Emperor Xerxes I, living at the time of Exile and Return
Ahasuerus, Emperor of Persia (probably Xerxes I), chose Esther as his queen and issued decrees impacting the Jews.
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Also known as Xerxes · Ahaserus
Ahasuerus, probably Xerxes I, was the king of Persia during the events described in the book of Esther. He ruled over a vast empire from India to Ethiopia. In the third year of his reign, Ahasuerus held a lavish banquet and requested the presence of his queen, Vashti. When she refused to come, the king deposed her. (Est.1)
A search was made for a new queen, and Esther, a young Jewish woman, was chosen. Esther kept her Jewish identity secret. (Est.2) Later, Haman, a high official, plotted to destroy the Jews due to his hatred for Mordecai, Esther's cousin. Haman convinced Ahasuerus to issue a decree allowing the annihilation of the Jews. (Est.3).
Esther revealed her Jewish identity to Ahasuerus and exposed Haman's plot. The king ordered Haman's execution and issued a new decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves. (Est.7-8) The Jews were victorious over their enemies, and Ahasuerus promoted Mordecai to a high position in the kingdom. (Est.9-10).
Ahasuerus is also mentioned in Ezr.4.6, where his reign is associated with opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and in Dan.9.1, as the father of Darius the Mede. Xerxes I ruled 486 to 465.
Part of: Persian era: Esther and the return
Ahasuerus deposed Queen Vashti after she refused to appear at his feast and chose Esther through a beauty contest in his seventh year. The removal of Vashti creates the vacancy Esther fills.
Sources: Esth 1:10-19 · Esth 2:16-17
The Hebrew Ahasuerus (Ahashverosh) corresponds to Persian Khshayarsha, Greek Xerxes, who ruled 486-465 BC. Esther's reign, in the king's seventh year, falls about 479 BC. The Septuagint renders the name as Artaxerxes.
Sources: Esth 1:1 · Herodotus, Histories 7-9 (Xerxes' reign)
Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, who plotted to kill all Jews; Esther exposed the plot at a banquet and Haman was hanged on the gallows he prepared. The text calls him "Haman the Agagite", and Mordecai is "son of Kish, a Benjamite", echoing Saul's failure to destroy Agag.
Sources: Esth 3:1 · Esth 2:5
Ahasuerus gave Haman his signet ring to issue the edict against the Jews; after Esther's banquet he gave the ring to Mordecai, who issued the counter-edict. The power of a fixed Persian decree shaped the solution.
Sources: Esth 3:10-12 · Esth 8:2 · Esth 8:8
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There are three kings designated by this name in Scripture. (1.) The father of Darius the Mede, mentioned in Dan. 9:1. This was probably the Cyaxares I. known by this name in profane history, the king of Media and the conqueror of Nineveh. (2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 4:6, probably the Cambyses of profane history, the son and successor of Cyrus (B.C. 529). (3.) The son of Darius Hystaspes, the king named in the Book of Esther. He ruled over the kingdoms of Persia, Media, and Babylonia, “from India to Ethiopia.” This was in all probability the Xerxes of profane history, who succeeded his father Darius (B.C. 485). In the LXX. version of the Book of Esther the name Artaxerxes occurs for Ahasuerus. He reigned for twenty-one years (B.C. 486-465). He invaded Greece with an army, it is said, of more than 2,000,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of whom returned with him. Leonidas, with his famous 300, arrested his progress at the Pass of Thermopylae, and then he was defeated disastrously by Themistocles at Salamis. It was after his return from this invasion that Esther was chosen as his queen.
(lion-king), the name of one Median and two Persian kings mentioned in the Old Testament.
prince; head; chief
AHASUE'RUS (probably lion king), the Hebrew form of Xerxes, the name, or perhaps only the title, of one Median and two Persian kings mentioned in the Old Testament. The father of Darius the Median, and the same with Astyages. Dan 9:1. Supposed to be the son and successor of Cyrus, probably Cambyses, who reigned seven years and five months from b. c. 529.Ezr 4:6. The husband of Esther, undoubtedly the Xerxes of profane history. Esth 1:1. The story of his acts of caprice and cruelty recorded in the book of Esther agrees exactly with what we otherwise know of his character, for once he scourged the sea and beheaded the engineers because a storm carried away their bridge, and was guilty of many other crimes. In the third year of his reign he called a council of his nobles, very likely for the purpose of arranging the invasion of Greece. The meeting lasted six months, and was followed by a munificent feast, on the seventh day of which he commanded his queen, Vashti, to show herself unto his drunken nobles. This she properly refused to do, where upon he deposed her. Four years after, he married Esther. The interval is accounted for by supposing the war with Greece intervened. See Esther.
AHASUE'RUS (probably lion king), the Hebrew form of Xerxes, the name, or perhaps only the title, of one Median and two Persian kings mentioned in the Old Testament. The father of Darius the Median, and the same with Astyages. Dan 9:1. Supposed to be the son and successor of Cyrus, probably Cambyses, who reigned seven years and five months from b. c. 529.Ezr 4:6. The husband of Esther, undoubtedly the Xerxes of profane history. Esth 1:1. The story of his acts of caprice and cruelty recorded in the book of Esther agrees exactly with what we otherwise know of his character, for once he scourged the sea and beheaded the engineers because a storm carried away their bridge, and was guilty of many other crimes. In the third year of his reign he called a council of his nobles, very likely for the purpose of arranging the invasion of Greece. The meeting lasted six months, and was followed by a munificent feast, on the seventh day of which he commanded his queen, Vashti, to show herself unto his drunken nobles. This she properly refused to do, where upon he deposed her. Four years after, he married Esther. The interval is accounted for by supposing the war with Greece intervened. See Esther.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
30 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0325
At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.
Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
On the seventh day, when the kingʼs heart was merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—
“According to law,” he asked, “what should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”
And in the presence of the king and his princes, Memucan replied, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the princes and the peoples in all the provinces of King Xerxes.
For the conduct of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to despise their husbands and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’
So if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal position shall be given to a woman better than she.
Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
In the twelve months before her turn to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six months.
She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the kingʼs gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the kingʼs eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him.
And when he learned the identity of Mordecaiʼs people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecaiʼs people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.
In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman to determine a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone elseʼs, and they do not obey the kingʼs laws. So it is not in the kingʼs best interest to tolerate them.
On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
And there it was found recorded that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the kingʼs entrance, when they had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?”
That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the kingʼs presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her.
So King Xerxes said to Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Hamanʼs estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews.
Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.
The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.
Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,
And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,
Now King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the land, even to its farthest shores.
For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and highly favored by his many kinsmen, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.