The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Start Your Search     Choose a letter from below to display alphabetical list: A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z       Printer friendly version   Previous Next Xanthicus Yarn   Additional Resources   Concordances • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge » Xerxes XERXES zerks'-ez: The name is an attempt to transliterate into Greek (Xerxes) the Persian Khshayarsha. The same word in unpointed Hebrew took the form 'chshwrsh, probably pronounced 'achshawarash, but at a later time it was wrongly vocalized so as to produce 'achashwerosh, from whence "Ahasuerus" in English versions of the Bible comes. Xerxes was king of Persia in 485-465 BC. The first part of his reign was marked by the famous campaign into Greece, beginning in 483. After the defeat at Salamis in 480 Xerxes himself withdrew from the expedition and it was finally discontinued in the next year. During the remainder of his reign, Xerxes seems to have spent a listless existence, absorbed in intrigues of the harem, and leaving the government to be carried on by his ministers and favorites (often slaves). He was finally murdered by his vizier and left an unenviable reputation for caprice and cruelty. For the various Biblical references see AHASUERUS. Burton Scott Easton

Copyright Statement These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available from Crosswire Software. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'XERXES'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". <http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T9252>. 1915.