Ezra 7:16 (DBY)

Passage

and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, besides the voluntary offering of the people, and of the priests, who offer willingly for the house of their God which is at Jerusalem.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:14 Because thou art sent by the king, and by his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand;

Ezra 7:15 and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is at Jerusalem,

Ezra 7:16 and all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, besides the voluntary offering of the people, and of the priests, who offer willingly for the house of their God which is at Jerusalem.

Ezra 7:17 Therefore thou shalt buy diligently with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their oblations and their drink-offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is at Jerusalem.

Ezra 7:18 And whatever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do according to the will of your God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "silver", "gold", "thou", "canst", "find", "province", "babylon", and "besides". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "silver" and "gold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "and to carry the silver and gold..." into verse 17's "Therefore thou shalt buy diligently with this...", so "silver" and "gold" belong inside that flow. In Ezra context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "silver" and "gold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.