Ahasuerus
אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ · a.chash.ve.rosh · H0325“prince; head; chief” Hitchcock's 186930 mentions in 3 books, most in Esther (28)
Who he was
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 Ezra 4:6, where his reign is associated with opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and in Daniel 9:1, as the father of Darius the Mede. Xerxes I ruled 486 to 465.
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Family
Family relations: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
30 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
Esther28 mentions
Esther 1:1Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),Esther 1:2in those days, when the King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Susa the palace,Esther 1:9Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.Esther 1:10On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcass, the seven eunuchs who served in the…Esther 1:15“What shall we do to Queen Vashti according to law, because she has not done the bidding of the King Ahasuerus by the eunuchs?”Esther 1:16Memucan answered before the king and the princes, “Vashti the queen has not done wrong to just the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the people who are in all the provinces of…Esther 1:17For this deed of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to show contempt for their husbands when it is reported, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in…Esther 1:19“If it pleases the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be altered, that Vashti may never again…Esther 2:1After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her.Esther 2:12Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after her purification for twelve months (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, six months with oil of myrrh, and…Esther 2:16So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.Esther 2:21In those days, while Mordecai was sitting in the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, who were doorkeepers, were angry, and sought to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.Esther 3:1After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.Esther 3:6But he scorned the thought of laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had made known to him Mordecai’s people. Therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole…Esther 3:7In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, and chose the…Esther 3:8Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from other…Esther 3:12Then the king’s scribes were called in on the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and all that Haman commanded was written to the king’s local governors, and to the governors…Esther 6:2It was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who were doorkeepers, who had tried to lay hands on the King Ahasuerus.Esther 7:5Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen, “Who is he, and where is he who dared presume in his heart to do so?”Esther 8:1On that day, King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the Jews’ enemy, to Esther the queen. Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her.Esther 8:7Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he laid his hand on the…Esther 8:10He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by courier on horseback, riding on royal horses that were bred from swift steeds.Esther 8:12on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.Esther 9:2the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, to lay hands on those who wanted to harm them. No one could withstand them…Esther 9:20Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far,Esther 9:30He sent letters to all the Jews in the hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus with words of peace and truth,Esther 10:1King Ahasuerus laid a tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea.Esther 10:3For Mordecai the Jew was next to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and accepted by the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his…
What the dictionary says
There are three kings designated by this name in Scripture.
Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Read the article →Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain