Born of the sons of Aaron, Ezra had been given a priestly training; and in addition to this he had acquired a familiarity with the writings of the magicians, the astrologers, and the wise men of the Medo-Persian realm. But he was not satisfied with his spiritual condition. He longed to be in full harmony with God; he longed for wisdom to carry out the divine will. And so he "prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it." Ezra 7:10. This led him to apply himself diligently to a study of the history of God's people, as recorded in the writings of prophets and kings. He searched the historical and poetical books of the Bible to learn why the Lord had permitted Jerusalem to be destroyed and His people carried captive into a heathen land.

Ezra var efterkommer af Arong var blevet uddannet til præst. Han havde suppleret sin uddannelse ved at sætte sig ind i tegnsudlæggernes, astrologernes og de medo-persiske vismænds skrifter. Men han var ikke tilfreds med sin åndelige erfaring. Han længtes efter at komme fuldstændig i harmoni med Gud og få visdom til at gøre Guds vilje. Derfor vendte han sit "hjerte til at granske Herrens lov og handle efter den". Ezra 7,10. Han satte sig især omhyggeligt ind i Guds folks historie ved at læse profeternes og kongernes skrifter. Han studerede Bibelens historiske og poetiske afsnit for at få klarhed over, hvorfor Herren havde tilladt, at Jerusalem blev ødelagt og hans folk ført til et hedensk land som fanger.