Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezra 7:18
And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
18. (ii) General purposes.
that do after the will of your God ] R.V. that do ye after &c. The command is given to Ezra and his brethren, i.e. the priests. They who disposed of the money expended upon the sacrifices, were to determine as to the disposition of the remainder.
the will of your God ] with reference here to the Law.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 18. After the will of your God] He gave them the fullest liberty to order every thing according to their own institutions, binding them to no form or mode of worship.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren,…. The priests, that he should think fit to take in to his assistance in this work:
to do with the rest of the silver and gold; which should be left after the sacrifices were offered up:
that do after the will of your God; as they should be directed by him, or was prescribed by him in the law.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(18) The rest . . .This clause of large latitude would be of great importance for the general beautify. ing of the Temple (Ezr. 7:27).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Ezr 7:18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
Ver. 18. And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, &c. ] The king knew them to be faithful and wise stewards (such as Hanani was, Neh 7:2 ), and, therefore, leaveth much of the money to be bestowed as they pleased.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Ezr 7:18-22
Ezr 7:18-22
INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING THE MONEY
“And whatsoever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do ye after the will of your God. And the vessels that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, deliver thee before the God of Jerusalem. And whatsover more may be needed for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure-house. And I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers that are beyond the River, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence, unto a hundred talents of silver, and to a hundred measures of wheat, and to a hundred baths of wine, and to a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.”
“Whatsoever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren” (Ezr 7:18). This commission to Ezra was about as near a blank check with unlimited authority as any king ever granted. It exhibits the utmost confidence and trust in Ezra by Artaxerxes. The only limit imposed here is that of the maximum withdrawals in Ezr 7:22. “The surplus was actually used in beautifying the temple, as indicated in Ezr 7:27.”
“The king’s treasure-house” (Ezr 7:20). This is a reference to the sub-treasury of the satrapy of Syria, which included all of the territory beyond the River, the resources of which were made available to Ezra up to the limits indicated in Ezr 7:22.
“A hundred talents of silver” (Ezr 7:22). Some critics have cited this as an exaggeration, based upon their claim that the whole revenue of the province beyond the River was only 350 talents of silver; and even Williamson stated that this amount, “seemed disproportionate.” However, the amount seems reasonable to this writer. “A talent of silver weighed 75 pounds,” and that is only seven pounds above the weight of one thousand silver dollars; and a hundred talents would therefore have amounted to only a little more than $100,000.00, which to this writer appears as a rather insignificant amount as it would have been considered in the treasury of a king.
E.M. Zerr:
Ezr 7:18. After obtaining all the animals that could be used in the temple, there might be a surplus of the money. The brethren of Ezra were authorized to join with him in deciding what to do with this surplus.
Ezr 7:19. Some of the citizens would donate vessels of various kinds, who did not have money to give. All such were to be appropriated to the service. God of Jerusalem means the same as was explained in verse 15.
Ezr 7:20. Even all of the sources mentioned for obtaining materials for the service of the God of Jerusalem might be insufficient to supply the demand. In that case Ezra was authorized to draw on the royal treasury for the needed funds.
Ezr 7:21. The second grade officers of Artaxerxes were given the direct order so they would not have to rely solely on the word of Ezra. It would not be a small matter to open up the treasuries of the great king of Persia for the benefit of a former captive. The decree, therefore, was very opportune.
Ezr 7:22. Even the details were taken care of. Some of the treasurers might be willing to give over to Ezra a part of the money, but not enough for the work. The order means, then, that whatever Ezra called for was to be given him, up to the amount stipulated. And no limit was placed on the amount of salt to be given. It might be wondered why salt would even be mentioned in connection with the services about the temple. Let the reader see Lev 2:13 and he will learn that salt was a part of the offerings made from grain, and grain has been mentioned in this verse.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
whatsoever: 2Ki 12:15, 2Ki 22:7
that do: Ezr 7:26, Eph 5:17
after the will: He gave them the fullest liberty to order every thing according to their own institutions; binding them to no form or mode of worship.
Reciprocal: Ezr 7:23 – Whatsoever is commanded
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7:18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your {k} God.
(k) As you know best may serve to God’s glory.