] (139) + בֶּן־בֻּקִּֽי [the·son·of·Bukki] (164) = 585.
the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
verse value 1955
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "the·priest" (הַכֹּהֵ֖ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·son·of·Abishua" (בֶּן־אֲבִישׁ֗וּעַ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·son·of·Abishua" (בֶּן־אֲבִישׁ֗וּעַ), "the·son·of·Eleazar" (בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֔ר), "the·son·of·Aaron" (בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֥ן). The root בן appears 4 times in this verse. 3 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·son·of·Abishua" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·priest" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra). Full calculation: בֶּן־אֲבִישׁ֗וּעַ [the·son·of·Abishua] (441) + בֶּן־פִּֽינְחָס֙ [the·son·of·Phinehas] (260) + בֶּן־אֶלְעָזָ֔ר [the·son·of·Eleazar] (360) + בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֥ן [the·son·of·Aaron] (308) + הַכֹּהֵ֖ן [the·priest] (80) + הָרֹֽאשׁ [the·chief] (506) = 1955.
this Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, which Hashem, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Hashem his God upon him.
verse value 5732
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·scribe" (וְהֽוּא־סֹפֵ֤ר, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "went·up" (עָלָ֣ה), "and·he·scribe" (וְהֽוּא־סֹפֵ֤ר), "ready" (מָהִיר֙). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·God·of" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 37x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
and the king granted him [i.e., King] Darius. according to the command of the Lord his God upon him as the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded him. This verse is transposed [its meaning being]: and the King granted him his entire request, according to the command of the Lord upon him. And our Rabbis said (Meg. 15a) that Ezra and Malachi were one and the same.
Ibn Ezra
"and he was a ready scribe" — [the term reflects] the sense of "one who tells and relates" — that is, one who reckons and recounts with speed. "according to the hand of Hashem" — [means] strength and power.
Ralbag
'and he was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses' - I think that what is meant by 'sofer' (scribe) here is one who enumerates. The point is that he was able to swiftly work through the various points of doubt that could arise concerning the intended meaning of any given word among the words of the Torah. He was also able to swiftly work through the proofs that would establish the correct view among these, and in this way sift out the correct one from the incorrect. He was also able to swiftly work through the intentions of the Torah and its various sections. And it is for these reasons that Scripture calls him 'a scribe of the words of the commandments of Hashem and His statutes.'
Metzudat David
'And the king granted him, etc.' - the order [of the verse] is inverted, as though it read: 'the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Hashem,' etc.; meaning, it was because the power of Hashem was upon him that He gave him favor in the eyes of the king.
Metzudat Zion
Scribe (sofer) - That is, a wise/learned man; and so our sages, of blessed memory, said: 'the learned man recites the blessing, and the unlearned fulfills his obligation [by listening]' (Berachot 45). Ready (mahir) - It is the opposite of one who is slow to understand.
Malbim
'this Ezra' - Shimon HaTzaddik, who was among the last survivors of the Great Assembly, said: 'On three things the world stands - on Torah, on [Temple] service, and on acts of kindness.' For in the days of the Great Assembly these three pillars were established, each through a particular individual: through Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest the Temple was built and the pillar of [Temple] service was established; after him Ezra came forward to establish the pillar of Torah; and after him, Nehemiah, who built the walls of the city and engaged in statecraft to establish the pillar of acts of kindness, as will be explained in his book. This is the meaning of 'went up' - that he went up because he was a ready scribe in the Torah of Hashem, and he went up in order to establish the pillar of Torah; and this is what he requested of the king, and [the king] granted it to him, as is stated from verse 25 onward. And it was for this reason that the hand of God was good upon him, through His individual providence, so that the Torah should not be forgotten from Israel.
And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinim, to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
verse value 6327
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "the·king" (הַמֶּֽלֶךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "from·sons·of·Israel" (מִבְּנֵֽי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵ֠ל, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "from·sons·of·Israel" (מִבְּנֵֽי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵ֠ל), "and·from·the·priests" (וּמִן־הַכֹּהֲנִ֨ים), "and·the·porters" (וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֛ים). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּֽעֲל֣וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + מִבְּנֵֽי־יִ֠שְׂרָאֵ֠ל [from·sons·of·Israel] (643) + וּמִן־הַכֹּהֲנִ֨ים [and·from·the·priests] (226) + וְהַלְוִיִּ֜ם [and·the·Levites] (97) + וְהַמְשֹׁרְרִ֧ים [and·the·singers] (801) + וְהַשֹּׁעֲרִ֛ים [and·the·porters] (631) + וְהַנְּתִינִ֖ים [and·the·Nethinim] (571) + אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [to·Jerusalem] (617) + בִּשְׁנַת־שֶׁ֖בַע [in·year·of·seven] (1124) + לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁ֥סְתְּא [of·Artaxerxes] (1400) + הַמֶּֽלֶךְ [the·king] (95) = 6327.
Rashi
in the seventh year That is a year after the completion of the Temple. of Artaxerxes That is Darius.
Ibn Ezra
"and there went up ... some of the priests and the Levites" — and afterward, [Scripture] will relate the reason for the Levites — how they went up.
Ralbag
'And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters' - The singers and the porters are Levites, and this is clear from the words of the Torah. 'And the Nethinim' - these are the Gibeonites, for they were given over to the service of the house of God.
Metzudat David
'And there went up, etc.' - besides those who had already gone up the first time with Zerubbabel, etc., [more] went up again with Ezra.
Metzudat Zion
Porters (hashoarim) - Those who guard the gates. Nethinim (hanetinim) - The Gibeonites.
And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
verse value 2975
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "it" (הִ֛יא, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·seventh" (הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖ית, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·he·came" (וַיָּבֹ֥א), "the·seventh" (הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖ית). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·fifth', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֥א [and·he·came] (19) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ [in·the·month] (314) + הַחֲמִישִׁ֑י [the·fifth] (373) + הִ֛יא [it] (16) + שְׁנַ֥ת [year·of] (750) + הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖ית [the·seventh] (797) + לַמֶּֽלֶךְ [of·the·king] (120) = 2975.
Rashi
in the fifth month i.e., the month of Av, for the first of the month of Nissan was the beginning of their ascent from Babylon, and on the first of the month of Av they arrived in Jerusalem.
Malbim
'which was in the seventh year of the king' - according to our Sages in [tractate] Rosh Hashanah, who counted a king's years from Nisan, one could explain that what was stated earlier, 'in the seventh year' [of the king], means that on that very day he entered his seventh year, while here it says 'the seventh year,' referring to the middle of that year. But, taken simply, one may say that each king counted his own years individually, from day to day; [Artaxerxes] became king on the second day of the fifth month, so that when they arrived in Jerusalem on that same day [of the month], the king's seventh year had just been completed, for on the next day they began reckoning the eighth year.
For upon the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
verse value 2844
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "like·the·hand·of·his·God" (כְּיַד־אֱלֹהָ֖יו) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 2844 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jerusalem" (אֶל־יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 342: of·the·month, of·the·month. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "in·one" (בְּאֶחָד֙), "and·in·one" (וּבְאֶחָ֞ד), "he·came" (בָּ֚א). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra); "upon·him" (root על, 30x in Ezra); "the·ascent" (root עלה, 25x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
was the commencement of the ascent the foundation of the commencement of the ascent. according to the...hand of his God as the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, caused him to succeed, for His hand was good upon him to make him succeed in his way.
Ibn Ezra
"the founding" (yesud) — a noun in construct form; and the familiar noun "yesod" [appears in the sense of] "bound in a hidden place" (chavush ba-tamun) (Job 40:13), or it is of the pattern of "zevul" (dwelling). "the going up" (ha-ma'aleh) — a noun of the pattern of "mikneh" (possession), [or] "misrah" (dominion); and so the meaning is: Ezra was the counselor/organizer of those going up to Jerusalem; and the sense is: he advised them to go up on the first of Nisan, and he himself arrived on the first of Av. and the word "yasad" — is like "nosdu" (they took counsel together) (Psalms 2:2), whose meaning is "they conspired/took counsel together."
Ralbag
'For upon the first day of the first month,' etc. - meaning, on the first day of the first month the ascent from Babylon was set in motion, for it was then that things began to take shape for him: he had then drawn close to King Artaxerxes, and the king and his counselors recognized his stature. Within a short time he obtained from the king [leave] to come to Jerusalem - and this stature and this favor that he obtained from the king came about because the good hand of his God was upon him, watching over him in this manner. And the reason for this was that Ezra had set his heart to seek the Torah of Hashem, to grasp its intentions, and to act on what followed from it; he had also set his heart to teach Israel statute and law, and he brought merit to the many - and it was because of this that this favor came to him.
Metzudat David
'He began to go up' (lit. 'the foundation of the ascent') - the start of the ascent from Babylon; the expression is borrowed from the start of a building, where the foundation (yesod) is its beginning. 'According to the good hand of his God' - meaning, he hastened along the way of his journey, inasmuch as the power of his God - which was favorable toward him - rested upon him.
Malbim
'he began to go up' - it was then that the very foundation of the ascent was laid. And according to Ibn Ezra, [the word yesod, 'foundation'] relates to the sense of sod and eitzah [counsel and consultation] - that it was then that they took counsel about the ascent - for they did not actually set out from the Ahava River until the twelfth of the month (see below, 8:31).
For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Hashem, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
verse value 4402
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·law·of" (אֶת־תּוֹרַ֥ת, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "set" (הֵכִ֣ין), "his·heart" (לְבָב֔וֹ), "the·law·of" (אֶת־תּוֹרַ֥ת). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 37x in Ezra); "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 31x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·do', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + עֶזְרָא֙ [Ezra] (278) + הֵכִ֣ין [set] (85) + לְבָב֔וֹ [his·heart] (40) + לִדְרֹ֛שׁ [to·seek] (534) + אֶת־תּוֹרַ֥ת [the·law·of] (1407) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + וְלַעֲשֹׂ֑ת [and·to·do] (806) + וּלְלַמֵּ֥ד [and·to·teach] (110) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [in·Israel] (543) + חֹ֥ק [statute] (108) + וּמִשְׁפָּֽט [and·ordinance] (435) = 4402.
Rashi
For Ezra... Therefore, he went and prospered in his way, because Ezra prepared his heart, etc. He gives a reason for his words.
Metzudat David
'For Ezra had set his heart, etc.' - and for this reason the hand of his God was upon him for good.
Malbim
'For Ezra' - this explains what was said, that he came 'according to the good hand of his God upon him': that a special, individual providence accompanied him, to protect him on the way and bring him to his destination, and this was in the merit of Torah (as above, verse 6). For he had prepared his heart for three things: (1) 'to seek the law of Hashem' - that he inquired into and investigated its content himself; (2) 'and to do it' - that the essential thing is not the study but the practice; (3) 'and to teach in Israel' - to teach others, whether statutes (chok) or laws (mishpat). And one may say that included within 'chok' are the oral-law expositions of the Torah, which are called 'the statutes of Hashem,' as I have written in my Sefer HaTorah VeHaMitzvah, in several places.
Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Hashem, and of His statutes to Israel:
verse value 6550
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "and·this" (וְזֶ֣ה) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 6550 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "and·this" (וְזֶ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "Artaxerxes" (אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֔סְתְּא, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·this" (וְזֶ֣ה), "the·scribe" (הַסֹּפֵ֑ר), "words·of" (דִּבְרֵ֧י). The root ספר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·commandments·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 37x in Ezra); "the·priest" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·scribe', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
And this is the interpretation of the writ Heb. פַתְשֶּׁגֶן הַכְּתָב. and His statutes to Israel and His statutes that He commanded Israel to keep.
Ralbag
Copy of the letter (parshegen hanishtevan) - [An Aramaic term,] equivalent to the Hebrew petshegen hakktav, 'copy of the document.'
Metzudat David
'The copy' (parshegen) - this is the transcribed text of the words that were set forth, which [the king] gave, etc. 'The scribe' - [meaning] one learned and skilled in the words of the commandments of Hashem and His statutes, which He commanded Israel.
Malbim
'Now this is the copy of the letter' - meaning that the king gave him the decree in writing, in the Persian language, and it was translated into Aramaic, the language spoken in the province of Syria, by the king's officers appointed over this, who attested that the translation matched the original writing - this is the meaning of the word 'letter' [nishtevan], as above. 'The scribe of the words of the commandments' - he explains why Ezra is called a 'scribe' [sofer]: not because of scribal work for a livelihood, but because he was a 'sofer,' one who counted [safar] the words of Hashem's commandments - he counted the letters of the Torah and set a fence around the Masoretic tradition, and likewise established safeguards in the copying of the rest of the sacred writings, to purify them of all corruption; and he also 'recounted' the teachings of the Oral Torah, the [oral] tradition - which is included in the word 'statutes,' as above. 'To Israel' - it appears that this connects with what precedes: that the king gave [this] to Ezra concerning Israel, for Israel's sake and their needs.
’Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, and so forth. And now
verse value 3890
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "king·of" (מֶ֖לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Artaxerxes" (אַ֨רְתַּחְשַׁ֔סְתְּא, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·kings" (מַלְכַיָּ֑א), "complete" (גְּמִ֖יר). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "of·the·God·of" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra); "the·priest" (root כהן, 34x in Ezra). First appearance of the root דת ("the·law") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·kings', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: אַ֨רְתַּחְשַׁ֔סְתְּא [Artaxerxes] (1370) + מֶ֖לֶךְ [king·of] (90) + מַלְכַיָּ֑א [the·kings] (101) + לְעֶזְרָ֣א [to·Ezra] (308) + כָ֠הֲנָ֠א [the·priest] (76) + סָפַ֨ר [scribe·of] (340) + דָּתָ֜א [the·law] (405) + דִּֽי־אֱלָ֧הּ [of·the·God·of] (50) + שְׁמַיָּ֛א [the·heavens] (351) + גְּמִ֖יר [complete] (253) + וּכְעֶֽנֶת [and·now] (546) = 3890.
Rashi
the Book of Law [as translated,] the Book of Law. who has mastered... and Ke’eneth He has mastered it in his hand.
Ibn Ezra
"Artaxerxes, king of kings" — now [Scripture] relates that the king sent two letters: one to everyone who volunteered to go up, and one to all the treasurers, [instructing them] to give them their needs. "and so forth" (gemir) — is explained in two ways. The first: it means "complete," as in the Targum's rendering of "entirely of blue" (kelil techelet) (Exodus 28:31) as "gemir"; and it alludes to all of Israel, the volunteers who go up. And the lamed of "to Ezra" serves in place of three [objects]; and so the meaning is: [the letter is sent] "to Ezra, and to the whole [people]." "and now" (u-lekha'enet) — he sent [word] to inform them, its content [conveyed] by the hand of Ezra. Another interpretation: "gemir" — is an adjective, from the same sense as "gemara" (conclusion), "gamur" (accomplished); and this alludes to Ezra himself. "the scribe of the Law" (sofer data) — [meaning] that he was accomplished and knew the mind of his God; and the lamed of "to Ezra" would then stand in place of two [prepositions]. "and now" (ve-kha'enet) — is a term encompassing the peoples beyond the River.
Ralbag
Gamir, u'khe'enet - The meaning of 'gamir' is 'expert' [fully versed], and this usage is well known in the language of the Talmud. And the meaning of 'u'khe'enet' is like 'u'khe'an,' meaning 'and now' - that is, 'at this time,' for the root of 'et' (time) is 'enet.' [So the opening reads:] 'Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the Torah of God, [who is] expert. And now...'
Metzudat David
'Artaxerxes, king of kings' - and these are the words of the document: 'I, Artaxerxes, king over all the kings, give this document to Ezra the priest, who is learned in the law of the Torah of the God of heaven.' 'And so forth. And now' (gemir u-che'enet) - meaning, [the decree was] to be made known to the people of his realm - all of them (gemir) - and to the inhabitants of Ke'enet, which was the capital city.
Metzudat Zion
Complete (gamir) - [Meaning] entirely, as in the phrase 'it shall be wholly made to smoke' (kalil taktar, Leviticus 6:15); Targum Onkelos renders this phrase 'gamir metasek' [wholly offered up].
Malbim
'Artaxerxes' - this is the formal style of the letter, for it is the practice of kings to sign their name at the head of their letters. 'And so forth. And now' - I have already explained that the decree named all the nations of Beyond the River, and that it was addressed, 'to Ezra the priest, scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, the judges, and the officials,' just as they were listed above (4:9-10); and the letter's conclusion was, 'and the rest of Beyond the River, and now' - for the decree applied to them as well, to strengthen his hand, as stated in verse 21. And in order to shorten it, they wrote only the opening, 'to Ezra the priest,' and the closing, 'and now,' while in the middle they wrote the word 'gemir,' which functions like our 'etc.' or 'and so on'; and above (4:17) it wrote 'shelam,' which likewise means 'etc.'
I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own free will to go with you to Jerusalem, go.
verse value 3410
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·who·volunteer" (כׇל־מִתְנַדַּ֣ב, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "all·who·volunteer" (כׇל־מִתְנַדַּ֣ב), "in·my·kingdom" (בְּמַלְכוּתִי֩), "from·the·people" (מִן־עַמָּ֨א). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "from·the·people" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). Full calculation: מִנִּי֮ [from·me] (100) + שִׂ֣ים [is·placed] (350) + טְעֵם֒ [decree] (119) + דִּ֣י [that] (14) + כׇל־מִתְנַדַּ֣ב [all·who·volunteer] (546) + בְּמַלְכוּתִי֩ [in·my·kingdom] (508) + מִן־עַמָּ֨א [from·the·people] (201) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל [Israel] (541) + וְכָהֲנ֣וֹהִי [and·his·priests] (102) + וְלֵוָיֵ֗א [and·the·Levites] (53) + לִמְהָ֧ךְ [to·go] (95) + לִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֛ם [to·Jerusalem] (616) + עִמָּ֖ךְ [with·you] (130) + יְהָֽךְ [let·him·go] (35) = 3410.
Rashi
An order is issued by me The authorization emanates from me that whoever of Israel, of the priests, or of the Levites, whose heart prompts him to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
Ibn Ezra
"I make a decree" (minni sim ta'em) — this [letter] is addressed to Ezra and to the Israelites who volunteer.
Ralbag
'I make a decree' - that anyone in my kingdom, of the people of Israel and its priests and its Levites, who volunteers to go to Jerusalem, may go.
Metzudat David
'I make a decree' - from me a decree has been issued, that whoever among the people of Israel, and their priests and Levites, in my realm, is minded and willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you, and let no one hold him back.
Metzudat Zion
Minded of their own free will (mitnadev) - An expression of willingness, for whoever volunteers does so willingly.
Malbim
'By me a decree is made' - because in the first decree, in which Cyrus granted permission to the exiles to go to Jerusalem, he had stated the reason: that it was in order to build the House of Hashem there. So once the building of the House was completed, that decree was fulfilled, and from then on the exiles no longer had permission to leave the land of their captivity without special authorization. Therefore he now issues a new authorization: that whoever among the children of Israel volunteers to go out with you has permission to go.
Forasmuch as you are sent of the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand;
verse value 3347
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "in·your·hand" (בִידָֽךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "that" (דִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Jerusalem" (וְלִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: that, which. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "from·before" (מִן־קֳדָ֨ם), "and·seven·of" (וְשִׁבְעַ֤ת), "his·counselors" (יָעֲטֹ֙הִי֙). The root די appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "and·to·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־קֳבֵ֗ל [all·opposite] (182) + דִּי֩ [that] (14) + מִן־קֳדָ֨ם [from·before] (234) + מַלְכָּ֜א [the·king] (91) + וְשִׁבְעַ֤ת [and·seven·of] (778) + יָעֲטֹ֙הִי֙ [his·counselors] (104) + שְׁלִ֔יחַ [sent] (348) + לְבַקָּרָ֥ה [to·inquire] (337) + עַל־יְה֖וּד [concerning·Judah] (125) + וְלִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֑ם [and·to·Jerusalem] (622) + בְּדָ֥ת [in·law·of] (406) + אֱלָהָ֖ךְ [your·God] (56) + דִּ֥י [which] (14) + בִידָֽךְ [in·your·hand] (36) = 3347.
Rashi
Because of this Because of this, you are sent from the king and his seven advisors who saw the king’s face. and his seven advisors and his seven advisors; they are the seven who see the king’s face. to search out Judea An order to seek and to search out the Jews who are in Jerusalem, to see whether they are engaged in the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is in your hand.
Ibn Ezra
Sent (shaliach) - You will be sent [as an emissary]. To inquire - To investigate concerning the Jews and concerning Jerusalem. According to the law of your God - Because of the law of your God, which is in your hand, he has sent you.
Ralbag
'Forasmuch as you are sent' - from before the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand.
Metzudat David
'Forasmuch as' - because you have been sent from before the king and his seven counselors, to investigate and inquire concerning the men of Judah and the men of Jerusalem, whether they are careful [to observe] the law of your God's Torah, which is in your hand.
Malbim
'Forasmuch as' - he explains the reason for this authorization: because you are sent by the king and his seven counselors for two purposes: (1) to oversee the Jews - and this will take place in Jerusalem, 'according to the law of your God which is in your hand,' meaning that you are to oversee them in religious matters, teaching them the law, strengthening it, and spreading the light of Torah and the fear of Hashem among them. This being so, whoever wishes to attach himself to you, to go with you to learn Torah and faith in the holy city, has permission to go.
and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
verse value 2577
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "which" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·carry" (וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·to·carry" (וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה), "and·his·counselors" (וְיָעֲט֗וֹהִי), "His·dwelling" (מִשְׁכְּנֵֽהּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·gold', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּלְהֵיבָלָ֖ה [and·to·carry] (88) + כְּסַ֣ף [silver] (160) + וּדְהַ֑ב [and·gold] (17) + דִּֽי־מַלְכָּ֣א [which·the·king] (105) + וְיָעֲט֗וֹהִי [and·his·counselors] (116) + הִתְנַדַּ֙בוּ֙ [freely·offered] (467) + לֶאֱלָ֣הּ [to·the·God·of] (66) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (541) + דִּ֥י [which] (14) + בִֽירוּשְׁלֶ֖ם [in·Jerusalem] (588) + מִשְׁכְּנֵֽהּ [His·dwelling] (415) = 2577.
Rashi
And to bring and to bring the silver and gold of the king and his advisors that they donated to the God of Israel, to maintain His House, Whose habitation and House are in Jerusalem.
Ralbag
'and to carry the silver and gold' - which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'And to carry' - and to bring the silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose glorious dwelling is in Jerusalem.
Malbim
'And to carry' - (2) you are also sent to carry there a great deal of silver and gold, and you require many people to guard you on the way against bandits. And he explains that you will be carrying three kinds of funds: (1) that which the king and his counselors have freely donated.
and all the silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;
verse value 4431
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "freewill-offering·of" (הִתְנַדָּב֨וּת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: that, which. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "you·shall·find" (תְהַשְׁכַּ֔ח), "province·of" (מְדִינַ֣ת), "freewill-offering·of" (הִתְנַדָּב֨וּת). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "with" (root עם, 50x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Babylon', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Rashi
And all the silver and gold and all the silver and gold that you will find in the province of Babylon, together with the donations of the people and the priests that they will donate to the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, which is in Jerusalem; you shall take everything to Jerusalem.
Ralbag
'and all the silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Babylon' - along with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who offer willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'That you shall find' - that you shall find throughout the whole province of Babylon, from the donations of the idolaters. 'With the freewill-offering' - together with the donations of the people and the priests, who gave willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem.
Malbim
'And all the silver and gold that you shall find' - (2) that which the [Gentile] nations throughout the province will donate; (3) that which Israel will donate - and this is the meaning of 'with the freewill-offering,' etc. And all of this requires extra vigilance in guarding it.
therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
verse value 5471
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 91 letters. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·their·meal-offerings" (וּמִנְחָתְה֖וֹן, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 59: this, this. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "you·shall·buy" (תִקְנֵ֜א), "with·the·silver" (בְּכַסְפָּ֣א), "and·their·meal-offerings" (וּמִנְחָתְה֖וֹן). The root דן appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "of" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root מנחה ("and·their·meal-offerings") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·drink-offerings', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
Because of this And because of this, because it is for the service of the Sanctuary, you shall quickly purchase with this money cattle, rams and lambs; sacrifices, meal-offerings, and libations, and you shall offer them up on the altar of the Holy One, blessed be He.
Ibn Ezra
Buy (tiknei) - From the same root as “I have bought you.” Rams (dichrin) - The Targum's [Aramaic] term for “eilim” (rams). Lambs (immrin) - The Aramaic word for lambs.
Ralbag
'therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money' - bullocks, rams, and lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'Therefore' - because of this, since the money will amount to a great deal, you shall quickly take this money and buy bullocks, rams, and lambs, and fine flour for their meal-offerings, and wine for their drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
Malbim
'Therefore' - now he instructs him what to do with the funds he brings for the donation: that he should promptly buy sacrifices with them and offer them on the altar; and with the silver and gold that remains, he may do whatever he is permitted by law to do with surplus funds, as Rambam details in the Laws of Shekalim. But the [Temple] vessels he must not use for any [other] purpose - they are to remain sacred vessels for the [Temple] service, and he is to hand them over intact to the House of God for the needs of the service.
And whatsoever shall seem good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that you do after the will of your God.
verse value 2676
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·your·brothers" (וְעַל־אֶחָ֜ךְ, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "to·you" (עֲלָ֨ךְ), "and·to·your·brothers" (וְעַל־אֶחָ֜ךְ), "shall·be·good" (יֵיטַ֗ב). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "your·God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra); "to·you" (root על, 30x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·do', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words.
Rashi
And what pleases you And what pleases you and your brethren (to do) with the rest of the silver and the gold, according to the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, you shall do.
Ralbag
'And whatsoever shall seem good to you and to your brethren' - to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do according to the will of your God.
Metzudat David
'And whatsoever' - and whatever seems good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold [is permitted]. 'After the will of your God' - you shall do with them according to the will of your God; meaning, put it toward a matter of mitzvah, in whatever way seems good in your eyes.
And the vessels that are given you for the service of the house of your God, you deliver before the God of Jerusalem.
verse value 2496
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "the·God·of" (אֱלָ֥הּ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 2496 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·are·given" (דִּֽי־מִתְיַהֲבִ֣ין, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·the·vessels" (וּמָֽאנַיָּא֙), "that·are·given" (דִּֽי־מִתְיַהֲבִ֣ין), "for·the·service·of" (לְפׇלְחָ֖ן). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra); "your·God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּמָֽאנַיָּא֙ [and·the·vessels] (108) + דִּֽי־מִתְיַהֲבִ֣ין [that·are·given] (531) + לָ֔ךְ [to·you] (50) + לְפׇלְחָ֖ן [for·the·service·of] (198) + בֵּ֣ית [the·house·of] (412) + אֱלָהָ֑ךְ [your·God] (56) + הַשְׁלֵ֕ם [deliver] (375) + קֳדָ֖ם [before] (144) + אֱלָ֥הּ [the·God·of] (36) + יְרוּשְׁלֶֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 2496.
Rashi
And the vessels And the vessels that are given to you for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, give in their entirety before the Holy One, blessed be He, in Jerusalem.
Ralbag
'And the vessels that are given you for the service of the house of your God' - bring before the God of Jerusalem.
Metzudat David
'And the vessels' - the vessels that have been given to you for the service of the house of your God. 'You deliver' - give them all, in their entirety, before the God of Jerusalem, meaning, in the house of Hashem.
And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of your God, which you shall have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure-house.
verse value 4014
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 4014 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "which" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·need·of" (חַשְׁחוּת֙, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·need·of" (חַשְׁחוּת֙), "shall·fall·to·you" (יִפֶּל־לָ֖ךְ), "to·give" (לְמִנְתַּ֑ן). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "which" (root די, 59x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·give', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁאָ֗ר [and·the·rest·of] (507) + חַשְׁחוּת֙ [the·need·of] (722) + בֵּ֣ית [the·house·of] (412) + אֱלָהָ֔ךְ [your·God] (56) + דִּ֥י [which] (14) + יִפֶּל־לָ֖ךְ [shall·fall·to·you] (170) + לְמִנְתַּ֑ן [to·give] (570) + תִּנְתֵּ֕ן [you·shall·give] (900) + מִן־בֵּ֖ית [from·the·house·of] (502) + גִּנְזֵ֥י [the·treasures·of] (70) + מַלְכָּֽא [the·king] (91) = 4014.
Rashi
And the rest of the necessities and the rest of the necessities that you will require for the House of the Holy One, blessed be He, to purchase, for which you will have to give the money; you shall give from the royal treasury.
Ibn Ezra
Needful (chashchot) - Need.
Ralbag
'And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of your God' - which you have occasion to give, give from the king's treasure-house.
Metzudat David
'And whatsoever more' - and whatever else is needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide - meaning, whatever is asked of you shall be given - it is to be given out of the king's treasure-house.
Metzudat Zion
Needful (chashchot) - Like 'chashashot'; an expression of need. Occasion (yippel) - An expression of inclination [i.e., extended to mean coming to pass or befalling], similar to 'though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down' (Psalms 37:24).
Malbim
'And whatsoever more' - whatever else is needed for the House of God, which you will have occasion to provide, is to be given from the king's treasury; and I am issuing a decree to all the treasurers of Beyond the River that whatever Ezra requests shall be done promptly, without delay, up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred kors of wheat, and so on. And as for salt - since it does not specify [an amount of] salt, it is to be given without limit [as above, 4:14], for the salt was in the king's possession free of charge.
And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence,
verse value 5866
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Artaxerxes" (אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֤סְתְּא, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: who, that. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "the·treasurers" (גִּזַּֽבְרַיָּ֔א), "shall·require·of·you" (יִ֠שְׁאֲלֶנְכ֠וֹן). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "who" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "of·the·God·of" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·River', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 11 words.
Rashi
And from me—I And from me—I, King Darius—is issued a command and an authorization to all the treasurers who are on the other side of the river of the side of Israel, who receive my taxes from the nations, that anything that Ezra the priest, the scholar of the Law of the Holy One, blessed be He, requests of you, shall be performed quickly. They should not delay his request up to a hundred talents of silver, with which to purchase sacrifices, and a hundred kors of wheat for meal-offerings, and up to a hundred measures of wine for the libations, and a hundred measures of oil to mingle the meal- offerings, and salt for the sacrifices, according to the matter that is stated (Lev. 2:13): “And every meal-offering you shall salt with salt.”
Ibn Ezra
Treasurers (gizvraya) - The officials in charge of the treasuries.
Ralbag
'And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree' - to all the officials who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, shall be done with all diligence.
Metzudat David
'And I, even I' - and from me, I, Artaxerxes the king, a decree has been issued to all the officials who are beyond the River. 'That whatsoever' - whatever Ezra the priest, learned in the Torah of the God of heaven, shall request of you, shall be done with all diligence.
to a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
verse value 3442
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "hundred" (מְאָה֒, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·up·to·wheat" (וְעַד־חִנְטִין֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 46: hundred, hundred, hundred, hundred. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "up·to·silver" (עַד־כְּסַף֮), "talents" (כַּכְּרִ֣ין), "and·up·to·wheat" (וְעַד־חִנְטִין֙). The root מאה appears 4 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hundred" (root מאה, 60x in Ezra); "that·not" (root די, 59x in Ezra). First appearance of the root ככר ("talents") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hundred', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
which is not written And salt, regarding which no measure is written, they shall give according to how much is needed.
Ibn Ezra
Baths (batin) - Measures [of volume].
Ralbag
'to a hundred talents of silver' - and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt with no amount specified.
Metzudat David
'To a hundred talents of silver' - meaning, even should he ask for a great amount - up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred kor of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, and a hundred baths of oil. 'And salt' - meaning, as for salt, whatever he shall ask for [no fixed amount was prescribed], since there is no need to write a set quantity, because it is a cheap commodity; it is as if to say: give him whatever salt he wants.
Metzudat Zion
Baths (batin) - The name of a liquid measure, equal to three se'ah.
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
verse value 3359
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "the·God·of" (אֱלָ֣הּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "the·God·of" (אֱלָ֣הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "against·the·realm·of" (עַל־מַלְכ֥וּת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 351: the·heavens, the·heavens. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "exactly" (אַדְרַזְדָּ֔א), "for·why" (דִּֽי־לְמָ֤ה), "wrath" (קְצַ֔ף). The root אלה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·his·sons" (root בן, 167x in Ezra); "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "for·the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·heavens', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
Whatever is with the authorization Whatever is with the authorization of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His command, shall be done with alacrity, with the seal of the king for the House of the Holy One, blessed be He. with a seal Aram. אַדְרַזְדָּא, seal in Arabic. for why should there be For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? Therefore, the treasurers shall provide all the needs of the House.
Ibn Ezra
Exactly (adarazda) - In the sense of “speedily” [or “diligently”], by way of conjecture, for this word has no parallel elsewhere [in Scripture].
Ralbag
'Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven' - let it be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven - for why should there be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons?
Metzudat David
'Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven' - whatever is by the decree of the God of heaven shall be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven. 'For why' - for why should there be wrath from Hashem upon the realm of the king and his sons, on account of negligence in [providing] the needs of the House?
Metzudat Zion
Exactly (adarazda) - An expression of diligence [i.e., promptness]; it has no parallel elsewhere [in Scripture].
Malbim
'Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let a seal be made' [the word here, adarzda, means 'a seal' - as in Arabic, where 'chotam' means seal] '...for the house of the God of Heaven' - he further commanded that a seal be made, inscribed to state that it is the seal of the House of God, and that anything issued from the House of Hashem be stamped with this seal, so that it carries the same authority as a decree issued by the God of Heaven Himself - just as a document sealed with the king's own ring carries the same force as the king's own word. This is a great honor for the House of God, that its rulings go out under Hashem's own seal, and this seal carries authority and strength granted by the king. 'For why' - this states the reason behind all his decrees: so that God should not be wrathful against the king's realm, should they [his officials] fail to properly attend to the service of His House.
Also we announce to you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, the singers, porters, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, impost, or toll, upon them.
verse value 3630
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "announce" (מְהוֹדְעִ֗ין, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·to·you" (וּלְכֹ֣ם), "all·the·priests" (כׇל־כָּהֲנַיָּ֣א), "the·singers" (זַמָּ֨רַיָּ֤א). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "that" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
And we are making known to you And we are making known to you that [over] all the priests, the Levites, the musicians, the gatekeepers, and the Nethinites, who are wood cutters and water drawers for the altar, and those who serve in this House of the Holy One, no man shall be empowered over them to levy upon them any tribute or head tax, but they shall be free from the service of the king.
Ibn Ezra
Porters (tar'aya) - The gatekeepers. Tribute, impost, and toll - These terms have already been explained [elsewhere].
Ralbag
'Also we announce to you' - that concerning any of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, the Nethinim, or the servants of this house of God, no one shall have authority to impose tribute, tax, or toll upon them.
Metzudat David
'Also we announce to you' - you officials in charge of taxation, I make known to you, that concerning all the priests and Levites, the singers and the porters, the Nethinim, and those who serve in the service of this house of God... 'Tribute, impost, or toll' - [as for] these kinds of taxes, there is no authority or permission to impose them upon them.
Malbim
'Also we announce to you' - that is, he informs the treasurers appointed over the taxes that they have no authority to collect any tax from those who serve in the Temple.
And you, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges, who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and you teach the one who does not know them.
verse value 4412
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 99 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·all·who·know" (לְכׇל־יָדְעֵ֖י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: your·God, your·God. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·you" (וְאַ֣נְתְּ), "like·the·wisdom·of" (כְּחׇכְמַ֨ת), "that·in·your·hand" (דִּֽי־בִידָךְ֙). The root ידע appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "your·God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra); "to·all·the·people" (root כל, 33x in Ezra). First appearance of the root דין ("and·judges") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 4 words.
Rashi
And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand and you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which is in your hand [and which is] greater than that of the judges and the magistrates who judge all the people beyond the river to the side of Israel, the people knowledgeable in the Torah. and whoever does not know and the judge who does not know how to judge, inform him of the judgment that he should execute it.
Ralbag
'And you, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God that is in your hand' - appoint magistrates and judges, who shall judge all the people who are beyond the River, all who know the laws of your God; and whoever does not know them, you shall teach.
Metzudat David
'And you, Ezra' - and you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint and designate magistrates and judges, who shall judge all the people who are beyond the River. 'All such as know' - the meaning is: appoint all who know the law of your God [as judges]; and as for those who do not know it, whatever is a difficult matter, you shall teach them.
Malbim
'And you, Ezra' - he further grants Ezra the authority to appoint judges who will judge the people according to Torah law. He says 'magistrates and judges' - meaning expert judges [shoftim], and non-expert judges [dayanim], that is, [a tribunal of] three laymen, since it cannot be that not one of them is learned. Regarding the [expert] magistrates he says, 'all such as know the laws of your God,' meaning experts; and regarding the [lay] judges he says, 'and teach the one who does not know them' - meaning that the [lay] judge would then be taught some of the laws.
And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.’
verse value 5644
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·imprisonment" (וְלֶאֱסוּרִֽין, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: whether, or. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·all·that·not" (וְכׇל־דִּי־לָא֩), "of·your·God" (דִֽי־אֱלָהָ֗ךְ), "and·the·law" (וְדָתָא֙). The root הוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "of" (root די, 59x in Ezra); "of·your·God" (root אלה, 43x in Ezra). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 8 words.
Rashi
And whoever does not fulfill and whoever does not fulfill the law of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the law of the king promptly, viz. that he delays the law and the judgment. judgment The judgment shall be inflicted upon him, upon the one who obstructs justice. whether to be executed [as translated,] whether to be executed. uprooted whether to uproot him from the world, him, his offspring and his family (לִשְּׁרשִׁי is desraziner in Old French, to uproot). fined to be punished with money. or tortured or to torture him with tortures. Until here is the writ of the letter that King Darius gave to Ezra the scribe in order that he convey it to Jerusalem to show it to the priests and the Levites and the king’s treasurers, in order that they persist in performing the commandments and worshiping the Lord in the Temple and keeping the Torah properly.
Ibn Ezra
Banishment (lit. “to be uprooted from his root”) - [Meaning] to be torn out by the root, that is, banished from his inheritance. And our sages, of blessed memory, said: What does “leshoroshei” mean? Pursuit [i.e., expulsion].
Ralbag
'And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king' - judgment shall be carried out against him with all diligence: whether to be destroyed and uprooted, or to a monetary penalty, or to imprisonment in the prison house.
Metzudat David
'And whoever' - and whoever does not observe the law of your God's Torah, and the law of the king who warns concerning the matter... 'With all diligence' - swiftly, judgment and sentence shall be carried out against him - whether his sentence is to be put to death, or 'to be rooted out' (meaning, to be put to death along with his sons), or to be punished with a fine and confiscation of property, or to be imprisoned; all of this shall be carried out speedily.
Malbim
'And whoever' - he also grants the judges authority to compel observance of both the law of God and the law of the king, and they have the power to render judgment against anyone who transgresses the law of Hashem and the law of the king - whether it be death, or 'to be rooted out,' meaning to uproot the entire family, and so on - so that the authority to impose penalties, too, is placed in their hands.
Blessed be Hashem, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Hashem which is in Jerusalem;
verse value 4566
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "who" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Jerusalem" (בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: who, which. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "blessed" (בָּר֥וּךְ), "in·heart·of" (בְּלֵ֣ב), "to·beautify" (לְפָאֵ֕ר). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "the·house·of" (root בית, 64x in Ezra); "in·Jerusalem" (root ירושלם, 48x in Ezra). First appearance of the root זאת ("like·this") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'our·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: בָּר֥וּךְ [blessed] (228) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהֵ֣י [the·God·of] (46) + אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ [our·fathers] (469) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [who] (501) + נָתַ֤ן [has·put] (500) + כָּזֹאת֙ [like·this] (428) + בְּלֵ֣ב [in·heart·of] (34) + הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ [the·king] (95) + לְפָאֵ֕ר [to·beautify] (311) + אֶת־בֵּ֥ית [the·house·of] (813) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם [in·Jerusalem] (588) = 4566.
Rashi
Blessed be the Lord Ezra wrote this in his Book when he gave thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He.
Ibn Ezra
Blessed; and to all the princes - The meaning is: and before all his princes.
Ralbag
'Blessed be Hashem, the God of our fathers,' etc. - Ezra says this about how Hashem, may He be blessed, inclined the king's heart toward him, for it is fitting to bless Hashem, may He be blessed, for the good that He has done. Ezra was then strengthened, as the hand of Hashem, may He be blessed, was upon him, and he gathered leading men from Israel to go up with him; and he lists them afterward by name. This is the explanation of what needed to be explained in this passage, which we have limited our explanation to at this point. Now, the lessons to be derived from it are these: The first lesson is to publicize the wickedness of Ahasuerus - that whereas all the other kings of Persia besides him could be prevailed upon to consent to the building of the Temple or the building of the walls of Jerusalem, it was from him that Haman so easily obtained permission to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews. This further serves to publicize how the Cutheans were a painful thorn to the children of the exile, as though the sin of the rebellion of the Ten Tribes had shot these arrows at them - for it was their sins that brought it about that the Cutheans took possession of the Land of Israel. The third lesson is to publicize that if Hashem does not build the house, its builders labor on it in vain. Do you not see that in the days of Cyrus, when they had permission from Cyrus to build, they were unable to bring the building to completion? Yet in the second year of Darius, they built without the king's permission to build, and their adversaries were unable to halt their work - for King Darius commanded that the work be hastened, at the king's own expense, so that the service of the Temple could be carried out. The fourth lesson is to make known that the dedication of the altar has no fixed form, but changes from time to time; thus you find that the dedication of the altar in the days of the Second Temple differed from its dedication in the days of the First Temple, and differed as well from its dedication in the days of Moses. And you should know that this dedication was carried out at the direction of the prophets, namely Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The fifth lesson is to make known that one who is wise in the Torah of Hashem, keeps its commandments, and brings merit to the many through the teaching of Torah, is watched over with the utmost providence. For this reason Scripture tells about Ezra that he was a scribe skilled in the Torah of Hashem, and that the king granted him, according to the good hand of Hashem upon him, all that he asked - as if to explain that it was because he was a scribe skilled in the Torah of Hashem that he attained this. For the same reason, Scripture also tells that Ezra obtained his request from the king in a short time, and gives the reason for it: that Ezra had set his heart to seek the Torah of Hashem, and to practice it, and to teach statute and law in Israel. The sixth lesson is to make known that it is not fitting for a king to impose a tax on those who serve Hashem, may He be blessed, such as the priests, the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers, and all who serve the house of God. Concerning this it says: 'It shall not be lawful to impose tribute, impost, or toll upon them.' From this it can be understood that it is likewise not fitting to impose a tax on the wise, for they are constantly occupied with the wisdom of the Torah, which is the service of Hashem. The seventh lesson is to make known that it is fitting to bless Hashem, may He be blessed, for His goodness - for although this is fitting on its own account, there is also a benefit in it, guiding people to recognize that this good comes from Him by way of individual providence. For this reason Scripture tells that Ezra had already blessed Hashem, may He be blessed, for this wondrous good that He did for Israel through him.
Metzudat David
'Blessed be Hashem' - these are the words of Ezra, who gave thanks to Hashem for this goodness. 'Such a thing as this' - [meaning] a matter such as this, to spur on the affairs of the House, and to beautify and exalt the house of Hashem.
Malbim
'Blessed be Hashem' - Ezra gives thanks to Hashem, both for what He did to glorify the House of Hashem - that He put it into the king's heart to donate to the House of God - and for what was done for Ezra himself, that He gave him the power to strengthen religious observance and appoint judges; and this is the meaning of 'and has extended kindness to me.'
and has extended mercy to me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened according to the hand of Hashem my God upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
verse value 4826
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·counselors" (וְיֽוֹעֲצָ֔יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 95: the·king, the·king. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Ezra. Unique to this verse in Ezra (hapax): "and·upon·me" (וְעָלַ֣י), "extended·mercy" (הִטָּה־חֶ֗סֶד), "and·his·counselors" (וְיֽוֹעֲצָ֔יו). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 77x in Ezra); "with·me" (root עם, 50x in Ezra); "my·God" (root אלהים, 47x in Ezra). First appearance of the root פנים ("before") in Ezra. First appearance of the root שר ("and·to·all·chiefs·of") in Ezra. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·mighty', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 10 words.
Rashi
and his advisers They are his seven advisers mentioned above (verse 14). according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me as the help of the Holy One, blessed be He, was upon me; and I gathered from the Israelites remaining in Babylon the chiefs of the fathers’ houses and the great men to ascend with me from Babylon.
Metzudat David
'And has extended [mercy] to me' - the Omnipresent inclined kindness toward me before the king. 'And before all' - and before all [the king's mighty princes]. 'According to the hand of Hashem' - according to the strength that came from Hashem upon me. 'Chief men' - and after them the rest of the people followed.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Malbim