Ezraעזרא
In the Bible
The prophet Ezra (עזרא) — first attested in Ezra 7:1 (24 occurrences in the Hebrew Bible).
וְאַחַר֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה בְּמַלְכ֖וּת אַרְתַּחְשַׁ֣סְתְּא מֶֽלֶךְ־פָּרָ֑ס עֶזְרָא֙ בֶּן־שְׂרָיָ֔ה בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָ֖ה בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּֽה׃
After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah son of Azariah son of Hilkiah
Gematria & sigil
The consonantal gematria of Ezra (עזרא) and its sigil traced on the Lo Shu (Saturn 3×3) by the Aiq-Bekar digital-root method: each letter's value reduces to 1–9, those cells are joined in order — the trace is the sigil.
| Letter | Value | Aiq Bekar |
|---|---|---|
| ע | 70 | 7 |
| ז | 7 | 7 |
| ר | 200 | 2 |
| א | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 278 | 8 |
Stellar letters
The 4-consonant name needs its 2 distinct simple-letters to be occupied in the sky. The 7 classical bodies open a sign → its Hebrew simple letter; this name reads only when the planets sit in exactly these signs.
Readable on these rare conjunctions
Ezra appears in the stellar reading on 0 of the 12 dated rare conjunctions (proofs.json). Its required simple letters are never all occupied together on these 12 dates — a multi-letter name is rarer than a single-letter one. Open any date in the Reader to inspect that sky.
No readable date among the 12 — this name needs more simultaneous simple letters than any of these conjunctions occupy.
Description
Ezra is the main character of the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was an important Jewish scribe and priest in the early Second Temple period. In the Greek Septuagint, the name is rendered as Ésdrās, from which the Latin name Esdras comes. "Ezra" is probably a shortened Aramaic form of the Hebrew name עֲזַרְיָהוּ, meaning "Yah helps".
Facts
| Honored in | Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 13 July (Catholic), Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (Eastern Orthodox) |
Life & work in brief
Summarised by section — one row per topic, for fast reading.
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Life | The canonical Book of Ezra and the Book of Nehemiah are the oldest sources for the activity of Ezra. |
| In later Second Temple period literature | 1 Esdras, probably from the late 2nd/early 1st centuries BCE, preserves a Greek text of Ezra and a part of Nehemiah distinctly different from that of Ezra–Nehemiah – in particular it eliminates Nehemiah from the story and gives some of his deeds to Ezra, as well as telling events in a different order. |
| In rabbinic literature | Traditionally Judaism credits Ezra with establishing the Great Assembly of scholars and prophets, the forerunner of the Sanhedrin, as the authority on matters of religious law. |
| In Christian traditions | In Christian tradition, Ezra is considered to be the author of the book of Ezra and 1 and 2 Chronicles. |
| In Islam | In Islam, he is known as Uzair (Arabic: عزير, romanized: ʿUzayr). |
| Academic view | Scholars debate the dating of Ezra's mission due to textual emendations and lack of extrabiblical evidence, with proposed timelines placing his activity either during the reign of Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II, complicating the historical context and relationship with Nehemiah. |
Prophecies
Key prophetic utterances and visions attributed to Ezra, with sources.
| Prophecy / vision | Source |
|---|---|
| Return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of God | Ezra 1:3 |
| Separate from the peoples of the land; keep the Torah and do it | Ezra 10:11 |