Ezra 7:12

king of kings title common in inscriptions of Persian monarchs. (Cf. of Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel 26:7; Daniel 2:37.) No mere hyperbole, when the great empire included so many subject kingdoms.

a scribe R.V. the scribe.

the God of heaven See note on Ezra 1:2.

perfectpeace, and at such a time R.V. perfect and so forth. The Aramaic word -perfect", -g'mir", occurs only here. The salutation, probably a lengthy affair, is here condensed and the sentence breaks off abruptly. The word -perfect" refers to -the scribe" Ezra and was probably the first of a series of complimentary epithets. So the Vulgate -doctissimo". The A.V. understands the words of salutation, cf. 1 Esdras, -hail" (χαίρειν). The LXX. -the word has been ended and the answer" (τετέλεσται ὁ λόγος καὶ ἡ ἀπόκρισις) is completely at fault. Others render the word as an adverb (-completely"), to be connected either with -the scribe", or with the omitted words of salutation, i.e. the completely (learned) scribe", or -full greetings".

-and so forth", as in Ezra 4:10-11.