KING OF PERSIA AND MEDIA (ESTHER) · EXILE & RETURN

Ahasuerus. Reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces.

REIGNEDi

Not given c. 486–465 BC (dates vary)

CAPITAL

Susa

HOUSE

Not stated 5th of 9 in Persia

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“This is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty…”

PROPHETS

None named

PERSIA: 9 RULERS CYRUS → NEHEMIAH

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

PERSIA

Darius · Artaxerxes

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · ABOUT 430 BC

Herodotus on Xerxes' queen

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · 465/464 BC

Elephantine papyrus (Cowley No. 6)

SUCCESSION

Before and after

THE REALM

Susa and the places of the account

Persia. Only places Scripture names are shown, each where the Atlas puts it.

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "This is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces." Esther 1:1
  • He "set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti". Esther 2:17
  • He gave his ring to Haman to seal the decree against the Jews, and later to Mordecai: "the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse". Esther 3:10–12 Esther 8:2 Esther 8:8
  • "And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea." His acts are "written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia". Esther 10:1–2
  • Ezra: "in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem." Ezra 4:6

DEALINGS

Dealings with God's people

  • Purim was confirmed by letters "to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus". Esther 9:30–32
  • Judah's enemies wrote to him against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra 4:6
  • He sealed Haman's decree to destroy the Jews, then a second decree letting them defend themselves. Esther 3:13 Esther 8:11
  • "Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews." Esther 10:3

EVENTS

Wars, works and turning points

Each mark sits at the year of the reign the Bible gives for it.

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

TWO ACCOUNTS

Where the accounts differ

The king's name

ESTHER

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S NUMBERS

No years given

Third, seventh and twelfth years named; no length of reign.

IF XERXES I: DECEMBER 486 – 465 BC (PARKER AND DUBBERSTEIN, 1942)

c. 486–465 BC[3][5]

On this identification his third year was 483/482, his seventh 479/478 and his twelfth 474/473 BC. An Elephantine papyrus dated "year 21", when "King Artaxerxes sat on his throne", shows Xerxes' reign had ended by early 464 BC.

IF XERXES I: 485–465 BC (EASTON, 1915)

c. 485–465 BC[14]

The older reckoning in the 1915 encyclopedia.

Darius I, son of Hystaspes

James Ussher (1658)

Ussher identified Ahasuerus with Darius, Vashti with Atossa and Esther with Artystone, Darius's wives in Herodotus; he saw the tribute "upon the isles of the sea" (Esth 10:1) as fitting Darius, who first laid a fixed tribute on his subjects. Esther 10:1 [25][8]

Xerxes I

the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901), listing Keil, Bertheau, Ryssel, Wildeboer, Sayce and Schrader; R. Dick Wilson (1915)

The Hebrew name is the Persian Khshayarsha, which the Greeks wrote Xerxes. The Jewish Encyclopedia adds that between his third and seventh years Ahasuerus "is lost to view" in Esther, the years when Xerxes invaded Greece. Esther 1:3 Esther 2:16 [22][11]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 11

Ezra 4 Esther 1 Esther 2 Esther 3 Esther 4 Esther 5 Esther 6 Esther 7 Esther 8 Esther 9 Esther 10

PASSAGES · 2

Ezra 4:6 Esther 1:1–10:3

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture does not say how long Ahasuerus reigned or how he died.
  • Esther gives no verdict on him, and no prophet is named in his reign.
  • The book of Esther, as the KJV translates the Hebrew, never uses the name God or LORD (our search of the text).

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textThis page covers the Ahasuerus of Esther and of Ezra 4:6; whether they are the same king is a question below. The Ahasuerus of Daniel 9:1, father of Darius the Mede, is a different man with his own record. Esther 1:1 Ezra 4:6 Daniel 9:1
  • Scholars' viewMost scholars since the 19th century identify him with Xerxes I (486–465 BC): "Ahasuerus" renders the Persian name Khshayarsha, which the Greeks wrote Xerxes.[22][11][14]

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • R. W. Rogers, Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament (1912), pp. 380–384 (the Cylinder of Cyrus, lines 12–35).
  • R. F. Harper (ed.), Assyrian and Babylonian Literature: Selected Translations (1901), pp. 168–171 ("The Annals of Nabonidus").
  • R. A. Parker and W. H. Dubberstein, Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C.–A.D. 45 (Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 24; dates cited as facts only) (1942), pp. 11–15 (kings' reigns) and the tables of years.
  • L. W. King and R. C. Thompson, The Sculptures and Inscription of Darius the Great on the Rock of Behistûn in Persia (1907), Persian text, §§ I–IV and X–XIII, pp. 1–13.
  • A. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C. (1923), No. 6, pp. 15–16 (introduction and translation).
  • A. Cowley, Aramaic Papyri of the Fifth Century B.C. (1923), No. 30, pp. 108–114 (introduction and translation).
  • Herodotus, tr. G. C. Macaulay, The History of Herodotus, vol. 1 (1890), Book I §§191, 214.
  • Herodotus, tr. G. C. Macaulay, The History of Herodotus, vol. 1 (1890), Book III §88.
  • Herodotus, tr. G. C. Macaulay, The History of Herodotus, vol. 2 (1890), Book VII §§4, 61, 114; Book IX §§109–112.
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Darius", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections (1)–(3).
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Ahasuerus", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections 1, 2 and 4.
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Artaxerxes", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections (1)–(3).
  • T. G. Pinches, "Cyrus", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections 9, 10, 12 and 14.
  • Burton Scott Easton, "Xerxes", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915).
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Zerubbabel", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections 1, 3 and 4.
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Tirshatha", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915).
  • R. Dick Wilson, "Nehemiah", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), sections 3 and 5.
  • James Crichton, "Gedaliah", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), (1), sections 2–3.
  • John Urquhart, "Vashti", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915).
  • John Urquhart, "Esther", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915).
  • George L. Robinson, "Isaiah", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), the sections on chapters 40–66 and on the critical view.
  • Gerson B. Levi, Kaufmann Kohler and George A. Barton, "Ahasuerus", Jewish Encyclopedia vol. 1 (1901), biblical data and critical view.
  • Emil G. Hirsch and Isaac Broydé, "Ezra the Scribe", Jewish Encyclopedia vol. 5 (1903).
  • Joseph Jacobs, M. Seligsohn, Morris Jastrow Jr. and D. S. Margoliouth, "Ezra, Book of", Jewish Encyclopedia vol. 5 (1903).
  • James Ussher, The Annals of the World (English translation of the Annales) (1658), The sixth Age of the World, pp. 108–112 and 118 (read from the page scans, leaves 59–64).
  • L. McFall, "A Translation Guide to the Chronological Data in Kings and Chronicles", Bibliotheca Sacra 148 (facts only) (1991), numbered texts 1–68; page numbers of the author's PDF.
  • W. F. Albright, "The Chronology of the Divided Monarchy of Israel", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 100 (facts only) (1945), Chronological table, pp. 20–22.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. M. G. Easton, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Keil and Delitzsch) (1872), note on Dan 9:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. S. Taylor, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Keil and Delitzsch) (1873), note on Ezra 1:8 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. S. Taylor, The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther (Keil and Delitzsch) (1873), note on Ezra 6:14 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. A. Harper, The Books of the Chronicles (Keil and Delitzsch) (1872), note on 1 Chr 3:17–19 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch) (1880), note on Jer 41:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. E. Ryle, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1893), note on Ezra 1:8 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. E. Ryle, The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1893), note on Neh 2:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers: 1 Chronicles (c. 1878–1884), note on 1 Chr 3:19 (read on Bible Hub).
  • S. R. Driver, The Book of Daniel (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1900), note on Dan 5:31 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), Pulpit Commentary: Daniel (1880–1897), note on Dan 6:28 and the "Excursus on Darius the Mede" (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), Pulpit Commentary: Esther (1880–1897), note on Esth 2:6 (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. W. Streane, The Book of Esther (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1907), note on Esth 2:6 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1748–1763), note on Esth 2:6 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), Pulpit Commentary: Jeremiah (1880–1897), note on Jer 41:1, reporting H. Graetz (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. W. Streane, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1881), note on Jer 41:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818), note on Jer 41:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah (1880–1897), note on Isa 44:28 (read on Bible Hub).

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