The Bible is the supreme source of our history, yet it does not include every fact about certain events and rulers who played a role in God’s redemptive history, which is the core of the Bible. We can research history and find there’s always a link to what God was doing in that era. Tied alongside the biblical chronicles are reputable extra-biblical sources which give facts about people mentioned in the Bible. For example, Josephus (37/38 BC-AD 100) served such a capacity to add to the richness of God’s New Testament narrative. He wrote Antiquities of the Jews, and biblical scholars use his accounts for knowledge about the New Testament age.
We have implicit and explicit information about Xerxes from the book of Esther, but the extra-biblical archives aid our understanding about this man and how God used him. Herodotus (490-425 BC) was one such historian who included Xerxes in his writings.
Xerxes served as a king of Persia during the Achaemenid dynasty. Born about 519 BC, Xerxes reigned in Persia from 486-465 BC He died in Persepolis in 465. Xerxes succeeded his father, Darius I, as king. As Britannica says, for a time he ruled the “mightiest power in the ancient world.”
King Xerxes was around thirty-five years old when he began his reign and had ruled the satrap of Babylonia for over ten years. Xerxes’ notoriety as a leader stems from his vast offensive against Greece (480 BC). His defeat hastened the deterioration of the Achaemenian Empire. After that defeat, Xerxes retired to Susa and Persepolis.
Edd Hodsdon, Canterbury Archaeological Trust , “
The PersiansAeschylus
The name Ahasuerus is derived from ancient Hebrew (ḥašwerōš) and seems to represent the old Persian language which rendered it as Xšayaršā. The Greeks, under Darius I, translated Ahasuerus as Xerxes (Herodotus 7.2-3).
dynamic equivalence translations
The first mention of Xerxes is in Ezra 4:6, noted as king of Persia when accusations flew from enemies of Judah and Benjamin against the Jews regarding the rebuilding of the Temple.
Other than a major role in the book of Esther, Xerxes is mentioned in Daniel 9:1 as the father of Darius of Babylon. The text says he was a Mede by descent.
Purim
Xerxes was assassinated in 465 B.C. (along with his oldest son) by members of his court, and his minister, Artabanus was one of the assassins. One of his other sons retained power as Artaxerxes I.
He is a cross pendant.
He is engraved with a unique Number.
He will mail it out from Jerusalem.
He will be sent to your Side.
Emmanuel
Bible Verses About Welcoming ImmigrantsEmbracing the StrangerAs we journey through life, we often encounter individuals who are not of our nationality......
Who We AreWhat We EelieveWhat We Do
2025 by lntellectual Reserve,Inc All rights reserved.
