Ezra Arrives and Teaches the Law

In the seventh year of King Artaxerxes of Persia (458 BCE), Ezra the priest and scribe arrived in Jerusalem leading a second wave of exiles from Babylon—58 years after the temple’s completion. Ezra was “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses,” and the king’s favor rested on him because “the hand of the LORD his God was on him.”

Ezra’s credentials and mission:

Ezra was a descendant of Aaron through the line of high priests. He had “devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” King Artaxerxes gave him extensive authority and resources:

• A letter authorizing him to take any Israelites who wished to return
• Silver and gold from the royal treasury
• Permission to appoint magistrates and judges
• Tax exemption for temple personnel
• Authority to enforce the Law of God with punishments including death, banishment, confiscation, or imprisonment

The journey:

Ezra’s caravan numbered about 1,500 men plus their families, along with temple servants. They carried enormous wealth—650 talents of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents, 100 talents of gold, and other valuable items. Despite the danger, Ezra refused to ask the king for soldiers to protect them: “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.”

They fasted and prayed, and God protected them during the four-month journey (1,000 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem).

Confronting intermarriage:

Upon arriving, Ezra was devastated to learn that many Jews—including leaders, priests, and Levites—had married foreign women and adopted pagan practices. He tore his tunic, pulled hair from his head and beard, and sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. Then he fell on his knees and prayed a powerful confession:

“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.”

His grief moved the people to repentance. They assembled, confessed their unfaithfulness, and agreed to send away their foreign wives and children—a drastic but (in their view) necessary measure to preserve covenant purity and prevent the idolatry that had led to exile.

Teaching the Law:

Ezra gathered all the people in the square before the Water Gate. Standing on a high wooden platform, he read from the Book of the Law of Moses from daybreak till noon. The Levites helped the people understand, “making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.”

When the people heard the Law, they wept. But Ezra said: “Do not mourn or weep… Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Ezra’s reforms reestablished Torah observance as central to Jewish life. His work as scribe and teacher shaped Judaism profoundly—some traditions credit him with establishing the synagogue, canonizing Scripture, and changing Hebrew script to the Aramaic square letters still used today.