'Ezra is the Biblical Hebrew form of Ezra, a name rooted in the Hebrew word meaning "help". The name appears in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as that of a prominent Jewish scribe and priest of the early Second Temple period, who is credited with leading the return of the Jewish people from the Babylonian captivity and restoring the Torah to its central place in Jewish life.EtymologyThe name 'Ezra (עזרא) is the Aramaic-influenced, Biblical Hebrew spelling of the name. The underlying meaning is widely understood as "help" or "helper," consistent with the interpretation in Jewish tradition. A longer variant that occurs in the Bible is Azaryahu, meaning "Yah (i.e., God) helps," reflecting the theophoric structure common in Hebrew names. The Biblical name is shared with other figures in the Old Testament.Notable BearersThe most famed bearer is Ezra the scribe, a central figure in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. According to the Hebrew Bible, he was authorized by the Persian king Artaxerxes to lead a group of exiles back to Jerusalem, where he enforced the observance of the Law and forbade mixed marriages. Traditionally, he is also regarded as the author of the Book of Ezra, the Books of Chronicles, and possibly the Book of Malachi. The date of his activity is uncertain, generally placed in the fifth or fourth century BCE.Cultural and Linguistic VariantsThe name 'Ezra is a specialized Hebrew form included in the Biblia Hebraica editions of the Old Testament. It is distinct from later forms in other languages:Biblical Greek: Esdras (cf. the Septuagint spelling), from which the Latin Ezras derives.English: Ezra has seen considerable use, inspired by the Protestant Reformation and prominent bearers such as the poet Ezra Pound (1885–1972). In modern English contexts a variant spelling Ezrah is also found.Quranic: Uzayr , related via the Arabic tradition, esteems Ezra ('Uzayr) as a righteous figure.Other Semitic versions: Uzair in Urdu, following the Quranic form; also Azaryahu , the latter preserving the fuller theophoric element.