Persia
פָּרַס · pa.ras · H6539אֲפָֽרְסָיֵא · a.pha.re.say · H06701 other spelling“that cuts or divides; a nail; a gryphon; a horseman” Hitchcock's 186933 mentions in 6 books, most in Ezra (12)
Where it is
34.80° N, 48.51° E · Located through Ecbatana
Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles
Mentioned most in
Counted from 33 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
About this place
Persia, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, was a major world power that ruled over a vast territory from the 6th to the 4th centuries BC. In the Bible, Persia is mentioned in the context of the Jewish exile and the subsequent return to Jerusalem. The Babylonian Empire, which had destroyed Jerusalem and taken the Jews into captivity, fell to the Persians under Cyrus the Great (2Chr. 36:20, 22-23; Ezra 1:1-2). Cyrus issued a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4). The Persian kings Darius I and Artaxerxes I also played significant roles in supporting the rebuilding efforts (Ezra 4:24; 6:14).
The book of Esther is set in the Persian capital of Susa during the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I), and it describes how Esther, a Jewish woman, became queen and saved her people from a plot to destroy them (Esther 1:3, 14, 18; 10:2). The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel also mention Persia in their visions and prophecies (Ezek. 27:10; 38:5; Dan. 8:20; 10:1, 13, 20; 11:2). Persia is portrayed as a powerful empire that God used to fulfill His purposes for His people, even though the Persians themselves were not followers of the God of Israel.
Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0
Every mention
33 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
2 Chronicles3 mentions
2 Chronicles 36:20He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia,2 Chronicles 36:22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a…2 Chronicles 36:23“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given all the kingdoms of the earth to me; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever…
Ezra12 mentions
Ezra 1:1Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a…Ezra 1:2“Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.Ezra 1:8even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.Ezra 3:7They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa…Ezra 4:3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together…Ezra 4:5They hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.Ezra 4:7In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Syrian and delivered…Ezra 4:9Then Rehum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians…Ezra 4:24Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.Ezra 6:14The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God…Ezra 7:1Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,Ezra 9:9For we are bondservants; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to set up the house of…
Esther5 mentions
Esther 1:3in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for all his princes and his servants; the army of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces being before him.Esther 1:14and next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom),Esther 1:18Today, the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s deed will tell all the king’s princes. This will cause much contempt and wrath.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 10:2Aren’t all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of…
Ezekiel2 mentions
Daniel10 mentions
Daniel 5:28PERES: your kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”Daniel 6:8Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, that it not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which doesn’t alter.”Daniel 6:12Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s decree: “Haven’t you signed a decree that every man who makes a petition to any god or man within thirty days, except…Daniel 6:15Then these men assembled together to the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree nor statute which the king establishes may be…Daniel 6:28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.Daniel 8:20The ram which you saw, that had the two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia.Daniel 10:1In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the message was true, even a great warfare. He understood the message…Daniel 10:13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I remained there with the kings of Persia.Daniel 10:20Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.Daniel 11:2“Now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings will stand up in Persia. The fourth will be far richer than all of them. When he has grown strong through his riches, he will stir…
What the dictionary says
An ancient empire, extending from the Indus to Thrace, and from the Caspian Sea to the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
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
- OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · www.openbible.info/geo/
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain