Man living at the time of Exile and Return
Rehum was a Persian official who wrote to King Artaxerxes, attempting to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
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Rehum is mentioned in the book of Ezra as a high-ranking Persian official who held the title of "commander" (Ezr.4.8, 9, 17, 23). When the enemies of the Jews learned that they had begun rebuilding the temple and the city walls of Jerusalem, they wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes to persuade him to stop the work (Ezr.4.7-16). Rehum was one of the officials who signed this letter, along with Shimshai the scribe and others (Ezr.4.9). In the letter, they accused the Jews of rebuilding a rebellious and wicked city that had a history of causing trouble for kings (Ezr.4.12-16). As a result, Artaxerxes ordered the work to be stopped until further notice (Ezr.4.17-22). Rehum and his associates then went to Jerusalem and forcibly made the Jews stop building (Ezr.4.23). This opposition delayed the completion of the temple and the city walls until the reign of King Darius (Ezr.4.24). Rehum's actions demonstrate the political challenges faced by the Jews as they sought to rebuild Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian exile.
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4 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H7348
Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:
From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
Then the king sent this reply: To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates: Greetings.
When the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.
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.