Ezra 7:11 (WEB)

Passage

Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of Yahweh’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:

Nearby Context

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

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek Yahweh’s law, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Ezra 7:11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of Yahweh’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the perfect God of heaven. Now

Ezra 7:13 I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, 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.