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Biblical History Atlas

Historical event dossier · Political, Religious

Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra in his seventh year (Ezra 7)

Researched — not human reviewedRevision 2Last reviewed: not reviewed

Human review pending. 1 item from this dossier is awaiting the project owner's review: “Disputed: was Ezra's king Artaxerxes I (458 BC, before Nehemiah), a later Artaxerxes (after Nehemiah; Batten), or Xerxes (Josephus)?” (queued 2026-10-13, status open). All classifications on this page are machine-proposed unless marked otherwise. Review happens offline. This site has no review controls.

Biblical references

Text: World English Bible (public domain). The ESV and NKJV are the preferred study translations and are referenced, not reproduced.

Ezra 7:1–6Narration
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. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the LORD his God’s hand on him.

Ezra and the king's grant.

Ezra 7:11–28Narration
11 Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the LORD’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel: 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the perfect God of heaven. Now 13 I make a decree that all those of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you. 14 Because you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand, 15 and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 and all the silver and gold that you will find in all the province of Babylon, with the free will offering of the people and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem. 17 Therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs with their meal offerings and their drink offerings, and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that according to the will of your God. 19 The vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver before the God of Jerusalem. 20 Whatever more will be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to give, give it out of the king’s treasure house. 21 I, even I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires of you, it shall be done with all diligence, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, and to one hundred cors of wheat, and to one hundred baths of wine, and to one hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done exactly 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 inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or laborers of this house of God. 25 You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people who are beyond the River, who all know the laws of your God; and teach him who doesn’t know them. 26 Whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him with all diligence, whether it is to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. 27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the LORD’s house which is in Jerusalem; 28 and has extended loving kindness to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. I was strengthened according to the LORD my God’s hand on me, and I gathered together chief men out of Israel to go up with me.

The Aramaic letter and Ezra's blessing.

Biblical account

Layer: Biblical text

Artaxerxes' letter authorises Ezra, priest and scribe, to go up with any Israelites who wish, to carry silver and gold for the Temple, to draw on the provincial treasury, and to appoint magistrates and judges who know the law of God.

Historical overview

Layer: Historical reconstruction · Period: Achaemenid Persian rule over Judah

Artaxerxes I acceded in late 465/early 464 (Elephantine papyrus Cowley 6); his seventh Babylonian year began 8 Apr 458 and its fifth month (Ab) on 4 Aug 458. Driver notes that the decree says nothing about rebuilding Jerusalem.[1, 2]

Kingdoms: Achaemenid Persian Empire, Kingdom of Judah

Date and chronology derivation

Ranges are computed by the project's deterministic chronology engine from the biblical statements and each model's reign anchors. They are reconstructions, not independent dates.

459 BC – 457 BC

Model-independent (applies under every chronology model) · precision: undated

How this range was derived

Earliest bound

  1. “went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king” — Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra in his seventh year (Ezra 7) in regnal year reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (year 7) [reckoned accession, nisan new year] (Ezra 7:7–9)[1, 3]Assumption: Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 = Artaxerxes I (the majority view among sources read; Newton reports Funccius placing Ezra under Artaxerxes II). Nisan reckoning: year 7 began 1 Nisan = 8 Apr 458; Ezra arrived 1 Ab = 4 Aug 458 (Parker & Dubberstein table).

Latest bound

  1. “He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king” — Ezra's caravan from the Ahava to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7–10; 8) in regnal year reign of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (year 7) [reckoned accession, nisan new year] (Ezra 7:8)Assumption: As on the decree event: the king is taken as Artaxerxes I (disputed; see the claim on the decree event). Babylonian reckoning: year 7 began 8 April 458 (Parker & Dubberstein).
  2. “Blessed be the LORD … who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart … I gathered together chief men of Israel to go up with me” — Ezra's caravan from the Ahava to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7–10; 8) after Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra in his seventh year (Ezra 7) (Ezra 7:27–28)

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What else was happening? (model-independent)

  • Daniel's refusal of the king's food and the ten-day test (Dan 1:8–16): 606 BC – ?
  • Nebuchadnezzar's golden image on the plain of Dura (Dan 3:1–7): 603 BC – ?
  • Nebuchadnezzar's decree honouring the God of the three Judeans (Dan 3:28–30): 603 BC – ?
  • The refusal of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace (Dan 3:8–27): 603 BC – ?
  • The thirty-day decree and Daniel in the lions' den (Dan 6:4–23): 539 BC – ?
  • Darius appoints 120 satraps and three chief officials (Dan 6:1–3, 28): 539 BC – ?
  • The accusers punished; Darius's decree honouring the God of Daniel (Dan 6:24–27): 539 BC – ?
  • Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) (reign): 465 BC – 423 BC
  • Gedaliah governs from Mizpah and is assassinated (2 Kgs 25:22–26): 589 BC – ?
  • Accusations to Ahasuerus and the Rehum–Shimshai letter to Artaxerxes; the city's rebuilding stopped (Ezra 4:6–23): 537 BC – ?
  • Ezra's caravan from the Ahava to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:7–10; 8): 459 BC – 457 BC
  • The mixed-marriages crisis: Ezra's confession, the assembly in the rain (20/IX) and the commission (Ezra 9–10): 459 BC – 457 BC
  • The first "burden" of Zechariah 9–11 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
  • The second "burden" of Zechariah 12–14 (undated oracle collection): 518 BC – ?
  • Malachi's disputations with priests and people (Mal 1–4; undated, mid-fifth century BC): 465 BC – 423 BC
  • The institution of Purim; Mordecai second to the king (Esth 9:20–10:3): 474 BC – ?

Ancient and modern geography

Location confidence assumes the event as described. Whether it occurred is assessed in the claims below.

PlaceConnection to this eventLocation identification
JerusalemJerusalem (Old City / City of David)Object of the decreeLocation confidence: certainPleiades representative point: certain[4]

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Claims, evidence and classifications

Each claim is classified on its own. A classification describes the evidence for that specific claim, not for the event as a whole.

Ezra's journey (1 Nisan – 1 Ab of Artaxerxes' seventh year) fell between 8 April and 4 August 458 BC.

Historically plausibleMachine-proposedHistorical reconstruction

If the king is Artaxerxes I and years are counted from Nisan, Parker & Dubberstein's table gives these dates. Both assumptions are common but not proven: Newton reports a view placing Ezra under Artaxerxes II, and Miller counts the decree as 457.

Supporting

  • 1 Nisan = 8 Apr 458; month V begins 4 Aug 458.[1]Strength: direct·Artaxerxes I table, year 7·Claim checked

Context

  • Ezra's seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus = Ol. 80.3, Julian Period 4257; mentions Funccius placing Ezra under Artaxerxes Mnemon.[3]Strength: indirect·ch. 10·Claim checked

Limitations of this classification: Identity of Artaxerxes not independently established.

Research date 2026-10-13

The "Artaxerxes" of Ezra 7 is Artaxerxes I, so that Ezra came to Jerusalem in 458 BC, before Nehemiah.

DisputedOwner review pendingHistorical reconstructionIn owner review queue

Keil, Ryle and Yamauchi (via Guzik) take the king as Artaxerxes I and date the journey to 458. Batten places Ezra after Nehemiah, in the early fourth century (under Artaxerxes II), regarding the "seventh year" as the Chronicler's unreliable dating, though he declines Kosters's precise 398. Josephus names Xerxes (seventh year, c. 479/478). The chronology on this record encodes the Artaxerxes I reading (constraint assumption); the alternatives are not modelled.

Supporting

  • Artaxerxes (Longimanus) and 458 B.C.[5]Strength: indirect·Introduction·Claim checked
  • "In the 7th year of Artaxerxes (458 B.C.)" — the mission of Ezra.[6]Strength: indirect·Introduction·Claim checked
  • The traditional view, Artaxerxes I, puts Ezra's arrival in 458 (457).[7]Strength: indirect·on 7:1 (Yamauchi)·Claim checked

Challenging

  • Ezra came after Nehemiah, probably in the first quarter of the fourth century; "the 7th year" is untrustworthy; 398 (Kosters) not adopted.[8]Strength: indirect·pp. 46–48·Claim checked
  • Ezra went up in the seventh year of Xerxes.[9]Strength: direct·Ant. 11.5.1–2·Claim checked

Limitations of this classification: The Elephantine papyri and modern discussions of the Ezra–Nehemiah order (after 1913) were not read in this unit.

Research date 2026-10-13

Evidence by type

The same evidence regrouped by kind of source. Each item names the claims it bears on.

Archaeological evidence

None recorded for this event.

Scientific findings

None recorded for this event.

Ancient documents

Modern news and announcements

None recorded for this event.

Reference works and summaries

Historical disputes and competing reconstructions

Disputed claims: The "Artaxerxes" of Ezra 7 is Artaxerxes I, so that Ezra came to Jerusalem in 458 BC, before Nehemiah.

  • 458 BC (Nisan reckoning)

    Parker & Dubberstein table (operator conversion); D. Guzik (458)

    Departure 1 Nisan = 8 Apr 458; arrival 1 Ab = 4 Aug 458.[1, 10]

  • 457 BC

    W. Miller (1842); I. Newton (Julian Period 4257 for the journey; autumn reckoning)

    Counts the decree's execution from the following autumn or uses a different year count.[3, 11]

  • Ezra under Artaxerxes II

    Funccius (reported by Newton)

    Would move the decree to 398 BC; not researched further here.[3]

  • Ezra under Xerxes (seventh year)

    Josephus, Ant. 11.5.1–2

    Josephus names Xerxes as Ezra's king and the high priest Joacim son of Jeshua.[9]

  • Ezra after Nehemiah, early fourth century

    L. W. Batten (1913); W. H. Kosters: 398 B.C. (as reported by Batten)

    Only the Chronicler names the king; Ezra himself says "the king"; the Aramaic letter is not authentic in its present form.[8]

Related passages and events

FromRelationshipToBasis
this eventFollowed bymedium · Biblical textArtaxerxes sends Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, Nisan of his twentieth year (Neh 2:1–8)Nehemiah's mission follows in the same king's 20th year (if both are Artaxerxes I).

Prophetic relationships

No prophecy or proposed-fulfillment relationships have been recorded for this event.

Unanswered questions and research gaps

  • Modern Ezra–Nehemiah chronology not read.
  • The Ezra–Nehemiah order (Artaxerxes I or II for Ezra) not researched from modern studies.

Research process

3 logged searches
DateQueryWhereUseful
2026-10-13Driver 1900 pp. 126–150; Montgomery 1927 on 9:24–27; Newton ch. 10; Miller 1842 (local OCR texts)local text4
2026-10-13Parker & Dubberstein: Darius I, Xerxes, Artaxerxes I evidence and year tableslocal text1
2026-10-13Ezra 7–8 unit: Batten pp. 46–48; Ryle and Keil introductions; Josephus Ant. 11.5.1–2; Enduring Word Ezra 7local text4

Sources

  1. 1.
    Parker, Richard A., Dubberstein, Waldo H.. Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C.–A.D. 45 (SAOC 24). University of Chicago Press (Oriental Institute). archive.orgClaim checkedAcademic monographRead through the Internet Archive OCR text of the Oriental Institute PDF; OCR has digit errors (e.g. "589" for 539) checked against context. The 1956 revised edition was not consulted.Verification log
  2. 2.
    Driver, S. R.. The Book of Daniel (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge University Press. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text (Google scan).Verification log
  3. 3.
    Newton, Isaac. Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John. Project Gutenberg #16878 (first published 1733). www.gutenberg.orgClaim checkedTheological commentaryRead through the Gutenberg text (pglaf mirror), Part I chs. 4–8.Verification log
  4. 4.
    Pleiades contributors. Ierusalem/Hierosolyma — Pleiades place 687928. Pleiades (pleiades.stoa.org). pleiades.stoa.orgClaim checkedInstitutional databaseRepresentative point read from the Pleiades JSON record: lon 35.234978, lat 31.7771895.Verification log
  5. 5.
    Keil, C. F., Taylor, Sophia (trans.). Biblical Commentary on the Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (Clark's Foreign Theological Library). T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1873. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text.Verification log
  6. 6.
    Ryle, Herbert Edward. The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, with Introduction, Notes and Maps (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge University Press, 1893. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text.Verification log
  7. 7.
    Guzik, David. Ezra 7 — Enduring Word Bible Commentary. Enduring Word. enduringword.comClaim checkedTheological commentaryInterpretive resource — not historical corroboration.Verification log
  8. 8.
    Batten, Loring W.. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (International Critical Commentary). T. & T. Clark / Scribner, 1913. archive.orgClaim checkedScholarly commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text.Verification log
  9. 9.
    Josephus, Whiston, William (trans.). Josephus, Antiquities 11.5.1–2 (trans. W. Whiston). Project Gutenberg #2848. www.gutenberg.orgClaim checkedAncient primary textVerification log
  10. 10.
    Guzik, David. Daniel 9 — Enduring Word Bible Commentary. Enduring Word. enduringword.comClaim checkedTheological commentaryInterpretive resource — not historical corroboration.Verification log
  11. 11.
    Miller, William. Evidence from Scripture and History of the Second Coming of Christ, about the Year 1843. Joshua V. Himes (Boston), 1842. archive.orgClaim checkedTheological commentaryRead through the Internet Archive OCR text, Lecture III.Verification log