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1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest: 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. 7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king. 8 And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. 11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellers, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellers have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: 17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 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. 19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which 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 speedily, 22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. 25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. 27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: 28 And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellers, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.
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[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:1-5
This Artaxerxes, under whom Ezra came up from Babylon to Jerusalem, Josephus believes to be Xerxes son of Darius, who reigned after him. Moreover, the books of the Chronicon hold that the successor of this same Xerxes, who also among them was called Artaxerxes, is designated here. Now Darius, under whom the temple was built, ruled thirty-six years; after him Xerxes ruled for twenty years; after him Artabanus ruled for seven months (which the chroniclers set down as a year); and after him Artaxerxes ruled for forty years.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 2.9
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:6
Now Ezra, who is called “a swift scribe in the law of Moses” for having restored the Law that had been destroyed, rewrote not only the Law but also, as the common tradition of our forebears holds, the whole sequence of sacred Scripture that had likewise been destroyed by fire, in accordance with the way that seemed to him to meet the needs of readers.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 2.9
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:6
After these words, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, etc. Josephus (Antiq. XIII, 5) considers this Artaxerxes, under whom Ezra ascended from Babylon to Jerusalem, to be Xerxes, the son of Darius, who reigned after him. Furthermore, the books of Chronicles believe that the successor of the same Xerxes, who is also called Artaxerxes by them, is here designated. Now Darius, under whom the temple was built, reigned thirty-six years; after him Xerxes reigned twenty years; after whom Artabanus for seven months, which chronographers count as a year; after whom Artaxerxes for forty years. Ezra, a swift scribe in the law of Moses, because he restored the law which had been consumed; not only the law but also, as common tradition of the elders says, he rewrote the entire series of sacred Scripture which had been equally consumed by fire, as he saw fitting for the readers. They say in this work, he added some words which he deemed appropriate; among which is this: "And there arose not a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face," etc. Words indeed which only one who lived long after Moses could say. And in the book of Samuel: "Formerly in Israel a man going to inquire of God would say, Come and let us go to the seer. For he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer" (1 Sam. IX). Moreover, he left untouched some entire volumes, which were once held among the people of Israel; of which now only the memory of the name remains in sacred Scripture; as it is said in the book of Numbers: "Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord" (Num. XXI). And in Joshua: "Is this not written in the book of Jashar?" (Jos. X). But also in the volume of Kings and Chronicles, the historical books of the prophets Ahijah the Shilonite, and Shemaiah, Iddo, and Nathan, as well as Isaiah, and Jehu the son of Hanani are mentioned (1 Kings XVI; 2 Chron. IX); concerning whom it is said that he wrote the book of the kings of Israel; and many others, of which it is said no traces can be found today. The Hebrews also report, and there is no doubt among them about this matter, that the same Ezra invented lighter letters against the names of those they had hitherto used, by which he swiftly restored such a great amount of books that had been consumed. Therefore he is known not only as a scribe but also as a swift scribe. However, the earlier letters remained with the Samaritans, with which they used to write the five books of Moses, which they alone had received from the sacred Scripture.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:7
And they ascended from the children of Israel, etc. Because on the first day of the first month he began to ascend from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, he says they came to Jerusalem by anticipation. Moreover, in the following he describes more fully in order how they came, and where they assembled their army. It should be noted that at the beginning of this volume it is written that they ascended from Babylon according to the promise of Cyrus, with leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua, of the sons of Judah and Benjamin with the priests and Levites, all whose spirits God had stirred. It is also added of them that they were of the captivity which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried to Babylon. However, here under the leadership of Ezra there is no mention of Judah and Benjamin, nor of those carried away by Nebuchadnezzar, but only of the children of Israel, and of the priests and Levites who went up with him. Whence it seems likely that those who were called back to Jerusalem at that time were from Judah and Benjamin, who had been carried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. But those who are now read to have been led back by Ezra were from the ten tribes, who were specially called Israel after the division; whom the kings of Assyria had long before the times of Nebuchadnezzar taken captive and made to dwell beyond the mountains of the Medes. Thus, for the most part, two tribes returned home and laboriously restored the temple. But the ten tribes, who had less care for the temple and religion, neglected to return to their homeland though commanded by the king, because with the empire of the Chaldeans destroyed, they lived freely under the kings of Persia, who favored their people. Yet, when they learned that the temple had been rebuilt and that the envy of the Samaritans was curbed, some of them finally consented to return home; although many remained there, whose descendants are said to still be detained in those parts today, serving the Persian nation. Just as often mentioned, Zerubbabel and Joshua designate the Lord and Savior, who by his grace releases the captivity of the human race and builds his own house in us by sanctifying and possessing us; so also Ezra, both priest and swift scribe, plainly announces the same Lord, who did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it (Matthew V). He could rightly be called a scribe of the law of God, or a swift scribe in the law of Moses, because he gave the law to Moses through an angel, he taught the holy prophets all truth by the grace of his Spirit, and as soon as he touched the minds of all the elect with his love, he kindled them to understand and do the will of God the Father. Hence, promising the grace of the New Testament, the prophet said: "And this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days," says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts" (Jeremiah XXXI, Hebrews XV). The psalmist beautifully remembers this scribe, saying: "My tongue is the pen of a swift-writing scribe" (Psalm XLIV). For the tongue of the prophet was the pen of a swift scribe; because what the Lord inwardly taught him by illuminating him without any delay, he himself declared outwardly to men in time by his tongue’s service. Ezra, whose name means helper, openly demonstrates this. He is indeed the one through whom alone the faithful people are usually introduced to be liberated from tribulations, and as if from Babylonian captivity to the freedom of Jerusalem, from the confusion of vices to the peace and serenity of virtues, advancing by the steps of merits. In the second psalm of Ascents (Anabathmon), he shouts to all who aim for the highest, showing by whom they should aim and reach: "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm CXX). Ezra also held this figure in his actions, when he led a considerable part of the people back from captivity to Jerusalem, and brought money and sacred vessels to the glory of his temple, purging the people from foreign wives with pontifical authority. All these things also indicate what has been or will be done by the Lord in the holy Church, which is clear to an educated reader; but we too will strive to make it apparent even to simpler people. For just as Ezra ascended from Babylon, and with him the children of Israel, and the sons of priests and Levites; this signifies the pious dispensation of our Redeemer, who appearing in the flesh entered the confusion of this world, himself free from the confusion of vices, to lead us back with him, freed from all confusion, to the tranquility of heavenly peace; whose pledge of eternal peace we have received in the present Church, as the Lord says: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” (John XIV); that is, I leave temporary peace to those traveling on earth, I give eternal peace to those reaching the heavenly homeland. It is also blessed that he began to ascend from Babylon in the first month, and came to Jerusalem in the fifth month with the sons of the captivity whom he led. For the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem is completed in four months; because through the four books of the holy Gospel, we learn the faith and sacraments of truth, by which we ought to ascend from the captivity of the ancient enemy, led by the Lord, to the freedom of the glory of the sons of God. In the same four books are contained the commandments of works, by whose as it were daily steps we can reach the promised heights. Nor was it without the figure of mystery that on the first day of the month he began to ascend from Babylon, and again on the first day of the month he came to Jerusalem; for the beginning of the month, in which the moon is believed to borrow new light from the sun, designates the new beginning of heavenly grace. And fittingly Ezra ascended from Babylon on the first day of the first month with those he saved from captivity; because the beginning of a holy way of life, in which we renounce Satan and his kingdom, is brought about in us by the illumination of divine grace. Also, he came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for this too is not done by the freedom of our will, but by the inspiration of heavenly light, that, having heard the oracles of the Gospel, we are incorporated into the members of the holy Church. A noble and healthy custom in the Church, grown from the teaching of the fathers, is that those who are catechized should have the sacrament of the four Gospels explained to them, and their beginnings be recited. Again on the first day of the fifth month, he came with those who had been freed from their enemies, to Jerusalem; because when we enter the heavenly kingdom, having completed the precepts of the four holy Gospels, we celebrate as it were the new beginning of the month, because we already see the joys of the new light in the Sun of righteousness, and after the four months of luminous action, as a pilgrim in the way of life, we celebrate the fifth month of perpetual reward in the light of the heavenly homeland.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:7-10
By his name too, which means “helper,” Ezra openly stands for the Lord. For it is he by whom alone the people of the faithful are constantly liberated from tribulations and, as though from captivity in Babylon to freedom in Jerusalem, are brought from the “confusion” of the vices to the “peace” and serenity of the virtues as they advance by the steps of meritorious deeds. In the second psalm of the same anabathmoi [i.e., of the Ascents], the psalmist proclaims to all those who strive for the highest under whose leadership they ought to strive to attain it when he suggests, “My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” In his actions, too, Ezra was a figure of the Lord, since Ezra led back no small portion of the people from the captivity to Jerusalem and at the same time conveyed money and vessels consecrated to God for the glory of his temple; and through his pontifical authority he purged these people of their foreign wives. What all this suggests with regard to what is done or is going to be done in the church by the Lord is clear to the learned reader, but we will take pains to make them accessible to the less learned as well. For the fact that Ezra goes up from Babylon, and some of the children of Israel and descendants of the priests and the Levites go up with him. This signifies the merciful provision of our Redeemer by which, appearing in the flesh, he entered into the “confusion” of this world though he himself was free from the confusion of sins so that, when he returned, he might free us from all “confusion” and lead us with him into the restfulness of celestial “peace.”

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 2.9
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:9
And on the first day of the fifth month, he came to Jerusalem, etc. That is to say, he was confirmed by divine grace and protection, because he was completing a successful journey. Likewise, in the mystical sense, the mediator of God and men, according to the good hand of his God upon him, that is, according to the disposition of divine power, which was in him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (II Cor. V). Indeed, that hand was over him, according to the fact that he was made man. Hence he said: The Father is greater than I (John XIV). For greater is the divinity, not only of the Father but also of Christ Himself, and of the Holy Spirit, which is one. By that same hand of divine power, exalted in passion, he ascended to the walls of the heavenly city, showing this ascent path to his followers who humbly follow him.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had prepared his heart, etc. Oh, what great virtue of this saying, what sublimity of merit, for a man to prepare his heart for the obedience of the divine will, and to be able to say: "My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready; I will sing, and I will chant a psalm to the Lord" (Psalm LVI)! That is, I will exult in the Lord with my whole soul, and I will accomplish in the execution of works what has been commanded by Him. Therefore, he prepared his heart to investigate and rewrite the law of the Lord, which the devouring flame had consumed. He also prepared so that he himself might first fulfill this by doing, and thus open his mouth to teach others. This can similarly be understood of the Lord Jesus; for He prepared His heart to investigate the law of the Lord, as He divinely provided for Himself a man He would take up, who would not only be without sin but also full of grace and truth, because with no law of sin conflicting in Him, He would keep the law of God without any contradiction of mind or flesh. Hence, He says in the Psalm: “In the volume of the book it is written of me: I desired to do your will, O my God, and your law is in the midst of my heart” (Psalm XXXIX). Likewise, the Lord investigated the law of God, because, setting aside the traditions of the Pharisees, He taught how the Holy Scripture was to be understood mystically, what spiritual secrets were hidden under the cover of the letter; because He showed that the decrees of the Gospel, which He brought to the world, were more perfect, more acceptable to God the Father, than those He had previously sent through Moses. Hence, He Himself says: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy': but I say to you, love your enemies;" and so forth.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:11
This is a copy of the letter of the edict, etc. Artaxerxes, who with the most devoted mind venerates the temple and the priests of God according to his ability, and offers prompt service to him, indicates the Christian princes, just as his predecessor Darius did. And it is not surprising if we say that the successors of Cyrus, who built the temple of the Lord and the city, who loved and helped his servants and law, bear the figure of the kings of Christians, since the Lord himself through the prophet said that Cyrus comes as a figure of his son, and deigned to honor him with that name, saying: This says the Lord to my Christ Cyrus (Isa. XLV); and the rest which we have more fully set forth above about him.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:11-26
This Artaxerxes, who in his own way pays homage to God’s temple and priests with a most devout mind and offers willing service to him, like his predecessor Darius signifies Christian rulers. Nor should one marvel if we have said that the successors of Cyrus, who caused the Lord’s temple and city to be built, who loved and assisted his servants and law, contain a figure of Christian kings, since the Lord himself said through the prophet that Cyrus came as a figure of his own Son and deigned that Cyrus should be honored through his name: “Thus the Lord says to my anointed Cyrus,” and the other things about him that we have spoken about more extensively above.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 2.9
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:12
King of kings Artaxerxes to Ezra the priest, etc. He names him the most learned scribe of the law of the God of heaven, because even to the king himself the fame of divine virtue had reached, through which he had renewed the Law, burned by the Chaldeans, in the same words as before, although in a different character of letters. He also names the God of heaven, to distinguish from those whom he knew that the foolish madness of wretches had instituted among dead men, or certainly some. I beseech, however, that it may not be burdensome to the reader to briefly run through the text of the letter, and to see how much it fits the persons of Christian kings.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:13
From me a decree has been made, etc. He grants permission to all who wish to go to Jerusalem, he compels no one to go: and Christian princes, compelling no one, lest the will of faith be uncertain or doubtful, permit all who are pleased from their kingdom to worship Christ.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:14
For you have been sent from the presence of the king and his seven advisors, etc. And in the book of Esther, we read that it was the custom of the Persian kings to use the counsel of seven wise men in all matters to be done or decided. The faithful use seven advisors when in all things they do, they follow the precepts and decrees of the divine Scriptures. Of which the Psalmist says: The words of the Lord are pure words, silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times (Psal. XI). This is perfected by the holy sevenfold illumination of the Spirit. But if anyone finds it incongruent that something good could be figured in the holy Church from the advisors of that Persian king by whom the people and prophet of the Lord are released from captivity and sent back to their homeland, let them read the small works of the Fathers, who figuratively said that the holy actions of our Redeemer were designed through the actions or cases of reprobate kings Saul and Jeconiah: namely, Saul anointed as king but killed due to his own crimes, interpreted as the innocent death of King Christ: and Jeconiah's translation from Judah to Bethlehem, which he held due to his sins, relating typologically to the grace of our Redeemer, by which He deemed it worthy to migrate for the salvation of nations around the world, leaving the Jews behind due to their perfidy. They taught that the actions or deeds of Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar should be understood typologically in relation to the enemies of the Church. For example, Pharaoh commanded the male infants of God's people to be killed in the river, but to spare the females; because the devil desires to extinguish strength in us and nurture what is frail and weak. Likewise, Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the peoples subject to him to bow down and worship his statue upon hearing the sound of symphony and music. And the devil strives to bend the hearts of mankind away from righteousness through the allure of earthly pomp and toward following desire, which is the servitude of idols, deceiving their hearts. Therefore, if the evil deeds of the reprobate happened as a figure not only of evil but also of good, why could not the good deeds or words of the good, contained in the prophetic volume, prefigure the good acts of their followers? Also, let us consider the works of Saint Augustine, who said that even the seven men of one woman who died without children, about whom the Sadducees, denying the resurrection, tempted the Lord, have a certain figure of ecclesiastical sacrament, as well as the woman, her sterility, and death. He also taught that the deaths of those same men were figures of memorable things since neither the Lord Himself nor any of the evangelists narrated this story from their own perspective; but the evangelists included in their writings what the impious had spoken against the Lord with blasphemous lips because of the most sacred response of the Lord. Thus, Ezra is sent from the presence of the king and his seven advisors to visit Judea and Jerusalem. And since the leaders of the world have been converted to faith and are also strengthened by the exhortations of the holy Scriptures, they desire Christ the Lord to come to save His Church and to gather from the nations through daily aid, which the name Ezra signifies, shouting earnestly: O Lord God of hosts, come back, look down from heaven, and see and visit this vine (Psal. LXXIX). That You may visit, he says, Judea and Jerusalem in the law of Your God, which is in your hand. For the law of God was in Ezra's hand; since he not only preached it with his tongue but fulfilled it in action. Likewise, our Lord, appearing in the flesh, had the law in His hand, not only because He followed the precepts of the law in all things but also because He had the decrees of the law in power; and truly He once established it through Moses as He willed, and now He changes it as He wills and transfers it to more perfect things. Hence He said: You have heard that it was said to the ancients, but I say to you. And it is remarkable how the word, which the prophets used, is found in the letter of Artaxerxes, stating that the law of God is in the hand of His servant. For it is written: The word of the Lord came through the hand of Haggai the prophet; and the Lord did what He spoke through the hand of His servant Elijah; and, The Lord bore witness in Israel and in Judah through the hand of all the prophets (Haggai I). For indeed the prophets not only preached the things of God by speaking but also by acting.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:15
And to bring silver and gold, etc. Note the faith and wisdom of the king and his counselors, who understood that the gifts they wished to offer to the Lord should be offered through him who had the law of God in his hand, that is, fulfilled it in deeds. It is wondrous to say, how faithfully and learnedly the king declares that he has a tabernacle in Jerusalem, whom he previously called the God of heaven; for we are accustomed to use a tabernacle on a journey, and the God of heaven has a tabernacle in Jerusalem; because he who has an eternal seat in the heavens deigns to dwell for a time with the saints who are on pilgrimage in this Church. Hence that passage of Revelation, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men" (Rev. 21). Indeed, because the blessed Ezra represented not only the preachers of the holy Church, among whom he was one, but also the Lord Savior, to whose members he belonged, it is as if we offer our gifts through him, whose help we need in all things, so that the good works we do may be acceptable to God the Father. For no one, he says, comes to the Father except through me (John 6). And concerning him, John says, "He is the atonement for our sins" (1 John 2).

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:19
And all the silver and gold whatsoever you find, etc. The story is clear, that for this reason the king and his counselors gave money to Ezra to be carried to the temple of the Lord, and they also desired others to give, so that sacrifices, and offerings, and libations might be bought from this money, which would be offered upon the altar of God: and if any money remained, it would be distributed not otherwise than according to the will of God. And it should also be noted here, when he mentions the priests offering in the house of their God, he clearly teaches that even if some of the priests and Levites had ascended to Jerusalem with Ezra, nevertheless some still remained in Babylon with the rest of their people. The allegorical sense is also clear, because the faithful desire their good works to shine in the holy Church for this reason, so that through these they may also merit to have a part with the saints, and others may be edified by their examples. For just as our sacrifices, libations, and offerings of silver and gold are made to offer to the Lord, so too, by the shining example of our works, our neighbors are converted to the duty of piety, by which they too, living well, may be consecrated to the Lord. But if any silver and gold were left over, from which offerings could not be bought, this too was ordered to be arranged according to the will and pleasure of God. For there are certain magnificent virtues of the saints which cannot be shown to everyone as an example of work, but are only recited to glorify the grace of God; as is the case where Daniel and Jeremiah prophesied as children, that John was not yet born, that Cornelius with his household, not yet baptized, received the Holy Spirit, and numerous miracles of the saints shine like silver and gold in the house of the Lord; yet from the same silver or gold, offerings to be placed upon the altar cannot be bought; because when we hear of such things, we ought indeed to marvel at them as divine, but we are not able to imitate them as if they were possible. Sacrifices, however, were properly called those which were offered from the fruits of the earth, such as bread, fine flour, ears of corn; libations, however, were those which were made from wine and liquid things.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:19
The vessels also which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, etc. Not only silver and gold of various weights, but also vessels are given to Ezra to be carried to Jerusalem. But our Lord in a figurative sense, namely Ezra, entrusted the vessels which are given to him by men, such as the vessel of election Paul, and of which he speaks, the vessels of mercy, he has delivered all in the sight of God the Father in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rom. IX). Regarding these vessels, he speaks in the Gospel: "Or how can anyone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house" (Mark III). For the king of Babylon was strong, that is, the devil dominantly ruling over the wicked; but defeated and bound by the Lord, he lost the vessels, that is, the hearts of the elect, which he unjustly possessed. Neither could he contradict the one who took these away and brought them back to the heavenly city, to which they originally belonged.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:21
And by me, I, King Artaxerxes, have ordained and decreed, etc. And Christian rulers command all who are subject to them to promptly give whatever the Lord and our high priest asks of them, without any delay or reservation, but swiftly fulfill the commands of the divine will. Let them give gold in the confession of true faith, wheat in the demonstration of good works, wine in the fervor of love, oil in the exhibition and cheerfulness of mercy. And all these are commanded to be given to the great priest and the scribe of the law of the God of heaven under a number of one hundred; that is, to the Lord Jesus Christ, who bringing the heavenly mandates from the Father to us, has promised rewards in the Father's house to those who follow heavenly pursuits; and we ought to insist on no other actions than those of good works rewarded by the grace of heaven. For the number one hundred, which in the counting of fingers moves from the left to the right hand, usually signifies the joys that are in the right hand, that is, in eternal life. Moreover, it is said that the talent has a measure of three kinds: the least being fifty pounds; the medium seventy-two pounds; the highest one hundred twenty pounds; a chorus being thirty measures, and a bath, which is also an ephah, being a tenth part of a chorus, that is, three measures.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:22
But salt without measure. Everything that pertains to the rite, etc. It is agreed by all that salt signifies wisdom, whence in common speech dull-witted people are called tasteless; but it matters what kind of salt it is. For the Lord also commanded that in every sacrifice salt be offered (Levit. II), and in the Gospel He says: Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another (Mark IX). Nor is it in vain that David is read to have struck the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, because surely we are commanded to offer the salt of heavenly wisdom, by which catechumens are initiated, in all our works' sacrifices. David indeed strikes the Salt Pans of the valleys with their inhabitants, as Christ destroys weak and worldly wisdom along with its followers. Hence it is well ordered now that salt be given diligently without measure in the house of the God of heaven; because it is surely necessary that whatever wisdom anyone has, they should exhibit it all in service to their Creator. And it is to be recalled that the Samaritans, writing to another Artaxerxes, were said to have mentioned the salt they had eaten in the palace, and therefore could not tolerate that the temple and the city of God be built against his interests. But now here Artaxerxes commands all the guardians of the public treasury, among other donations, to give their salt to the house of the God of heaven as much as is needed. For it is recognized there that heretics sometimes are emboldened to attack the Church with the deceitful taste of human wisdom. But here it is implied that those converted to the faith at the same time as wisdom often assist that very faith through the discipline of the same secular wisdom, as they more powerfully conquer its adversaries through it.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:24
And we make known to you concerning all the priests, etc. This privilege, by which priests, Levites, and the other ministers of the house of God are rendered free from taxes, is clearly shown, in that the rest of the people of the children of Israel, upon arriving in the homeland, paid tribute to the king. This is known to be done by the king with well-considered provision, so that those who were always occupied in divine service might be free from their servitude; and those who possessed nothing of their own on earth, but lived from the tithes of the people, from these no one should demand the payment of tributes. From all these things, it is most clearly proven that the king not only loved, but also very well learned what the worship of divine service required.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:25
But you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, etc. The king repeats the word he had spoken and confirms the truth he had recognized with a repeated statement. For previously, he had said that the law of that very God was in the hand of Ezra. Now, however, he says, the wisdom of his God is in his hand. Because, indeed, the wisdom is the law of God, as the Psalmist says: "The mouth of the righteous will meditate on wisdom, and his tongue will speak of judgment. The law of his God is in his heart" (Psalm 36). And the righteous has the law of God and wisdom in his hand, while in all that he does and speaks, he shows himself to be mindful of the divine will. Therefore, the sense of the letter is clear, and the spiritual understanding is clear, that evidently our Lord and Savior has the wisdom of God in his hand. For He is the power of God and the wisdom of God, by whose sole authority it is to appoint judges and overseers of the Churches, who judge all things according to His will and preach His faith to the unlearned throughout the world. And everyone who despises the decrees of His law will be punished according to their own error, either by present punishment or future justice. Therefore, Artaxerxes, writing to Ezra and expressing in writing the love he had for religious worship, clearly manifested what Christian kings, devoted in future times, would do concerning the faith of the truth. Hence, we have briefly taken care to recall his letter, leaving out certain parts, so that the reader might understand how much it concords with the deeds which Christian princes have done for the peace of the holy Church with the revealed grace of the Gospel. Indeed, we can figuratively refer the person of Ezra not only to the Lord Christ but also to any overseer or teacher of the Church; to whom often kings and princes have sent letters for the status of the faithful. And fittingly Ezra himself, to whom this letter was given, subsequently bursts forth in praise of God, saying:

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:27-8:14
“These are their family heads, and this is the genealogy of those who went up with me from Babylonia, in the reign of King Artaxerxes: Of the descendants of Phinehas, Gershom,” and so on until the end of the genealogy. He carefully enumerates the leaders who came up with him from Babylon and unfolds their genealogy. He takes pains, too, to add their total, which reached 1,440, to suggest that the names of those who come up from the “confusion” of this world are contained in the book of life of the Lamb. But also all teachers [i.e., the heads of the families] of God’s people receive increases in their eternal reward commensurate with the number of souls they have acquired for the Lord, according to that parable in the Gospel wherein the good and wise servant said, “Master, your pound has earned ten pounds,” and the master replied, “Take charge of ten cities,” which is to say, “appear more glorious in the heavenly kingdom because of the life of those whom you have taught.”

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah 2.10
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:27
Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, etc. And who would doubt to confess His holy and mystical words, which the prophet, divinely inspired, recounts, by whom he also affirms the house of the Lord to be glorified?

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah
[AD 735] Bede on Ezra 7:28
And I, strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God, etc. He calls the hand of God the power of God, which works all things. Rightly does he gather those whom he will lead from Babylon to Jerusalem, who themselves are known to have the hand of God, by which they are strengthened. Because indeed, thus anyone becomes fit to bring others to God through his teaching, while first he himself is inwardly strengthened in his mind by God's grace against all things that impede the holy work.

Source: Commentary on Ezra and Nehemiah