Ezra 7 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

seven counsellors.Seven princes of Persia having conspired against and slain the usurper Smerdis, and thus made way for the family of Darius, which afterwards filled the throne, the Persian kings of this race had always seven chief princes as their counsellors, who possessed peculiar privileges, were his chief assistants in the government, and by whose advice all the public affairs of the empire were transacted.

The names of these counsellors are given in the parallel place of the book of Esther.

according.

Ezra 7:25‑26• ²⁵And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, which is in thy hand, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye him that knows them not.
²⁶And whosoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed diligently upon him, whether unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. (Ezra 7:25‑26)

;

Deut. 17:18‑19• ¹⁸And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests, the Levites;
¹⁹and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Jehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; (Deut. 17:18‑19)

;

Isa. 8:20• ²⁰To the law and the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, for them there is no daybreak. (Isa. 8:20)

thy God.

Ezra 1:3• ³Whosoever there is among you of all his people, his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel--he is God--which is at Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:3)

;

Ezra 5:8• ⁸Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work is being carried on with diligence, and prospers in their hand. (Ezra 5:8)

;

Ezra 6:12• ¹²And the God that has caused his name to dwell there overthrow every king and people that shall put forth their hand to alter or to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have given this order; let it be done diligently. (Ezra 6:12)

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Dan. 2:47• ⁴⁷The king answered Daniel and said, Of a truth it is that your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, because thou wast able to reveal this secret. (Dan. 2:47)

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Dan. 6:20,26• ²⁰And when he came near unto the den, he cried with a mournful voice unto Daniel: the king spoke and said unto Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God whom thou servest continually been able to save thee from the lions?
²⁶I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. (Dan. 6:20,26)

• How essential it is to have the Word of God nearby — in Ezra’s case, it was in his hand (Ezra 7:14; Deut. 11:18-31). (“The Kings Letter - Ezra 7:11-28” by N. Simon)

J. N. Darby Translation

Because thou art sent byf the king, and by his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand;

JND Translation Notes

Lit. "from before."