¹sn If the Artaxerxes of Ezra 7:1 is Artaxerxes I Longimanus (ca. 464-423 B.C.), Ezra must have arrived in Jerusalem ca. 458 B.C., since Ezra 7:7-8 connects the time of his arrival to the seventh year of the king. The arrival of Nehemiah is then linked to the twentieth year of the king (Neh 1:1), or ca. 445 B.C. Some scholars, however, have suggested that Ezra 7:7 should be read as “the thirty-seventh year” rather than “the seventh year.” This would have Ezra coming to Jerusalem after, rather than before, the arrival of Nehemiah. Others have taken the seventh year of Ezra 7:7-8 to refer not to Artaxerxes I but to Artaxerxes II, who ruled ca. 404-358 B.C. In this understanding Ezra would have returned to Jerusalem ca. 398 B.C., a good many years after the return of Nehemiah. Neither of these views is certain, however, and it seems better to retain the traditional understanding of the chronological sequence of returns by Ezra and Nehemiah. With this understanding there is a gap of about fifty-eight years between chapter six, which describes the dedication of the temple in 516 b.c., and chapter seven, which opens with Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem in 458 b.c.
²tn The words “came up from Babylon” do not appear in the Hebrew text until v. 6. They have been supplied here for the sake of clarity.
³tc The translation reads the Hiphil singular wayya`al (“he [Ezra] brought up”) rather than the Qal plural wayya`alu (“they came up”) of the MT.
tn Heb “he brought”; the referent (Ezra) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁴map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
⁵tc The translation reads yissad (he appointed” [= determined]) rather than the reading yesud (“foundation”) of the MT.
⁶sn Apparently it took the caravan almost four months to make the five hundred mile journey.
⁷tn Heb “established his heart.”
⁸tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”
⁹tn Heb “this.”
¹⁰tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.
¹¹tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
¹²sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
¹³tn Heb “from me is placed a decree.” So also in v. 21.
¹⁴map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
¹⁵tn Aram “sent.”
¹⁶tn Aram “in your hand.”
¹⁷tn Aram “find.”
¹⁸tn Aram “their meal offerings and their libations.”
¹⁹tn Aram “brothers.”
²⁰tn Or “before.”
²¹tn Aram “may fall to you to give.”
²²tn Aram “who are in.”
²³tc The translation reads mesah battin rather than battin mesah of the MT.
²⁴tn Aram “he did not write.”
²⁵tn The Aramaic word used here for “wrath” (qesap; cf. Heb qesep) is usually used in the Hebrew Bible for God’s anger as opposed to human anger (but contra Eccl 5:17 [MT 5:16]; Esth 1:18; 2 Kgs 3:27). The fact that this word is used in v. 23 may have theological significance, pointing to the possibility of divine judgment if the responsible parties should fail to make available these provisions for the temple.
²⁶tn Aram “we are making known to you.”
²⁷tn Aram “in your hand.”
²⁸tc For the MT reading sapetin (“judges”) the LXX has grammateis (“scribes”).
²⁹tn On the meaning of this word see HALOT 5:1821; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae Veteris Testamenti, 14.
³⁰sn At this point the language of the book reverts from Aramaic (7:12-26) back to Hebrew.
³¹tc For the MT reading ra’sim (“heads”) the LXX has andras (“men”).