ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
Ezra 7:10 — Ezra's Resolution to Seek, Do, and Teach the Law
Ezra 7:10 presents a threefold resolution: to study the law of Jehovah, to practice it, and to teach it in Israel.
Escritura
- 10.Porque Esdras había preparado su corazón para inquirir la ley de Jehová y para cumplirla, y para enseñar en Israel sus estatutos y decretos.For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
Qué significa este pasaje
Ezra 7:10 is a parenthetical statement that explains the reason behind what was narrated in the preceding verses — Ezra's journey from Babylon to Jerusalem and the favorable outcome that met him there. The verse attributes the success of the journey to a prior decision Ezra had made: he had "set his heart" to engage with the law of Jehovah. The opening phrase thus functions as a theological hinge, linking Ezra's outward circumstances to an inward resolve.
The verse unfolds that resolve in three steps: first, to "seek the law of Jehovah" — an investigative, attentive engagement with God's revealed instruction; second, to "do it" — to put what is learned into obedient practice; third, to "teach in Israel statutes and ordinances" — to transmit the law's requirements to the community. The sequence deliberately moves from personal devotion to communal instruction, showing that study and obedience are the foundation for teaching.
By placing verse 10 between the account of the journey (verses 7–9) and the copy of the king's letter (verses 11–26), the verse frames Ezra's entire mission. His role as teacher is grounded in his study and practice, and the Persian commission that follows is the political framework within which this spiritual vocation will be carried out.
Contexto
Ezra 7 opens with an extended genealogy tracing Ezra back to Aaron the chief priest (verses 1–5), establishing his priestly credentials. Verse 6 highlights two qualifications: he was a "ready scribe in the law of Moses" and the king granted him all his request "according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him" — a phrase echoed in verse 9's description of the journey. Verse 10 then provides the inner motivation that explains why God's hand was upon him.
Verses 7–9 describe the four-month journey of returning exiles to Jerusalem, and verses 11–26 contain the text of Artaxerxes' royal decree commissioning Ezra. The verse note for chapter 7 observes that the leader's relationship with God's Word shapes the entire book, and verse 10 is where that theme is most explicitly stated.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is the threefold purpose of Ezra described in verse 10?
The verse describes three sequential actions: (1) to seek the law of Jehovah, which is attentive study; (2) to do it, which is obedient practice; and (3) to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances, which is passing the law on to the community. The order — study first, then practice, then teach — frames teaching as grounded in personal engagement with the law.
Why is verse 10 placed between the journey account and the king's letter?
In its surrounding context, verse 10 stands as a parenthetical explanation between the journey description (verses 7–9) and the copy of Artaxerxes' letter (verses 11–26). This placement links Ezra's outward success — the safe journey and the royal commission — to an inward resolve: his dedication to the law. The verse thus functions as the theological key to the entire chapter.
How does verse 10 connect to the opening verses of the chapter?
Verses 1–5 establish Ezra's priestly lineage, and verse 6 calls him a "ready scribe in the law of Moses" and notes that the king granted him all his request "according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him." Verse 10 explains the internal source of that divine favor: Ezra had "set his heart" to seek, do, and teach the law. The chapter's opening emphasis on priestly credentials is therefore completed by the educational and spiritual resolve described in verse 10.