1. Ezra 7:6 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does it mean for the hand of the LORD to be on someone?

Ezra 7:6 (ESV)

6 this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.

This phrase is used extensively throughout Ezra 7:1 – 8:36 (Ezra 7:6, Ezra 7:9, Ezra 7:28; Ezra 8:18, Ezra 8:22, Ezra 8:31) and it also appears in Nehemiah 2:8 and Nehemiah 2:18. It seems to suggest that the Lord was acting in a way that resulted in prosperity and security for a particular individual.