Ezra 7:11 (LSB)

Passage

Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel:

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:9 For on the first of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, because the good hand of his God was upon him.

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and to teach His statute and judgment in Israel.

Ezra 7:11 Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel:

Ezra 7:12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—

Ezra 7:13 I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who freely offer to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "copy", "letter", "king", "artaxerxes", "gave", "ezra", "priest", and "scribe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "copy" and "letter", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "For Ezra had set his heart to..." into verse 12's "Artaxerxes king of kings to Ezra the...", so "copy" and "letter" 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 "copy" and "letter" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.