Books of the Bible

The Book of Ezra

Old Testament · History · Genre: History · Author: Traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe · Chapters: 10

Ezra tells how God brought his people home from exile in Babylon to rebuild the temple and restore true worship in Jerusalem. It is a story of homecoming and renewal, of God stirring the hearts of kings, and of a scribe who set himself to know, to do, and to teach the law of the Lord.

Start reading: Ezra chapter 1

A key verse

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.Ezra 7:10 (KJV)

The setting and background of Ezra

Ezra is one of the historical books that tell of Israel's return from exile, and it was originally joined with Nehemiah as a single work. It is traditionally attributed to Ezra the scribe, a priest and teacher of the law who is its central figure in its later chapters. The book covers the return of the exiles from Babylon under Persian rule and the rebuilding of the temple and the community.

The book falls into two parts separated by some sixty years. The first tells of the first return under Zerubbabel, the rebuilding of the altar and the temple amid opposition, and the completion of the house of God with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. The second tells of Ezra's own later return, his devotion to the law, and his grief and reform when he finds the people compromised by intermarriage with the surrounding nations.

Ezra was written to record how God kept his promise to bring his people home and to restore their worship and identity after exile. It shows God moving even pagan kings to accomplish his purposes. In the sweep of Scripture, the return from exile and the rebuilt temple are signs of the greater homecoming and restoration accomplished by Christ, who gathers his scattered people and makes them a living temple for God.

The story and structure of Ezra

Ezra opens with the astonishing decree of Cyrus, king of Persia, releasing the exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God, exactly as the prophets had foretold. God is shown moving even a pagan emperor to accomplish his promise, proving that the hearts of kings are in his hand.

A first group of returnees, led by Zerubbabel and the priest Jeshua, makes the long journey home. Their first act is to rebuild the altar and restore the sacrifices, and then to lay the foundation of the temple. The moment is met with mingled joy and weeping, as the old who remembered Solomon's temple mourn even while the young rejoice.

The work soon meets fierce opposition from neighboring peoples, who discourage the builders and appeal to the Persian authorities to stop the project, and for a time the building halts. Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah stir the people to take up the work again, and with God's help and royal permission the temple is at last completed and dedicated with joy.

Years later Ezra himself arrives from Babylon, a priest and scribe skilled in the law, who had set his heart to seek the law of the Lord, to do it, and to teach its statutes in Israel. He comes with the king's blessing and gifts for the temple, entrusting the dangerous journey to God rather than asking for a military escort.

In Jerusalem Ezra is grieved to find that many of the people, even leaders and priests, had compromised their distinct calling by intermarrying with the surrounding nations and their idolatry. He responds with heartbroken prayer and confession, and leads the community in a painful but genuine repentance, calling them back to faithfulness to the God who had brought them home.

The great themes of Ezra

Key passages in Ezra

Ezra in the sweep of Scripture

Ezra records a crucial chapter in God's ongoing story, the restoration of his people after exile and the renewal of their worship and identity. The rebuilt temple and the recovery of the law prepared the way for the community from which the Messiah would one day come. Together with Nehemiah, the book shows what it looks like to rebuild a life of faith after devastation, centered on the presence of God and the word of God, and it keeps alive the hope of a greater restoration still to come.

Where Christ is in Ezra

The return from exile and the rebuilt temple are signs of a greater homecoming and a greater restoration accomplished by Jesus, who gathers his scattered people and makes them a living temple for God. God's stirring of pagan kings to fulfill his word points to the sovereign hand that guides all history toward Christ, and Ezra's devotion to the law anticipates the one who came not to abolish but to fulfill it.

How to read Ezra well

Read Ezra as a story of new beginnings and let it encourage you that God restores what seems lost. Let Ezra's threefold resolve, to seek God's word, to do it, and to teach it, shape your own approach to Scripture, and let the returned exiles' first concern for worship recenter your own priorities. Notice how renewal always involves honest repentance, and take heart that the God who brought his people home is still in the business of restoration.

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