Uncovering the Meaning of ‘igg@ra’ in Hebrew

אִגְּרָא (iggera’) means “an epistle,” a written communication sent from one party to another. In Ezra it appears in official correspondence addressed to Persian kings, where the narrative pauses to present or introduce the contents of such documents.

Occurrences

Ezra 4:8 — “Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows,”

Here אִגְּרָא is the concrete vehicle by which opposition is formalized: the action is not merely spoken complaint but a composed document. The verse frames the letter as intentional and adversarial (“against Jerusalem”) and identifies both the authors and their administrative roles (“Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe”), fitting the idea of an epistle as something drafted with care and authority. The phrase “as follows” functions like a doorway into quoted material, signaling that the narrative is about to reproduce the epistle’s contents rather than simply report that a message was sent.

Ezra 4:11 — “This is the copy of the letter that they sent: To King Artaxerxes, From your servants the men beyond the River.”

In this verse אִגְּרָא stands within a formal archival setting: “This is the copy” presents the document as a preserved record, and “that they sent” marks it as transmitted communication rather than a private memorandum. The opening lines quoted (“To King Artaxerxes, From your servants…”) illustrate the conventional shape of an epistle: it is addressed, it identifies sender and recipient, and it sets a deferential posture (“your servants”) that matches diplomatic or administrative correspondence. The geographic label “the men beyond the River” further anchors the epistle in the structures of provincial administration, so that the letter is not only a message but a political artifact with an origin, a destination, and an implied chain of delivery.

Ezra 5:6 — “The copy of the letter that Tattenai, the governor beyond the River, and Shetharbozenai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king follows.”

Here אִגְּרָא again introduces a reproduced document, but the verse highlights the breadth of representation behind it. The list of senders—Tattenai with the title “the governor beyond the River,” Shetharbozenai, and “his companions”—portrays the epistle as an official communication issued on behalf of a governing coalition, not a single individual. The repeated emphasis on the region (“beyond the River”) places the letter within a specific administrative sphere, and the destination “to Darius the king” shows the epistle’s upward trajectory to the highest authority. As in Ezra 4, the narrative cue (“follows”) marks an impending citation, underscoring that the epistle is treated as a text with stable wording that can be copied and presented.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, אִגְּרָא consistently denotes a formal written message with identifiable authorship and a clear recipient. The surrounding vocabulary repeatedly frames the epistle as something that can be written (“wrote a letter”), sent (“that they sent”), and copied (“This is the copy,” “The copy of the letter”), so the term carries the practical realities of administration: composition, delivery, and preservation. Ezra’s narration treats such correspondence as an event in its own right; the epistle is not a mere reference point but a hinge that shifts the story from general description to documentary quotation (“as follows,” “follows”).

These uses also show how an epistle functions socially: it is a tool for expressing stance and securing attention from power. In Ezra 4:8, the epistle is explicitly oppositional (“against Jerusalem”), indicating that the letter can serve as an instrument for accusation or petition through official channels. In Ezra 4:11, the address line reveals a posture of subordination (“From your servants”), which illustrates how an epistle can encode relationship as well as information: the sender’s identity and attitude are presented in the very form of the communication. In Ezra 5:6, the letter’s weight is increased by titles and collective backing; the term fits a document whose authority rests not only on its wording but also on the recognized offices and groups attached to it.

The repeated mention of “copy” in two occurrences highlights an epistle’s textual stability. An epistle can be reproduced—presented as a “copy”—suggesting that the document is considered definite enough to be duplicated and examined. This feature suits administrative disputes and inquiries: what matters is not only that a message was conveyed, but that its precise wording can be transmitted, reviewed, and compared. In this way, אִגְּרָא in Ezra is bound to public record and official procedure, where written form provides continuity beyond the moment of sending.

Imagery

In these verses the imagery of אִגְּרָא is the scene of governance conducted through documents: named officials compose a written communication, dispatch it to the king, and preserve it in copy form for reference. The epistle appears as a tangible artifact that moves across distance (“beyond the River” to the king) and across time (a “copy” that can be presented), making the conflict and inquiry surrounding Jerusalem something carried by ink and paper rather than by rumor or private speech.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon. Occurrence data from the Westminster Leningrad Codex with STEPBible reference data (CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).