Ezra

About Ezra

Ezra tells how God moved a pagan emperor to send the exiles home to rebuild the temple, and how Ezra the scribe later arrived to teach God's Law. It is a story of second chances: worship restored, promises kept, and a community reshaped around Scripture. In the Bible's big story, it shows God faithfully bringing His people back from exile, exactly as the prophets had said.

Written by

Jewish tradition credits Ezra the scribe, and parts of the book are written in his own first-person voice, though the final compiler is not named.

When

It describes returns from exile between 538 and about 458 BC and was likely written down in the mid-to-late 400s BC.

Themes

• God keeps His promises
• Rebuilding worship
• The power of God's Word
• Renewal after failure

Key verses

• Ezra 1:1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
• Ezra 3:11And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
• Ezra 7:10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.