Ezra 7:19 Study Bible: The vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem.

◄ Ezra 7:19 ►

You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.

You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem

Artaxerxes’ decree recognized that the offerings and vessels entrusted to Ezra belonged to Israel’s covenant God and were to be brought before Him at Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the city God chose for His name, the location of the rebuilt temple, and the appointed center of Israel’s worship. The Persian king’s command further shows God’s sovereign ability to move rulers of the nations to support His purposes for His people.

2Ch 36:23 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD…
Ezr 1:2-4 This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD…
2Ch 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there,…

all the articles given to you

The articles were sacred vessels designated for temple worship, likely including items supplied from the royal treasury for offerings and service. Earlier Babylonian rulers had carried away vessels from Solomon’s temple, but their restoration testified that exile had not ended God’s covenant faithfulness. These objects were not ordinary political gifts; they were set apart for use in the worship of the Lord and had to be handled according to His commands.

Ezr 5:14-15 He also removed from the temple of Babylon…
Ezr 1:7-11 King Cyrus also brought out the articles…
2Ch 36:18-19 who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles…

for the service of the house of your God.

The temple service included sacrifices, offerings, prayer, and the ministry of priests and Levites according to the Law of Moses. Restoring that service marked the renewal of Israel’s public devotion after the exile. The temple also pointed beyond itself to Jesus Christ, in whom God dwelt among His people and through whose sacrifice full atonement for sin was accomplished.

1Ch 28:20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong…
1Ch 23:28-32 but their duty was to assist the descendants of Aaron…
2Ch 31:16-18 In addition, they distributed portions to the males…

Persons / Places / Events

1. Ezra
A scribe and priest, Ezra was a leader among the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was tasked with re-establishing the Law of Moses and the worship practices in the temple.

2. Artaxerxes
The Persian king who issued a decree allowing Ezra and other exiles to return to Jerusalem. He provided resources and support for the temple's restoration.

3. Jerusalem
The city where the temple of God was located, and the central place of worship for the Jewish people.

4. The Temple Articles
Sacred items used in the worship and service of God in the temple. These articles were essential for the proper conduct of religious ceremonies.

5. The Exiles
The Jewish people who had been taken captive to Babylon and were now returning to their homeland to rebuild their lives and religious practices.

Teaching Points

The Importance of Sacred Objects
The articles for the temple service were not just physical items but were consecrated for the worship of God. This reminds us of the importance of treating sacred things with reverence and respect.

God's Provision through Secular Authorities
Artaxerxes' support for the temple's restoration shows how God can use even non-believers to accomplish His purposes. We should be open to seeing God's hand in unexpected places.

Restoration and Renewal
Ezra's mission was not just about physical rebuilding but spiritual renewal. We should seek to restore and renew our own spiritual lives, focusing on worship and obedience to God.

Faithfulness in Service
Ezra's dedication to his task is a model of faithfulness. We are called to be diligent and faithful in whatever God has entrusted to us.

Community and Worship
The return of the exiles and the restoration of the temple highlight the importance of community in worship. We should value and participate in our faith communities.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the role of Ezra as a leader and scribe inspire you in your own spiritual leadership or service?

2. In what ways can you see God working through secular authorities or institutions in your life today?

3. Reflect on the sacred objects or practices in your own faith tradition. How do they help you connect with God?

4. What steps can you take to renew and restore your spiritual life, similar to the restoration efforts in Jerusalem?

5. How can you contribute to the spiritual and communal life of your faith community, following the example of Ezra and the returning exiles?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 25-31
These chapters describe the original instructions for the construction of the tabernacle and the articles used in worship, highlighting the continuity of worship practices from the time of Moses to Ezra.

2 Chronicles 36:22-23
This passage records the decree of Cyrus, which allowed the first group of exiles to return to Jerusalem, setting the stage for Ezra's mission.

Nehemiah 8
Ezra's role in teaching the Law to the people is further elaborated, showing his dedication to restoring the spiritual life of the community.

Sermons

Ezra's Commission from Artaxerxes	J.A. Macdonald	Ezra 7:11-26
Pagan Piety	W. Clarkson	Ezra 7:11-26
The Commission of Artaxerxes	William Jones.	Ezra 7:11-27
The Office and Duty of the Civil Magistrate	Philoclesius.	Ezra 7:11-27

People

Aaron, Abishua, Ahitub, Amariah, Artaxerxes, Azariah, Bukki, Eleazar, Ezra, Hilkiah, Israelites, Levites, Meraioth, Phinehas, Seraiah, Shallum, Uzzi, Zadok, Zerahiah

Places

Babylonia, Beyond the River, Jerusalem, Persia

Topics

Articles, Deliver, Entrusted, Full, Jerusalem, Perfect, Service, Temple, Uses, Utensils, Vessels, Worship

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Ezra 7:1-21

7464 teachers of the law

Ezra 7:12-20

7505 Jews, the

Library

Appendix. The Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament.
1. The Greek word Apocrypha, hidden, that is, hidden or secret books, was early applied by the fathers of the Christian church to anonymous or spurious books that falsely laid claim to be a part of the inspired word. By some, as Jerome, the term was extended to all the books incorporated by the Alexandrine Jews, in their Greek version, into the proper canon of the Old Testament, a few of which books, though not inspired, are undoubtedly genuine. Another designation of the books in question …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Reading the Law with Tears and Joy
'And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. 2. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. 3. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate, from the morning until midday, before …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Rome and Ephesus
Corinth as portrayed in the Epistles of Paul gives us our simplest and least contaminated picture of the Hellenic Christianity which regarded itself as the cult of the Lord Jesus, who offered salvation--immortality--to those initiated in his mysteries. It had obvious weaknesses in the eyes of Jewish Christians, even when they were as Hellenised as Paul, since it offered little reason for a higher standard of conduct than heathenism, and its personal eschatology left no real place for the resurrection …
Kirsopp Lake—Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity

Authorship of the Pentateuch.
The term Pentateuch is composed of the two Greek words, pente, five, and teuchos, which in later Alexandrine usage signified book. It denotes, therefore, the collection of five books; or, the five books of the law considered as a whole. 1. In our inquiries respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, we begin with the undisputed fact that it existed in its present form in the days of Christ and his apostles, and had so existed from the time of Ezra. When the translators of the Greek version, …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Brave Encouragements
'In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, 3. Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? 4. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

General Account of Jesus' Teaching.
^A Matt. IV. 17; ^B Mark I. 14, 15; ^C Luke IV. 14, 15. ^a 17 From that time Jesus began to preach [The time here indicated is that of John the Baptist's imprisonment and Jesus' return to Galilee. This time marked a new period in the public ministry of Jesus. Hitherto he had taught, but he now began to preach. When the voice of his messenger, John, was silenced, the King became his own herald. Paul quoted the Greeks as saying that preaching was "foolishness," but following the example here set by …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Formation and History of the Hebrew Canon.
1. The Greek word canon (originally a straight rod or pole, measuring-rod, then rule) denotes that collection of books which the churches receive as given by inspiration of God, and therefore as constituting for them a divine rule of faith and practice. To the books included in it the term canonical is applied. The Canon of the Old Testament, considered in reference to its constituent parts, was formed gradually; formed under divine superintendence by a process of growth extending through …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Historical Books.
1. In the Pentateuch we have the establishment of the Theocracy, with the preparatory and accompanying history pertaining to it. The province of the historical books is to unfold its practiced working, and to show how, under the divine superintendence and guidance, it accomplished the end for which it was given. They contain, therefore, primarily, a history of God's dealings with the covenant people under the economy which he had imposed upon them. They look at the course of human events on the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Influences that Gave Rise to the Priestly Laws and Histories
[Sidenote: Influences in the exile that produced written ceremonial laws] The Babylonian exile gave a great opportunity and incentive to the further development of written law. While the temple stood, the ceremonial rites and customs received constant illustration, and were transmitted directly from father to son in the priestly families. Hence, there was little need of writing them down. But when most of the priests were carried captive to Babylonia, as in 597 B.C., and ten years later the temple …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Ezra-Nehemiah
Some of the most complicated problems in Hebrew history as well as in the literary criticism of the Old Testament gather about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Apart from these books, all that we know of the origin and early history of Judaism is inferential. They are our only historical sources for that period; and if in them we have, as we seem to have, authentic memoirs, fragmentary though they be, written by the two men who, more than any other, gave permanent shape and direction to Judaism, then …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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