Bible Dictionary
Ahasuerus
Ahasuerus is the name or title applied to several Median and Persian kings in Scripture, including the king of Esther who ruled a vast Persian empire.
Definition
Ahasuerus is the name applied in Scripture to three rulers: the father of Darius the Mede, a king mentioned in Ezra, and the Persian king in Esther. The name is associated with Median and Persian kings.
Biblical Usage
The Ahasuerus of Esther ruled Persia, Media, and Babylonia from India to Ethiopia. Esther was chosen as his queen. Another Ahasuerus is mentioned in the account of opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and one appears in Daniel as the father of Darius the Mede.
Historical Background
The three rulers are identified respectively with Cyaxares I, Cambyses, and Xerxes in the supplied historical comparisons. The Esther ruler succeeded Darius and reigned twenty-one years; the Greek version of Esther uses the name Artaxerxes.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
There are three kings designated by this name in Scripture. (1.) The father of Darius the Mede, mentioned in Dan. 9:1. This was probably the Cyaxares I. known by this name in profane history, the king of Media and the conqueror of Nineveh. (2.) The king mentioned in Ezra 4:6, probably the Cambyses of profane history, the son and successor of Cyrus (B.C. 529). (3.) The son of Darius Hystaspes, the king named in the Book of Esther. He ruled over the kingdoms of Persia, Media, and Babylonia, “from India to Ethiopia.” This was in all probability the Xerxes of profane history, who succeeded his father Darius (B.C. 485). In the LXX. version of the Book of Esther the name Artaxerxes occurs for Ahasuerus. He reigned for twenty-one years (B.C. 486-465). He invaded Greece with an army, it is said, of more than 2,000,000 soldiers, only 5,000 of whom returned with him. Leonidas, with his famous 300, arrested his progress at the Pass of Thermopylae, and then he was defeated disastrously by Themistocles at Salamis. It was after his return from this invasion that Esther was chosen as his queen.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(lion-king), the name of one Median and two Persian kings mentioned in the Old Testament.