Skip to content
God's MapOpen the map

Ezra

the scribe of the Law

Who was Ezra?

Occupation
Priest and scribe, teacher of the Law Ezra 7:6, 10-11
Feast day
July 13: Saint Ezra, priest and scribe
Ezra, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

Ezra 7:1-6

1Now after these things in the reign of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, Esdras the son of Saraias, the son of Azarias, the son of Helcias, 2The son of Sellum, the son of Sadoc, the son of Achitob, 3The son of Amarias, the son of Azarias, the son of Maraioth, 4The son of Zarahias, the son of Ozi, the son of Bocci, 5The son of Abisue, the son of Phinees, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest from the beginning. 6This Esdras went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God had given to Israel: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him.

Ezra 7:6-9, 28

6This Esdras went up from Babylon, and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the Lord God had given to Israel: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him. 7And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the children of the priests, and of the children of the Levites, and of the singing men, and of the porters, and of the Nathinites to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8And they came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king. 9For upon the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem according to the good hand of his God upon him. 28And hath inclined his mercy toward me before the king and his counsellors, and all the mighty princes of the king: and I being strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God, which was upon me, gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Nehemiah 8:1-3

1And the seventh month came: and the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people were gathered together as one man to the street which is before the water gate, and they spoke to Esdras the scribe, to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2Then Esdras the priest brought the law before the multitude of men and women, and all those that could understand, in the first day of the seventh month. 3And he read it plainly in the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before the men, and the women, and all those that could understand: and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Ezra

  1. Before Jesus. Ezra was a priest and scribe in Babylon. He had set his heart on studying the Law of the Lord, keeping it and teaching it. Ezra 7:6, 10-11
  2. Before Jesus. King Artaxerxes gave him a letter to go to Jerusalem and watch over the Law of his God there. Ezra 7:11-14
  3. Before Jesus. Ezra blessed God, because he had put it into the king’s heart to honor the Temple. Encouraged, he gathered the leaders of Israel to go with him. Ezra 7:27-28
  4. With Jesus. By the river Ahava he saw that there were no Levites, the helpers in the Temple. He sent for them, and several families of Levites came. Ezra 8:15-19
  5. With Jesus. By the river Ahava he proclaimed a fast to ask God for a safe journey. He was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers. Ezra 8:21-22
  6. With Jesus. He arrived in Jerusalem after a journey of about four months, because the hand of God was with him. Ezra 7:8-9
  7. With Jesus. In Jerusalem they rested three days. On the fourth, they weighed out in the Temple the silver, the gold and the vessels they had brought. Ezra 8:32-33
  8. With Jesus. When he learned that many had married women from other peoples, he tore his cloak and prayed on his knees, ashamed. Ezra 9:1-6
  9. With Jesus. While Ezra was praying in tears before the Temple, a great crowd gathered around him: men, women and children. They were all weeping. Ezra 10:1
  10. With Jesus. At Ezra’s request, those who had married in this way sent away those wives and their children. Ezra 10:10-11, 44
  11. Afterward. In the square before the Water Gate, he read the book of the Law from daybreak until midday. Nehemiah 8:1-3
  12. Afterward. He read from a wooden platform. When he opened the book, all the people stood up and answered amen. Nehemiah 8:4-6

Words of Ezra

“Blessed be the Lord the God of our fathers, who hath put this in the king’s heart, to glorify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem.” Ezra 7:27

When he received the letter from King Artaxerxes.

“The hand of our God is upon all them that seek him in goodness…” Ezra 8:22

What Ezra had told the king before the journey.

“My God I am confounded and ashamed to lift up my face to thee: for our iniquities are multiplied over our heads, and our sins are grown up even unto heaven.” Ezra 9:6

On his knees, with his cloak torn, at the hour of the evening sacrifice.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

Feast day: July 13, Saint Ezra, priest and scribe (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

What people ask

Why did Ezra tear his cloak?

Because many had married women from peoples who worshiped other gods. He saw it as unfaithfulness to God. Ezra 9:1-3; Ezra 10:10

What happened when Ezra read the Law?

The people listened closely and wept. They were told not to weep, because it was a holy day, and they celebrated with joy. Nehemiah 8:3, 9-12

What did King Artaxerxes entrust to him?

He gave him permission to bring offerings to the Temple and to appoint judges who knew the Law of God. Ezra 7:15, 25

Were Ezra and Nehemiah together?

The Book of Nehemiah names them together at the reading of the Law and at the dedication of the wall. A note in the NAB says it is not known for certain which of them came first. Nehemiah 8:9; Nehemiah 12:36; NAB note on Esd 7, 1-8

What feast did they celebrate after reading the Law?

The feast of Booths. Each family made a hut of branches on its roof or in its courtyard. It had not been celebrated that way since the days of Joshua. Nehemiah 8:14-17

How did their journey to Jerusalem go?

They set out from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month. The hand of God protected them from enemies and robbers along the way. Ezra 8:31

Little known He led one of the choirs at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 12:36 He read the Law every day of the feast, from the first…

The rest of this page (daily life, failings, little-known facts, for you…) is part of the subscription.

See the map

Who Ezra is connected to

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

See Ezra on the map