Many of us are familiar with King Xerxes in the Bible. For those who aren’t, just think of the Persian king in the Book of Esther. He’s often known for holding a beauty contest for all the maidens in Persia, marrying Esther, and (almost) eradicating the Jewish people in the land of Persia. But what about Ahasuerus?
At first glance, it seems like Ahasuerus and King Xerxes are one and the same. Ahasuerus is the Hebrew, and Xerxes is the Greek translation of the same name. However, we must remember that people in the Bible went by multiple names. For instance, Daniel’s friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went by the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We see God changing Abrams to Abraham and Saul to Paul. Therefore, a man called Ahasuerus may be a different man than the one mentioned earlier in the Bible.
But upon further investigation, the Bible mentions several men called Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, in Greek translations). Based on the description, Ahasuerus had more than just one man. We’ll uncover who Ahersuerus was in the Bible and why he plays an important role in the overarching narrative.
Three different men go by this name at some point in the Bible. Let’s uncover their identities. We’ll save King Xerxes for last since he tends to get the most press.
This king is mentioned in Daniel 9:1 and may have also gone by the name Cyaxeres. Unfortunately, beyond the Daniel 9 reference, we don’t have much to go off of.
Darius the son of Ahasuerus, who was born a Mede, was made king over the nation of the Babylonians (Daniel 9:1 NLV)
We must examine extrabiblical texts to get more information on this specific king. So what do we know about Darius’s father, since we know Darius as the man who put Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6)?
He was cataloged by the Greek historian Xenophon, whose records confirms that he was the king of the Medes (modern Iran). The Medes and Persians linked kingdoms and conquered Babylon together. He laid siege to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (you may recognize it from the Book of Jonah). He is known for ultimately contributing to the downfall of Assyria.
What do we know about Assyria? They had brutal prisoner-of-war tactics and also were enemies of God’s people. Although God used them to take the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity, they took it too far. Because of that, they’d earned the wrath of God, which was provided at the hands of the Medo-Persians.
We don’t know much about the personality of this particular king. Only that he was a successful war general and helped to shift the weaponry tactics of the Medo-Persians. With that in mind, let’s jump to the next Ahasuerus.
Ezra 4:6 describes another ruler: At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
This seems to be a different Xerxes than the one mentioned in Esther. The Xerxes in Esther wouldn’t have gone against the Jewish people (after Esther made her identity known to him). The king in Ezra appears to halt the Jewish people’s building process based on rumors he hears, indicating he doesn’t sympathize with their cause.
This Ahasuerus was potentially a king named Cambyses. The oldest son of Cyrus II, this king helped conquer Egypt (see a pattern with these kings?).
We know that Cambyses also led unsuccessful campaigns in Ethiopia and Carthage and died in mysterious circumstances.
This leads us to the final Ahasuerus, the one from the Book of Esther.
There are many things to cover about this man, but we can distill it down to a few points.
First, he was unsuccessful in many of his war campaigns. Most prominently, his fight against Greece (many of us are familiar with his battle against the 300 Spartans).
Secondly, the Bible characterizes him as having mood swings, making irrational decisions, and listening to ill advice.
In the Book of Esther, he gets angry very easily. When his first wife refuses to appear (naked) at a banquet, he gets angry and divorces her (per the advice of an advisor). When he discovers that his advisor Haman’s plan to kill the Jewish people would involve killing his queen, he has Haman impaled on a stake. The second situation has poetic justice (Haman installed the stakes himself to kill Esther’s godfather Mordecai) but still shows this king’s swift anger when he felt he had been crossed.
Furthermore, this king gets angry at situations he got himself into—by listening to unwise advisors. Because of his advisors’ advice, he sent his first wife away. Because of Haman’s advice, he almost eradicates every Jewish person in the Persian Empire.
Thanks to historical records, we know that, sadly, this king Ahasuerus did not have a pleasant ending to his life story. A political conspiracy involving an inside man led to his death (and likely the subsequent deaths of Esther and Mordecai).
Now that we’ve overviewed the three people named Ahasuerus, let’s uncover why so many go by the same name.
The name means prince or chief, which fits anyone who took up that title.
But why does it seem that so many Medo-Persian kings go by the same name—especially in such rapid succession?
There are several possibilities.
First of all, perhaps these aren’t three different people, just one. However, if that theory were correct, we must consider why we run into conflicting stories about their lives and deaths. Some of these kings die of mysterious circumstances. Others die in clear circumstances (an assassination involving an inside job).
Also, the kings’ conquests happen in very different places. Assyria, Ethiopia, Carthage, and Greece aren’t exactly a day’s walk from one another.
The more likely solution is three different people who shared a similar nickname, or second name.
But why?
We can offer a few likely answers.
First, honoring ancestry. It’s why we see so many kings of England carrying the same name. There’s a sense of duty to follow former generations. Looking at the Bible’s references to Ahasuerus, we see it being used over at least two generations. About 70 years pass between Daniel being taken into exile and the time of Ezra.
Secondly, title. If the name means chief or prince, it commands respect and sets expectations.
Thirdly, tradition. Clearly, Ahasuerus was an important name in Medo-Persian culture at the time. Particularly in the case of Cambyses, it would seem a worthy title to bestow upon later rulers or regent rulers.
With this in mind, can we learn anything from these kings?
Although two of the three kings get a mere mention in the Books of Ezra and Daniel, they can still have applications in our lives. No named or unnamed person in the Bible is without their lessons. Let’s pluck three applications from these kings.
1. Kings liked to conquer and were conquered
It may seem like a simple history lesson. But we notice that everything was marked by a power struggle during the Israelites’ exile. Kingdoms hoped to topple kingdoms. Babylon fell. Eventually, Persia fell too. What may seem like an unstoppable kingdom or entity today is at the mercy of God’s hand.
2. Generational names carry an important meaning
There’s a reason why we often will name our children after people in the Bible. We love their stories, their faith, and their faithfulness. And we hope our kids will reflect that through their namesake. The same applies to these kings. Their families hoped their heritage would carry on through their names.
3. Historical context is important
At first glance, and if we don’t consider the cultural context, we may assume Ahasuerus was the same person. We must read the Bible carefully, remembering it describes events in a very different culture. We also need to consider how we read books describing history—thinking about what it says about events and how they connect. We don’t have to know everything about Bible’s historical records to commit to the Christian faith. Still, understanding how to read history well and apply that to the Bible can bolster our confidence in Scripture’s inerrancy. The more we know, the more we can spread the Gospel accurately.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Rivka Gruzman
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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