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Artaxerxes

Artaxerxes Longimanus, an emperor living at the time of Exile and Return

Artaxerxes was the Persian king who allowed Ezra and Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:1,11-12,21; Neh.2.1; 5:14).

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Artaxerxes was a Persian king who ruled during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. In the seventh year of his reign, he authorized Ezra the priest and scribe to lead a group of Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem. Artaxerxes gave Ezra a letter granting him authority to teach the law, appoint magistrates and judges, and requisition supplies from the provincial treasuries. In Artaxerxes' twentieth year, his cupbearer Nehemiah learned that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and asked the king for permission to return and rebuild them. Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah to Judah as governor, with letters authorizing him to obtain timber for the walls. He is probably to be identified with Artaxerxes I Longimanus, who ruled the Persian Empire from 465 to 424 BC.

Family

Father
Ahasuerus
Mother
Vashti
Sibling
Darius

Connections

Part of: Persian era: Esther and the return

Ezra and Nehemiah: scribe and governor

WorkStated in the text

Ezra led a group to Jerusalem with Artaxerxes' authority, and Nehemiah, cupbearer to Artaxerxes, rebuilt the walls. They appear together at the reading of the law in Nehemiah 8 and at the wall dedication.

EzraReturned priestNehemiahReturned leaderArtaxerxesPersian king
Where the text shows it: Ezra 7:1-10 — Ezra's missionNeh 2:1-8 — Nehemiah's commissionNeh 8:9 — Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribeNeh 12:36 — Ezra at the wall dedication

Sources: Ezra 7:1-10 · Neh 2:1-8 · Neh 8:9 · Neh 12:36

Artaxerxes: patron of both missions

RoleStated in the text

Artaxerxes authorised Ezra with a letter granting funds and judicial authority, and, after first halting the work on the walls (Ezra 4), allowed Nehemiah to rebuild. Jewish community life in Judah depended on Persian goodwill.

ArtaxerxesPersian kingEzraReturned priestNehemiahReturned leader
Where the text shows it: Ezra 7:11-26 — Artaxerxes' letter to EzraEzra 4:21-23 — Earlier order halting the workNeh 2:5-8 — Nehemiah's request granted

Sources: Ezra 7:11-26 · Ezra 4:21-23 · Neh 2:5-8

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Artaxerxes Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

The Greek form of the name of several Persian kings. (1.) The king who obstructed the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 4:7). He was probably the Smerdis of profane history. (2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 7:1, in the seventh year (B.C. 458) of whose reign Ezra led a second colony of Jews back to Jerusalem, was probably Longimanus, who reigned for forty years (B.C. 464-425); the grandson of Darius, who, fourteen years later, permitted Nehemiah to return and rebuild Jerusalem.

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Artaxerxes Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(the great warrior).

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Artaxerxes Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

the silence of light; fervent to spoil

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Artaxerxes Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

ARTAXERX'ES (the great warrior), the name of two kings of Persia mentioned in the Bible. 1.Ezr 4:7-24, the king who stopped the rebuilding of the temple because he listened to the malicious report of the enemies of the Jews. He is supposed to have been Smerdis the Magian, the pretended brother of Cambyses, who seized the throne b. c. 522, and was murdered after 8 months. Ezr 7:7 and Neh 2:1 both speak of a second Artaxerxes, who is generally regarded as the same with Artaxerxes Longimanus (i.e. the Long-handed), son of Xerxes, who reigned b. c. 464—425. In the seventh year of his reign he permitted Ezra to return into Judaea, with such of his countrymen as chose to follow him; and fourteen years afterward he allowed Nehemiah to return and build up Jerusalem.

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Artaxerxes Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

ARTAXERX'ES (the great warrior), the name of two kings of Persia mentioned in the Bible. 1.Ezr 4:7-24, the king who stopped the rebuilding of the temple because he listened to the malicious report of the enemies of the Jews. He is supposed to have been Smerdis the Magian, the pretended brother of Cambyses, who seized the throne b. c. 522, and was murdered after 8 months.

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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.

Where Artaxerxes appears

14 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0783

Ezra11
Nehemiah3

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.