Ezra 7:18

You and your brothers may do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — King Artaxerxes addresses Ezra and his companions as they prepare to transport donated silver and gold to Jerusalem for temple restoration. He grants them discretionary authority over the remaining funds before their departure.

The words — The Aramaic יִיטַב (yi.Tav) literally means "it is good," paired with בִּ/שְׁאָר (bi/sh.'Ar) meaning "with the rest of." These terms establish the king's explicit permission to allocate surplus resources at the recipients' judgment.

The thread — This grant of discretionary spending parallels the financial oversight in 2 Kings 12:15 and 2 Kings 22:7, where handlers of temple funds are exempt from accounting because of their demonstrated integrity.

Why it lands — The text states that delegated authority operates under divine guidance rather than bureaucratic accounting. It requires the reader to exercise prudent judgment with entrusted resources while acknowledging God's sovereignty over the final outcome.

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

וּמָ֣הu./Mahand/ whatever דִי֩dithat עֲלָ֨ךְa.la.yi/khto/ you וְעַל־ve./'al-and/ to אֶחָ֜ךְ'e.cha.yi/khbrothers/ your יִיטַ֗בyi.Tavit is good בִּשְׁאָ֛רbi/sh.'Arwith/ [the] rest of כַּסְפָּ֥אkas.Pa/'silver/ the וְדַהֲבָ֖הve./da.ha.Vah/'and/ gold/ the לְמֶעְבַּ֑דle./me'.Badto/ do כִּרְע֥וּתki/r.'Utaccording to/ [the] will of אֱלָהֲכֹ֖ם'e.la.ha./KhomGod/ your תַּעַבְדֽוּן׃ta.'av.Dunyou will do

King James Version

And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

Cross-references

2 Kings 12:15 No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.
2 Kings 22:7 But they need not account for the money put into their hands, since they work with integrity.”
Ezra 7:26 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.
Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.