Sermon Tone Analysis

“Scribe” (7:6)

And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king

The year was __________

ARTAXERXES (PERSON) [Aram ʾartaḥšaśtāʾ (אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּא); Gk Artaxérxēs (Ἀρταξέρξης)].

Persian king in whose reign the missions of Ezra () and Nehemiah () took place.

There were three Persian kings having this name, yet the biblical text neither specifies nor distinguishes among them: Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) son and successor of Xerxes I, ruled 465–425 B.C.E.; Artaxerxes II (Mnemon) son and successor of Darius II, ruled 404–358 B.C.E.; and Artaxerxes III (Ochus) son and successor of Artaxerxes II, ruled 359–338 B.C.E.

The name may also have been assumed by Arses who ruled 338–336 B.C.E., and Bessos, who claimed the throne soon after Alexander’s conquest (Cook 1983).

The name Artaxerxes appears in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in five distinct contexts: 1. relates that a letter was sent to Artaxerxes by BISHLAM, MITHREDATH, and TABEEL.

Nothing of the contents of this correspondence is told.

2. , in Aramaic, reports correspondence from REHUM …

AYBD

How long did it take to get from Babylon to Jerusalem?

“And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence

What does this verse tell us about Ezra we did not know before?

25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God.

And those who do not know them, you shall teach.

Why is this verse important?

What does verse 26 add?

Finally, what is the application today for verses 27 and 28?