Shimshai שִׁמְשַׁי
Scribe who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Who is Shimshai in the Bible?
Shimshai was a Persian scribe who, along with Rehum the commander, opposed the Jewish rebuilding of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17, 23). Together they wrote a letter to the king accusing the Jews of reconstructing the city and walls, warning that such rebuilding would lead to rebellion against Persian rule. In response to their accusations, Artaxerxes ordered the work to cease, and Shimshai and Rehum traveled to Jerusalem to forcibly stop the reconstruction efforts. Their opposition temporarily halted the Jews' plans until the later reign of King Darius, who eventually permitted the work to resume. Shimshai represents the external resistance and political obstacles the Jewish people faced during their post-exilic restoration of Jerusalem and the temple.
Biography
Shimshai is mentioned in Ezr.4.8, 9, 17, and 23 as a scribe who, together with Rehum the commander, opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Shimshai and Rehum wrote a letter to the king, accusing the Jews of rebuilding the city and its walls, and claiming that this would lead to rebellion against the Persian Empire. In response to their letter, Artaxerxes ordered the work on the city to cease until further notice. Shimshai and Rehum, along with their associates, then went to Jerusalem and forcibly stopped the Jews from rebuilding the city. This opposition temporarily halted the reconstruction efforts until the reign of King Darius, who later allowed the Jews to resume their work on the temple and the city.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentEzra 4 verses
- Ezra 4:8
"Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows:"
Study Ezra → - Ezra 4:9
"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,"
Study Ezra → - Ezra 4:17
"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."
Study Ezra → - Ezra 4:23
"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."
Study Ezra →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | שִׁמְשַׁי |
Shimshai
rican) "Samellius"; a number of explanations of this name have been offered, but no one has been generally favored. One conjecture traces it to an Old Iranian caritative sh-sh-m-y conformed to shamash; another prefers the Old Bactrian simezhi = simaezhi; compare BDB, under the word The name looks as though it were derived from shemesh, "the sun"): A state secretary who, with REHUM (which see) and others, wrote to Artaxerxes to persuade him to prohibit the rebuilding of the temple (Ezr 4:8,9,17,23).
Horace J. Wolf
shen, sen "sh", "s": The 21st letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "sh" and "s". It came also to be used for the number 300. For name, etc., see ALPHABET<