Protos

Who was Ezra in the Bible?

Priest, during the exile and the return

Ezra was a prominent Jewish priest and scribe who lived during the Persian period. Ezra appears in 21 verses across 2 books of the Bible.

Ezra Reads the Law to the People
Ezra Reads the Law to the People · Gustave Doré, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What does the Bible say about Ezra?

Ezra was a prominent Jewish priest and scribe who lived during the Persian period. He was a descendant of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel (Ezr.7.1-5). Ezra was known for his devotion to the study and teaching of the Law of Moses (Ezr.7.6, 10). He led a group of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes of Persia (Ezr.7.7-8). Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Ezra discovered that many of the Jews, including priests and Levites, had intermarried with the pagan peoples of the land (Ezr.9.1-2). Ezra prayed and confessed the sins of the people, leading to a spiritual reformation and the dissolution of the mixed marriages (Ezra 10). Ezra also played a significant role in teaching the Law to the people and leading them in a covenant renewal ceremony (Nehemiah 8). He worked closely with Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, in rebuilding Jerusalem and restoring the spiritual life of the Jewish community (Neh.12.26, 36).

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Ezra appear in the Bible?

Ezra is referenced in 21 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Ezra 13Nehemiah 8

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Ezra.

ArtaxerxesScribeWomenMosesEuphratesLevites

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Ezra?

Ezra appears in 21 verses across 2 books, most often in Ezra, which accounts for 13 of them.

Which books of the Bible mention Ezra?

Ezra, Nehemiah.

Where can I read every verse about Ezra?

This page lists 21 of them. Protos carries all 21, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Nehemiah with Ezra explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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