Historical people

Member of Josiah's delegation to Huldah (2 Kgs 22:12–14); protected Jeremiah (Jer 26:24); father of Gedaliah the governor (2 Kgs 25:22). · Kingdom of Judah

Alexander III of Macedon (r. 336–323 BC), conqueror of the Persian empire. · Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great

King of Babylon, son of Nebuchadnezzar II; acceded October 562 and died August 560 BC (Parker & Dubberstein); released Jehoiachin in his accession year (2 Kgs 25:27). Josephus gives him eighteen years. · Neo-Babylonian Empire

Prophet from Tekoa (Amos 1:1).

Seleucid king (261–246 BC) who married Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II. · Seleucid empire

Seleucid king (223–187 BC); defeated at Raphia (217), victorious at Panium (c. 200/198), defeated by Rome at Magnesia (190); killed in Elam (BM 35603). · Seleucid empire

Seleucid king (175–164 BC), son of Antiochus III and brother of Seleucus IV; formerly a hostage at Rome (1 Macc 1:10). Polybius records the nickname Epimanes, "madman". · Seleucid empire

Captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard (Dan 2:14). Distinct from Arioch king of Ellasar (Gen 14:1).

Achaemenid king (accession 465/464, died 424/423 BC). The Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 and Nehemiah 2 is identified with him by most interpreters consulted; an identification of Ezra's Artaxerxes with Artaxerxes II is noted by Newton (Funccius) and is not adopted here. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Master of the eunuchs (chief court official) under Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:3).

Judean youth trained at the Babylonian court with Daniel. Distinct from King Azariah (Uzziah) and other Azariahs.

Eldest son of Nabonidus (Bēl-šarra-uṣur), styled "son of the king" in Babylonian texts; exercised royal authority in Babylonia while Nabonidus was at Tayma. Called king in Daniel 5 and 7–8. · Neo-Babylonian Empire

Daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, married to Antiochus II; killed with her son after his death (Jerome; Newton). · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Daughter of Antiochus III, married to Ptolemy V (betrothed in Antiochus's 7th year and married in his 13th, per Jerome); mother of Ptolemy VI. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Median king, son of Astyages and uncle of Cyrus, in Xenophon's Cyropaedia (1.5.2). Not attested in Herodotus or cuneiform sources; his historicity is debated.

Achaemenid king; conquered Babylon in 539 BC. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Judean exile at the Babylonian and Persian courts; principal figure of the book of Daniel.

Achaemenid king (522–486 BC), author of the Behistun inscription; organised the satrapies and their tribute (Herodotus 3.89). Distinct from "Darius the Mede" of Daniel 5–6. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Ruler who "received the kingdom" after Belshazzar's death, aged about 62 (Dan 5:31); "son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes" (Dan 9:1). Not named in any known contemporary source; identification disputed (see the Daniel 5 dossier).

High priest in Nehemiah's time who led the priests in rebuilding the Sheep Gate (Neh 3:1); grandson of Jeshua and grandfather of Johanan (Neh 12:10–11, 22); allied by marriage with Tobiah (13:4–7). · Kingdom of Judah

Jewish orphan, cousin and ward of Mordecai, made queen of Ahasuerus (Xerxes) in Tebeth of his seventh year (Esth 2:7, 16–17). Not named in Greek sources, which call Xerxes's wife Amestris. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Priest of the line of Aaron and scribe skilled in the law of Moses, who came from Babylon to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7–10) and read the law publicly (Neh 8). His date relative to Nehemiah is disputed. · Kingdom of Judah

Roman envoy who in 168 BC ordered Antiochus IV out of Egypt, drawing a circle round him (Polybius 29.27). Jerome calls him "Marcus"; Driver and Polybius's editors "C(aius)". · Rome (Republic and Empire)

Appointed by Nebuchadnezzar over those left in Judah; governed from Mizpah and was assassinated by Ishmael son of Nethaniah in the seventh month (2 Kgs 25:22–25; Jer 40–41). · Kingdom of Judah

Opponent who mocked the rebuilding (Neh 2:19; 6:1–6).

Cyrus's official who appointed district officers in Babylon (ABC 7 iii 20). Whether he is the same man as Ugbaru is debated; the Livius translation spells them differently. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Prophet whose dated oracles in Darius I's second year urged the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Hag 1:1). · Kingdom of Judah

Chief minister of Ahasuerus (Xerxes) who obtained a decree to destroy the Jews (Esth 3); hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai (Esth 7). Whether "Agagite" means descent from the Amalekite king Agag is disputed (Keil: possible, unprovable). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Brought news of Jerusalem's distress to Nehemiah at Susa (Neh 1:2); later placed in charge of Jerusalem (Neh 7:2). Cowley finds no evidence to identify him with the Hananiah of the Elephantine Passover letter. · Kingdom of Judah

Judean youth trained at the Babylonian court with Daniel. Distinct from other Hananiahs.

Commander of the fortress (birah) north of the temple, put in charge of Jerusalem with Hanani as "a faithful man" who "feared God above many" (Neh 7:2). · Kingdom of Judah

Chancellor of Seleucus IV, sent for the Temple treasury in Jerusalem (2 Macc 3:7–28, with a miraculous repulse) and leader of the conspiracy in which the king was killed (Appian, Syr. 45). · Seleucid empire

High priest who found the "book of the law" during the Temple repairs (2 Kgs 22:4–8). Josephus calls the high priest of this episode Eliakim (Ant. 10.4.1–2). Guzik identifies him with Jeremiah's father (Jer 1:1); that identification is not established and is not made here. · Kingdom of Judah

Prophetess in Jerusalem's "second quarter", wife of Shallum keeper of the wardrobe, consulted on the found book (2 Kgs 22:14–20; 2 Chr 34:22–28). · Kingdom of Judah

Member of the royal house who assassinated Gedaliah at Mizpah (2 Kgs 25:25; Jer 41). · Kingdom of Judah

Last high priest named in the Hebrew Bible (Neh 12:11, 22), son of Johanan (Jonathan in 12:11). Josephus makes him high priest when Alexander came to Jerusalem; Keil argues that Neh 12 names him only as a member of the high-priestly house. · Kingdom of Judah

King of Judah for three months in 609 BC after Josiah's death; deposed by Necho II and taken to Egypt (2 Kgs 23:31–34; 2 Chr 36:1–4). · Kingdom of Judah

King of Judah for three months (598/597), son of Jehoiakim; surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar in 597, held at Babylon, released by Amel-Marduk (Evil-merodach) in 561. Babylonian ration lists name him Ya'u-kīnu, king of Yahudu. · Kingdom of Judah

King of Judah, son of Josiah; installed by Necho II. · Kingdom of Judah

Prophet of Judah from the 13th year of Josiah into the exile (Jer 1:1–3); his prophecy of seventy years (Jer 25:11–12; 29:10) is the subject of Daniel's prayer (Dan 9:2). · Kingdom of Judah

King of Israel, son of Joash (Jehoash). · Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom)

High priest of the returned community (Ezra 3:2; Hag 1:1 "Joshua"; Zech 3:1); grandson of Seraiah, the chief priest executed at Riblah (1 Chr 6:14–15; 2 Kgs 25:18–21, per Clarke via Guzik). · Kingdom of Judah

High priest in Jerusalem in 408/407 BC, named in Elephantine papyrus 30; listed in Neh 12:22–23 (grandson of Eliashib). Josephus (Ant. 11.7.1) tells that he killed his brother Jeshua in the Temple. · Kingdom of Judah

Son of Eliashib and father of Johanan in the high-priestly line (Neh 12:10–11, 22); one of his sons married a daughter of Sanballat and was driven away by Nehemiah (13:28). Josephus calls him Judas. · Kingdom of Judah

King of Judah (c. 640/639–609 BC), son of Amon; came to the throne at eight and reigned thirty-one years (2 Kgs 22:1); carried out a religious reform after the finding of the law book in his eighteenth year; killed at Megiddo when Necho II marched north in 609 (2 Kgs 23:29). · Kingdom of Judah

Son of Mattathias; led the revolt and rededicated the Temple (1 Macc 3–4).

Roman consul who defeated Antiochus III at Magnesia in 190 BC (Driver after Livy 37); Jerome mentions him with his brother Africanus. · Rome (Republic and Empire)

The prophet to whom the last book of the Twelve is attributed (Mal 1:1). Whether "Malachi" ("my messenger") is a personal name (Keil) or an editorial title drawn from 3:1 for an anonymous book (Smith) is disputed; the Targum identifies the author with Ezra. · Kingdom of Judah

Priest of Modein who began the revolt against Antiochus IV (1 Macc 2); Porphyry (per Jerome) took him as the "little help" of Dan 11:34.

Judean youth trained at the Babylonian court with Daniel.

Cyrus's treasurer who counted out the vessels to Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8). Distinct from the Mithredath of Ezra 4:7 under Artaxerxes. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Benjamite at Susa, of the family of Kish carried away with Jeconiah (Esth 2:5–6); guardian of Esther; uncovered the plot of Bigthan and Teresh. Whether he or Kish was the deportee is disputed (Keil). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (556–539 BC); spent about ten years at Tayma in Arabia. · Neo-Babylonian Empire

Founder of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty; father of Nebuchadnezzar II. · Neo-Babylonian Empire

King of Babylon 605–562 BC. · Neo-Babylonian Empire

Babylonian "captain of the guard" who burned Jerusalem and deported its people (2 Kgs 25:8–20; Jer 52:12–30). · Neo-Babylonian Empire

Pharaoh of Egypt. · Egypt (Twenty-sixth Dynasty)

Cupbearer to Artaxerxes at Susa, appointed governor of Judah, who rebuilt Jerusalem's walls (Neh 1–13). Josephus makes him cupbearer to Xerxes. · Kingdom of Judah

High priest at Jerusalem, supplanted by his brother Jason under Antiochus IV (2 Macc 4:7). 2 Maccabees has him killed near Antioch at Menelaus's instigation (4:33–35), c. 171 BC (Driver, after Schürer); Josephus's Jewish War (1.1.1) instead has "Onias the high priest" flee to Ptolemy and found the Heliopolis temple. Disputed (review open).

Son of Lagus; satrap and then king of Egypt (d. 283/282 BC). · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Second Ptolemaic king (283–246 BC); father of Berenice. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Third Ptolemaic king (246–222 BC); invaded the Seleucid realm to avenge his sister Berenice. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Ptolemaic king (222–204 BC); victor at Raphia. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Ptolemaic king (204–180 BC), a child at accession; married Cleopatra I, daughter of Antiochus III. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Ptolemaic king (180–145 BC), son of Cleopatra I and nephew of Antiochus IV, whose invasions of Egypt (170–168) were ended by Roman intervention. · Ptolemaic kingdom (Egypt)

Official who, with Shimshai the scribe, wrote to Artaxerxes against the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezra 4:8–23). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Leading opponent of Nehemiah (Neh 2:10, 19; 4; 6); father-in-law of a son of the high priest Joiada (13:28). An Elephantine letter of 408/407 BC refers to "Delaiah and Shelemiah the sons of Sanballat governor of Samaria"; Cowley identifies him with Nehemiah's Sanballat.

Founder of the Seleucid dynasty; once Ptolemy's officer, he became ruler of Babylon and Syria (d. 281 BC). · Seleucid empire

Seleucid king (246–225 BC), son of Antiochus II and Laodice. · Seleucid empire

Seleucid king (225–223 BC), elder son of Seleucus II; murdered on campaign. · Seleucid empire

Seleucid king, son of Antiochus III; reigned 12 years (BM 35603) and was assassinated in a conspiracy of Heliodorus (Appian, Syr. 45) in 175 BC. · Seleucid empire

Royal scribe who read the found book to Josiah (2 Kgs 22:3–10); father of Ahikam (22:12) and, by Jer 36:10, of Gemariah. · Kingdom of Judah

"Prince of Judah" who received the Temple vessels from Cyrus's treasurer and brought them to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:8–11); later said to have laid the Temple's foundation (Ezra 5:14–16). His relation to Zerubbabel is disputed. · Kingdom of Judah

Colleague of Tattenai in the inquiry and letter to Darius (Ezra 5:3, 6; 6:6, 13). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Scribe who co-wrote the letter to Artaxerxes (Ezra 4:8–23). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Persian governor (peḥah) of the province "Beyond the River" under Darius I, who inquired into the Temple rebuilding and wrote to Darius (Ezra 5:3–17; 6:6–13). A Babylonian document of 502 BC reportedly names a Tattannu governor of Ebir-nāri (Olmstead 1944; Kidner) — not read here. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Opponent of Nehemiah, called "the servant" (official) and Ammonite (Neh 2:10, 19; 6; 13:4–8).

Governor of Gutium who entered Babylon with Cyrus's army "without a battle" on 16 Tašrītu and died on the night of 11 Arahsamna (ABC 7 iii 15–22). Often equated with the Gobryas of Xenophon. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

King of Judah; also called Azariah. · Kingdom of Judah

Queen of Ahasuerus deposed after refusing to appear at his feast (Esth 1:9–22). Not named in Greek sources, which call Xerxes's wife Amestris. · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Achaemenid king (486–465 BC), son of Darius I; invaded Greece. Most interpreters read him as the rich fourth king of Dan 11:2; the "Ahasuerus" of Esther and Ezra 4:6 is usually identified with him (Driver). · Achaemenid Persian Empire

Prophet active with Haggai from Darius I's second year (Ezra 5:1; 6:14; Zech 1:1). · Kingdom of Judah

Last king of Judah (597–587/586), Jehoiachin's uncle Mattaniah, installed by Nebuchadnezzar (ABC 5: "a king of his own choice"); rebelled, captured and blinded at Riblah. · Kingdom of Judah

Davidic leader of the returned exiles and governor of Judah (Ezra 2:2; 3:2, 8; Hag 1:1); laid the foundation of the Second Temple with Jeshua (Ezra 3:8–13; Zech 4:9). Whether he is the same person as Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8; 5:14–16) is under owner review on the vessels record and is not assumed here. · Kingdom of Judah