And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

EZRA 1:4KJV
Know the Bible

Ezra 1:4 (KJV)

What does Ezra 1:4 mean?

Ezra 1:4 instructs people living in any place where Jewish exiles remain to help those exiles with silver, gold, goods, and animals, in addition to voluntary offerings for rebuilding the house of God in Jerusalem. This verse calls for the local population to support the returning Jews as they prepare to go back and restore their temple.

This verse records part of King Cyrus of Persia’s decree, which allowed the Jews to return from Babylonian exile and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus is speaking to both the Jewish exiles and their non-Jewish neighbors, urging everyone to provide practical and financial support for the journey and the temple project. The verse emphasizes community involvement and generosity toward this significant religious restoration.

The Hebrew behind Ezra 1:4

  • The word "sojourneth" (גּוּר, gur) refers to living as a foreigner or temporary resident, highlighting that many Jews were still living outside their homeland at this time.
  • "Help" (נָשָׂא, nasa) carries the sense of lifting up or bearing a burden, suggesting active, tangible assistance rather than just well-wishing.
  • "Offering" (נְדָבָה, nedavah) means a freewill or voluntary offering, showing that the support for the temple was not to be coerced but given willingly.
  • "House" (בַּיִת, bayit) here refers specifically to the temple, underlining the focus on restoring the central place of worship for the Jewish people.

Why Ezra 1:4 matters

  • Ezra 1:4 clarifies that the return from exile was not just a private matter for the Jews, but involved the wider community, including non-Jews, in supporting the rebuilding effort.
  • The verse reveals that the restoration of the temple was to be funded not only by official decree but also by voluntary generosity, showing the importance of willing participation.
  • This instruction connects to the larger theme of Ezra 1, where King Cyrus’s decree sets the stage for the fulfillment of earlier prophecies about the return and restoration of Jerusalem.

Where else these words appear

“offering” Hebrew H5071 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.
  • Numbers 29:39 These things ye shall do unto the LORD in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.
  • Ezra 8:28 And I said unto them, Ye are holy unto the LORD; the vessels are holy also; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering unto the LORD God of your fathers.

“goods” Hebrew H7399 · used in 27 verses

  • Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
  • Genesis 36:7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:3 He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD.

“sojourneth” Hebrew H1481 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
  • Numbers 22:3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
  • Psalms 61:4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

“remaineth” Hebrew H7604 · used in 123 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.
  • Nehemiah 1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.