1 esdras 8:6 - in the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes, in the fifth month, this was the king’s seventh year; for they went from Babylon on the new moon of the first month, and came to Jerusalem, according to the prosperous journey which the Lord gave them for his sake.

Generated Verse: 1 esdras 8:6

What does "1 esdras 8:6" mean?


1 Esdras 8:6 (which corresponds to Ezra 7:8-9 in the canonical Book of Ezra) describes the arrival of Ezra and a group of Jewish exiles in Jerusalem. Let's break down the meaning:

"In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes..." This establishes the timeline. It refers to Artaxerxes I (Longimanus), the Persian king who reigned from 465-424 BCE. The seventh year of his reign would be approximately 458 BCE. This is a crucial historical marker for dating Ezra's mission.

"...in the fifth month..." This refers to the Jewish month of Av (approximately July/August in the Gregorian calendar).

"...this was the king’s seventh year; for they went from Babylon on the new moon of the first month..." This reiterates the year (Artaxerxes' seventh year) for emphasis and clarifies the timing of their journey. The new moon of the first month (Nisan, approximately March/April) marks the beginning of their departure from Babylon.

"...and came to Jerusalem, according to the prosperous journey which the Lord gave them for his sake." This highlights the successful completion of their journey to Jerusalem, spanning about four months. The verse emphasizes that this success was attributed to divine favor, "the prosperous journey which the Lord gave them for his sake". This implies that their mission (likely religious reforms) was pleasing to God, and he enabled their safe and successful arrival. The phrase "for his sake" means that the successful journey was facilitated by God for the sake of the exiles and their return to religious observance in Jerusalem.

In summary, the verse describes the successful arrival of Ezra and his group in Jerusalem in the fifth month (Av) of Artaxerxes' seventh year. The text attributes their safe and prosperous journey to God's favor.

What categories does "1 esdras 8:6" have?