The Pulpit Commentary — Ezra — Section 106

(Yer. 25). 2. He was authorised to enforce his g'rnir (from g'mar, ff to complete ") should decisions by the penaltios of imprisonment, be taken with sdpha.r, "scribe," the wholo confiscation of goods, banishment, and even passage being translated as in the margin of death itself (ver. 26). 3. An exemption the A. V.-"to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the Goa of hea.ven." from taxation of every kind was granted to And at suoh a time. Rather, ff and so forth," all grades of the sacerdot.al order-to the as in eh. iv. 10, 11, 17. priests, the Levites, the singers, the porters, Ver. 13. - All they of the people of the N ethinim, and the lowest grade of Israel. The decree of Arta.i:erxes is ns wide "ministers "-to all, in fact, who were in its terms as the proclamation of Cyrus (eh. i. 3), and gives permission not to the engaged in the performance of any sacred Jews only, but to all Israelites of whatever function connected with the temple (ver. tribe, to accompany Ezra to J eruse.lem. That 24). This last provision was absolutely Israelites of all the tribes actually went up permanent, and probably continued in force to Jerusalem on the occasion seems indicated down to the close of the empire. by the "twelve bullocks for all Israel,'' which those who returned with Ezra, offered Ver. 11.-The copy of the letter that the on their arrival to the ff God of Israel" king . .. gave to Ezra. This decree, as (see eh. viii. 35). already obserred, was a private .forman, one Ver. 14.-Ezra received his commission copy of which only was made, which was from the king, and from his seven coun- presented to Ezra, and was his authority for sellors, who thus seem to occupy an inlpor- doing certain things himself, and for requir- tant position in the Persian state, They ing certain acts of others. The priest. This are commonly identified with the "seven is implied in the genealogy (vers. 1-5), but princes of Persia and Media," mentioned in not directly sta,ted elsewhere by Ezra him- Esther (i 14), "which saw the king's face," self. Nehemiah, however, designates him and "sate first in the kingdom." A con- similarly (viii 2, 9). His most usual title jecture, which, though not unreasonable, is the "scribe." A scribe of the words of cannot be said to be substantiated, connects the commandments of the Lord. Not so the ff seven counsellors" with the seven much a writer as an expounder (see above, groot Persian septs, or families, which had ver. 10). privileges beyond the rest, and among them Ver. 12.-Artaxen:es, king of kings. the right of unrestricted access to the royal • Ring of kings, lckshayathiya khshaya- presence(' Herod.,• iii. 84). The commission tlu"yanam," an equivalent of the modern which Ezra received is described in this shahinshah, was a recognised title of the verse as one to inquire concerning J"ndah Persian monarchs, and is found in every and J"erusalem; but the subject-matter of Persian inscription of any considerable the inquiry is not mentioned. He can length (Rawlinson, 'Cuneiform Inscrip- scarcely have been sent to make inquiry tions of Persia,' voL i pp. 195, 271, 279, whether the lo.w of Moses was observed or 287, 292, &c.). It was a title that had been no, since that was certainly not e. matter used occasionally, thongh not at all fre- with which the Persian government would quently, by the Assyrian monarchs (' Records concern itself. Probably he was to inquire of the Past,' voL iii p. 41 ; voL v. p. 8), generally into the material prosperity of the and naturally expressed the fa.et that those province, and to report thereon. monarchs for the most part maintained the Ver. 15.-And to carry the silver and native princes on the thrones of the coun- gold, which the king and his counsellors tries which they conquered (see Isa. x. 8). have freely c:ffered. Large sums in specie It was less a:ppropriate ~ the Pe~, who_se ha.d in ancient times to be remitted from empire was m the mam satrapial, but still one country to another wnder escort. The had a basis of truth to rest upon, since the roads were never safe from robbers ; and the Persian monarch had always a certain num- more considerable the remittance, the greater ber of tributary kin~ under him(cf.' Herod.,' the danger of its being intercepted. We v. 104, 118; viii. 142; Xen., 'Anab.,' hear of its being usual to prot.ect the treasure i. 2, § 12 ; 'Hellen.,' iv. 1, §§ 3, 4, &c.). The annually remitted to Jerusalem from Babylon Parthian kings took the title from ~he time in Roman times by an escort of above 20,000 of Mithridat.es I. ; and from them 1t passed men (see Joseph., • Ant, Jud.,' xviii. 9, § 1). to the Sassanians, who style them.selves The God of Iare.el, whose habitation is in 'ITuLlkan malka, from first to last, upon J"erusalem. No more seems to be meant by their coins. The God of heaven. On this "habitation" here than by ff house" in eh. favourite Persian expression see comment i. 2, 3. Artaxerxes does not regard Jehovah 1 on eh. i 2. Perfect peace. There is nothing as a local, God. in the Che.ldce original in any way cor- Ver. 16.-All the lilver and gold that responding to "pee.ce ; " a,nd the participle thou canst 8.nd. Rather, "that thou con~t • OH, VII. 11-28.] THE BOOK OF EZRA. 111