Ezra 7:9 (GNV)

Passage

For vpon the first day of the first moneth began he to goe vp from Babel, and on the first day of the fift moneth came he to Ierusalem, according to the good hande of his God that was vpon him.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:7 And there went vp certaine of the children of Israel, and of the Priests, and the Leuites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims vnto Ierusalem, in the seuenth yere of King Artahshashte.

Ezra 7:8 And hee came to Ierusalem in the fift moneth, which was in the seuenth yeere of the King.

Ezra 7:9 For vpon the first day of the first moneth began he to goe vp from Babel, and on the first day of the fift moneth came he to Ierusalem, according to the good hande of his God that was vpon him.

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seeke the Lawe of the Lord, and to doe it, and to teach the precepts and iudgements in Israel.

Ezra 7:11 And this is the copie of the letter that King Artahshashte gaue vnto Ezra the Priest and scribe, euen a writer of the words of the commadements of ye Lord, and of his statutes ouer Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vpon", "first", "moneth", "began", "babel", and "fift". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vpon" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And hee came to Ierusalem in the..." into verse 10's "For Ezra had prepared his heart to...", so "vpon" and "first" 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 "vpon" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.