Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageFor Ezra had devoted himself heart and soul to study the Law of Yahweh, to live it out, and then to teach its statutes and ordinances to Israel.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GFor Ezra had set his heart to seek out the Torah of YHWH, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Yisra'el.
KJV
King James VersionFor Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleFor Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Footnotes
This verse is the theological heartbeat of the entire book. The three-part sequence—*lidrosh* (לִדְרוֹשׁ, to seek/study), *la'asot* (לַעֲשׂוֹת, to do/practise), *le-lamad* (וּלְלַמֵּד, to teach)—became foundational to later Jewish pedagogy: one must first internalise Torah, then embody it, before transmitting it. *Darash* (דָּרַשׁ) is the root of *midrash*—it means to inquire deeply, to press into a text until it yields. The phrase 'set his heart' (*kon libbo*, כּוֹן לִבּוֹ) indicates deliberate, sustained orientation of the will, not a passing resolve. FOG renders 'seek out' to preserve *darash*'s probing quality; FOG Message expands to 'devoted himself heart and soul' to capture the totality of the commitment.
