Xerxes

By: Emil G. Hirsch, Eduard Meyer

Son of Darius, King of Persia (485-465 B.C.). His name, which is Khshayarsha in Persian, Ikhshiyarshu (with variants) in Babylonian, and Ξέρξης in Greek, frequently occurs, in the Old Testament. It is often written with ו instead of י, as in the Masoretic text, where it is spelled (Aḥashwerôsh) instead of (Ayḥashyarsh), with the prothetic vowel indispensable in Semitic before initial double consonants. Xerxes is mentioned in the Book of Ezra (iv. 6) in connection with a complaint lodged against the Jews by the Samaritans (comp. Meyer, "Entstehung des Judenthums," pp. 16 et seq.). He is the "king" of the Esther romance, and in the Book of Daniel (ix. 1) he is mentioned as the father of Darius, "of the seed of the Medes."

Location in the print edition Volume: 12 Page: 575

XERXES.—See Ahasuerus.

zẽrks´ēz: The name is an attempt to transliterate into Greek (Ξέρξης, Xérxēs) the Persian Khshayarsha. The same word in unpointed Hebrew took the form ’ḥshwrsh, probably pronounced ’ăḥshāwārash, but at a later time it was wrongly vocalized so as to produce ’ăḥashwērōsh (אחשׁירושׁ), 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.