Bible Dictionary
Shimshai, Or Shimshai
Shimshai was the secretary who supported opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple after the exile. He wrote to the Persian king in the Aramaic correspondence.
Definition
Shimshai was the secretary of Rehum, an official associated with the conquered province of Judea and the colony of Samaria. He supported opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple by writing to Artaxerxes.
Biblical Usage
Shimshai took part in the official letter against the restoration work. The correspondence was written in Syriac, or Aramaic, and was presented to the Persian court.
Historical Background
The supplied material describes Shimshai as apparently Aramaean and places his service in the Persian period after the captivity.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(sunny), the scribe or secretary of Kehum, who was a kind of satrap of the conquered province of Judea and of the colony of Samaria, supported by the Persian court. (Ezra 4:8,13,17,23) He was apparently an Aramaean, for the letter which he wrote to Artaxerxes was in Syriac. (Ezra 4:7) (B.C. 529.)