Bible Strands
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,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator situates Ezra within the Persian imperial timeline, specifically during the reign of King Artaxerxes, to introduce the priestly scribe who will lead the post-exilic community.
The words — אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא (Artaxerxes) identifies the Persian monarch anchoring the narrative, while בְּ/מַלְכ֖וּת (in the reign of) marks the precise political era of the text.
The thread — The royal chronology continues in Nehemiah 2:1, the priestly lineage mirrors the pattern in 1 Chronicles 6:4, and the high priest Hilkiah appears earlier in 2 Kings 22:4.
Why it lands — The text establishes historical placement and priestly descent before detailing Ezra’s subsequent actions, requiring the reader to verify the scribe’s authority and the timeline of the restoration.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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,
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 2:1 Now in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence,
- 1 Chronicles 6:4 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, Phinehas was the father of Abishua,
- 2 Kings 22:4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money that has been brought into the house of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
- Ezra 6:14 So the Jewish elders built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
- Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
- 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,
- 2 Kings 22:8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
- 2 Kings 25:18 The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers.
- 1 Chronicles 9:11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple;
- 2 Chronicles 34:9 So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites who guarded the doors had collected from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem.