Meaning of the Name Ezra
Ezra is commonly linked to a Hebrew root conveying the idea of "help." Some scholars also think it may be a shortened form of a longer theophoric name. That second suggestion is not certain, but the core semantic field of the name is generally understood around help and support.
Origin
The name Ezra is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Ezra in the Bible?
Ezra is the prominent priest and scribe of the post-exilic period. He comes to Jerusalem in the Persian era, teaches the law of Moses to the people, and plays a major role in reorganizing the community's religious life. Other figures with the name appear in lists, but the best-known bearer is the leader in the book of Ezra.
The story of Ezra in the Bible
Ezra was the priest and scribe who played a leading part in reshaping the community of Israel after the Babylonian exile. A descendant of Aaron and a scholar skilled in the Law of Moses, he came from Babylon to Jerusalem in the reign of the Persian king Artaxerxes, and the book notes that the hand of his God was upon him. Ezra had set his heart on studying the LORD's Law, living it out, and teaching it in Israel. He led a company of exiles back with him, and when he found that the people had intermarried with the surrounding peoples and drifted from the Law, he mourned deeply, prayed a heartfelt prayer of repentance on their behalf, and led the community to recommit itself to the LORD. He appears again in Nehemiah, reading the Book of the Law to the assembly by the Water Gate from morning till noon while the Levites explained it; the people first wept, then celebrated with joy at understanding the words.
Is Ezra mentioned in the Quran?
The name Ezra does not appear in that form in the Quran, though Uzair, who is mentioned in the Quran, is commonly identified with Ezra in Islamic tradition; in the Bible, Ezra is the priest and scribe of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah who taught the Law to the post-exilic community.
Verses where Ezra appears
- Ezra 7:6 —
this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Yahweh 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 in Israel statutes and ordinances.
- Nehemiah 8:1 —
All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate; and they spoke to Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which Yahweh had commanded to Israel.