Persians

Persia enters Scripture as the power that sends the exiles home. In the first year of Cyrus the LORD stirs up his spirit, and the decree goes out: "Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:1–3). Isaiah had already named him "my shepherd" and even "his anointed" (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1). The vessels of the house of the LORD are counted out by Mithredath the treasurer to Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:7–8).

The rebuilding then depends on Persian officials for and against it. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe write to Artaxerxes and get the work stopped (Ezra 4:8–23). Tattenai, governor Beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai ask by whose decree the temple is being built, and their inquiry to Darius uncovers the original scroll of Cyrus in the archives at Ecbatana, so the empire itself pays for the work (Ezra 5:3–6:12). Later Artaxerxes sends Ezra with authority and treasure (Ezra 7:11–26) and grants Nehemiah leave, letters and timber (Nehemiah 2:1–8).

The court of Ahasuerus is drawn in more detail than any other in the Old Testament. Memucan advises the removal of Vashti (Esther 1:16–21), Hegai keeps the women and shows favor to Esther (Esther 2:8–9), Shaashgaz keeps the concubines, Bigthan and Teresh plot against the king and are exposed by Mordecai (Esther 2:21–23), and Haman the Agagite rises until Harbona points to the gallows he built for Mordecai (Esther 7:9–10).

Daniel serves the same empire under Darius the Mede, whose satraps trap him with a law that cannot be changed, and who spends a sleepless night before running to the den at dawn (Daniel 6:6–23). The pattern across all these books is consistent: Persian law is inflexible, Persian kings are movable, and both are used to preserve a people.