Bible Strands
Ezra 8:36
They also delivered the king’s edicts to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The returning exiles hand over royal documents to Persian satraps and governors controlling the Trans-Euphrates province immediately after completing their initial sacrificial rites. These officials then fulfill their duty by providing material and administrative support to the people and the temple.
The words — The verb וַיִּתְּנוּ (va-yit-tə-nū) literally means "they gave" or "delivered," marking the transfer of authority. The noun דָּתִים (dā-tîm) translates to "decrees" or "edicts," identifying the specific royal instruments being distributed.
The thread — This administrative relay mirrors the earlier royal correspondence in Ezra 7:21 and the provincial oversight recorded in Ezra 5:6 and 4:7. The text consistently links Persian imperial policy with the physical restoration of the Judean community.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that civic and religious recovery depends on documented compliance with governing authority. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of how institutional cooperation enables, rather than hinders, communal 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
And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.
Cross-references
- 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,
- Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
- Ezra 5:6 This is the text of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the region, sent to King Darius.
- Ezra 6:13 In response, Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
- Isaiah 56:6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant—
- Acts 18:27 When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
- Revelation 12:16 But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.
- Esther 9:3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.