Difference between revisions of "Darius"

<p> A common name of several Medo-Persian kings, from a [[Persian]] root '''''Darvesh''''' , "restraint;" Sanskrit, '''''Dhari''''' , "firmly holding." </p> <p> '''1.''' [[Darius]] the Mede. (See [[Daniel]] ; [[Babylon; Belshazzar; Cyrus]] ) &nbsp;Daniel 5:31; &nbsp;Daniel 6:1; &nbsp;Daniel 9:1; &nbsp;Daniel 11:1. This Darius "received the kingdom" (&nbsp;Daniel 5:31) of [[Babylon]] as viceroy from Cyrus, according to G. Rawlinson, which may be favored by &nbsp;Daniel 9:1; "Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldaeans." He in this view gave up the kingdom to his superior Cyrus, after holding it from 538 to 536 B.C. [[Abydenus]] makes [[Nebuchadnezzar]] prophesy that a Persian and a Mede," the pride of the Assyrians," should take Babylon, i.e. a prince who had ruled over the [[Medes]] and Assyrians. </p> <p> Cyrus, having taken such a prince 20 years before Babylon's capture, advanced him to be deputy king of Babylon. Hence he retained the royal title and is called "king" by Daniel. Thus [[Astyages]] (the last king of the Medes, and having no issue, according to Herodotus, 1:73, 109,127) will be this Darius, and [[Ahasuerus]] (Achashverosh) = [[Cyaxares]] (Huwakshatra), father of Astyages. Aeschylus (Persae, 766, 767) represents Cyaxares as the first founder of the empire and a Mede, and Sir H. Rawlinson proves the same in opposition to Herodotus. Aeschylus describes Cyaxares' son as having "a mind guided by wisdom"; this is applicable both to Darius in &nbsp;Daniel 6:1-3, and to Astyages in Herodotus. The chronology however requires one junior to Astyages to correspond to Darius the [[Mede]] and Cyrus' viceroy, whether a son or one next in succession after Astyages, probably Cyaxares. </p> <p> Harpocration makes him to have introduced the coin named from him the daric. Xenophon's account of Cyaxares agrees remarkably with Daniel's account of Darius. Xenophon says [[Cyrus]] conquered Babylon by Cyaxares' permission, and appointed for him a royal palace and rule and home there (see &nbsp;Daniel 6:1-28; &nbsp;Daniel 9:1; &nbsp;Daniel 5:31). Daniel's statement that Darius was 62 years old accords with Xenophon that when Cyaxares gave Cyrus his daughter he gave him along with her the [[Median]] kingdom, himself having no male heir, and being so old as not to be likely to have a son. Darius' weakness in yielding to his nobles (Daniel 6) accords with Xenophon's picture of Cyaxares' sensuality. The shortness of his reign and the eclipsing brilliancy of Cyrus' capture of Babylon caused [[Herodotus]] and [[Berosus]] to pass Darius unnoticed. Cyaxares is the Median '''''Uwakshatra''''' , "autocrat," answering to Darius the Persian, '''''Darjawusch''''' "the ruler;" '''''Kschaja''''' , "kingdom," is the root in the Persian Ahasuerus, Kschajarscha, and the Median Astyages. </p> <p> '''2.''' Darius, son of Hystaspes, fifth from Achaemenes, who founded the Persian dynasty. The Magian Pseudo-Smerdis Aartxerxes; &nbsp;Ezra 4:7 usurped the throne, pretending to be Cyrus' younger son. (See [[Artaxerxes]] .) As he restored the Magian faith, effecting a religious as well as political revolution, he readily gave ear to the enemies of the [[Jews]] whose restorer Cyrus had been (&nbsp;Ezra 4:7-24). Darius [[Hystaspes]] with six Persian chiefs overthrew the impostor and became king 521 B.C. As soon as Darius was on the throne the Jews treated Smerdis' edict as null and void. This bold step is accounted for by Darius's own inscription at Behistun stating that in his zeal for [[Zoroastrianism]] he reversed Smerdis' policy, "rebuilding the temples which the Magian had destroyed and restoring the religious chants and worship which he had abolished." </p> <p> The Jews so counted on his sympathy as not to wait for his express edict. Their enemies, hoping that Smerdis had destroyed Cyrus' decree, informed the king of the Jews' proceeding and proposed that the archives at Babylon should be searched to see whether Cyrus had ever really given such a decree. It was found at Ecbatana. In his second year Haggai (&nbsp;Haggai 1:1; &nbsp;Haggai 2:1; &nbsp;Haggai 2:10) and Zechariah (Zechariah 3-4; &nbsp;Zechariah 7:1-3) the prophets encouraged [[Zerubbabel]] and [[Jeshua]] to resume the building of the temple that had been discontinued (Ezra 5). [[Tatnai]] and [[Shethar]] Boznai's effort to hinder it only occasioned the ratification of Cyrus' original decree by Darius. </p> <p> Darius in his decree in Ezra (Ezra 6) writes as might have been expected from the Zoroastrian Darius of secular history; he calls the Jews' temple "the house of God," [[Jehovah]] "the God of heaven," and solicits their prayers "for the life of the king and of his sons." Herodotus (vii. 2) confirms the fact that he had sons when he ascended the throne. His curse (&nbsp;Ezra 6:12) on those who injure the temple answers to that on those who should injure the inscriptions at Behistun, and his threat of impaling such (&nbsp;Ezra 6:11) answers to the Behistun and Herodotus (iii. 159) record of the ordinary punishment he inflicted. The "tribute" (&nbsp;Ezra 6:8) too he was the first to impose on the provinces (Herodotus, 3:89). in four years it was completed, i.e. in the sixth year of Darius (&nbsp;Ezra 6:15), in 516 B.C. In this same year he suppressed with severity a [[Babylonian]] revolt. He reduced under his supremacy Thrace, Macedon, and the islands in the Aegean Sea, 513-505 B.C. Invading Greece, he was defeated at [[Marathon]] 590. Before he could renew the campaign, with preparations completed he died 455 B.C. </p> <p> '''3.''' Darius the Persian (&nbsp;Nehemiah 12:11-22). As "Jaddua" was high priest at the invasion of [[Alexander]] the Great, Darius III, Codomanus, his enemy (336-330 B.C.), last king of Persia, is meant. Darius II, or Nothus, king from 424 to 405 B.C., would be meant if Nehemiah were the writer; but it is more likely he was not, and that the continuation of the register down to Alexander's contemporary, Jaddua, is inserted by a later hand. </p>

<p> was the name of several princes in history, some of whom are mentioned in Scripture. </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> DARIUS the Mede, spoken of in &nbsp; Daniel 5:31; &nbsp;Daniel 9:1; &nbsp;Daniel 11:1 , &c, was the son of Astyages, king of the Medes, and brother to Mandane, the mother of Cyrus, and to Amyit, the mother of Evil-merodach, and grandmother of Belshazzar. Darius the Mede, therefore, was uncle by the mother's side to Evil-merodach and Cyrus. The Septuagint, in Daniel vii, give him the name of Artaxerxes; the thirteenth, or apocryphal chapter of Daniel, calls him Astyages; and Xenophon designates him by the name of Cyaxares. He succeeded Belshazzar, king of Babylon, his nephew's son, or his sisters grandson, in the year of the world, 3448, according to Calmet, or in 3468, according to Usher. Daniel does not inform us of any previous war between them; but the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah supply this deficiency. Isaiah 13, 14, 45, 46, 47; Jeremiah 50, 51. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> DARIUS, the son of Hystaspes, has been supposed by some, on the authority of [[Archbishop]] Usher and Calmet, to be the Ahasuerus of Scripture, and the husband of Esther. But Dr. Prideaux thinks, that Ahasuerus was Artaxerxes Longimanus. This prince recovered Babylon after a siege of twenty months. This city, which had been formerly the capital of the east, revolted from Persia, taking advantage of the revolution that happened, first at the death of Cambyses, and afterward on the massacre of the Magi. The [[Babylonians]] employed four years in preparations, and when they thought that their city was furnished with provisions for a long time, they raised the standard of rebellion. Darius levied an army in great haste, and besieged Babylon. The Babylonians shut themselves up within their walls, whose height and thickness secured them from assault; and as they had nothing to fear but famine, they assembled all their women and children, and strangled them, each reserving only his most beloved wife, and one servant. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of &nbsp; Isaiah 47:7-9 . Some believe that the Jews were either expelled by the Babylonians, as being too much in the interest of Darius; or that, in obedience to the frequent admonitions of the prophets, they quitted that city when they saw the people determined to rebel, &nbsp;Isaiah 48:20; &nbsp;Jeremiah 50:8; &nbsp;Jeremiah 51:6-9; &nbsp;Zechariah 11:6-7 . Darius lay twenty months before Babylon, without making any considerable progress; but at length, Zopyrus, one of his generals, obtained possession of the city by stratagem. Darius ordered the hundred gates of brass to be taken away, according to the prediction of &nbsp;Jeremiah 51:58 , "Thus saith the Lord, The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire, and the people shall labour in vain." This is related in Herodotus. </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> [[Darius Codomanus]]  was of the royal family of Persia, but very remote from the crown. He was in a low condition, when Bagoas, the eunuch, who had procured the destruction of two kings, Ochus and Arses, placed him on the throne. His true name was Codoman, and he did not take that of Darius till he was king. He was descended from Darius Nothus, whose son, Ostanes, was father to Arsames, that beget Codomanus. He was at first only a courier to the emperor Ochus. But one day when he was at this prince's army, one of their enemies challenged the bravest of the Persians. Codomanus offered himself for the combat, and overcame the challenger, and was made governor of Armenia. From this situation, [[Bagoas]] placed him on the throne of Persia. Alexander the Great invaded the Persian empire, and defeated Darius in three successive battles. After the third battle, Darius fled toward Media, in hopes of raising another army. At Ecbatana, the capital of Media, he gathered the remains of his forces, and some new levies. Alexander having wintered at Babylon and Persepolis, took the field in search of Darius, who quitted Ecbatana, with an intention of retreating into Bactria; but, changing his resolution, Darius stopped short, and determined to hazard a battle, though his army at this time consisted only of forty thousand men. While he was preparing for this conflict, Bessus, governor of Bactria, and Narbazanes, a grandee of Persia, seized him, loaded him with chains, forced him into a covered chariot, and fled, carrying him with them toward Bactria. If Alexander pursued them, they intended to purchase their peace by delivering Darius into his hands; but if not, to kill him, seize the crown, and renew the war. [[Eight]] days after their departure, Alexander arrived at Ecbatana, and set out in pursuit of them, which he continued for eleven days: at length he stopped at Rages, in Media, despairing to overtake Darius. [[Thence]] he went into Parthia, where he learned what had happened to that unfortunate prince. After a precipitate march of many days, he overtook the traitors, who, seeing themselves pressed, endeavoured to compel Darius to get upon horseback, and save himself with them; but he refusing, they stabbed him in several places, and left him expiring in his chariot. He was dead when Alexander arrived, who could not forbear weeping at so sad a spectacle. Alexander covered Darius with his own cloak, and sent him to Sisygambis his wife, that she might bury him in the tombs of the kings of Persia. Thus were verified the prophecies of Daniel, viii, who had foretold the destruction of the Persian monarchy, under the symbol of a ram, which butted with its horns westward, northward, and southward, and which nothing could resist; but a goat which had a very large horn between his eyes, and which denoted Alexander the Great, came from the west, and overran the world without touching the earth; springing forward with impetuosity, the goat ran against the ram with all his force, attacked him with fury, struck him, broke his two horns, trampled him under foot, and no one could rescue the ram. Nothing can be clearer than these prophecies. </p>

<p> [[Darius]] ( ''Da-Rî'Us'' ), ''Restrainer.'' The name of several kings of Media and Persia mentioned in the Bible. 1. Darius the Median, &nbsp;Daniel 5:31, was the son of Ahasuerus; he took Babylon from Belshazzar the Chaldæan, being at that time about 62 years old. He has been identified with Astyages, Hystaspis, Cyaxares II. and Gobryas. "Only one year of the reign of Darius is mentioned, &nbsp;Daniel 9:1; &nbsp;Daniel 11:1; and if, as seems probable, Darius (Astyages) occupied the throne of Babylon as supreme sovereign, with Nerigalsarasser as vassal-prince, after the murder of Evil-merodach (Bel-shazzar), b.c. 559, one year only remains for this Median supremacy before its overthrow by Cyrus, b.c. 558, in exact accordance with the notices in Daniel." Under him Daniel was advanced to the highest dignity, which exposed him to the malice of enemies and led to his being cast into the den of lions, but by a miracle he escaped injury. 2. Darius, the son of Hystaspes, the founder of the Perso-Aryan dynasty, and ruler, b.c. 521-486. &nbsp;Ezra 4:5; &nbsp;Ezra 4:24; &nbsp;Haggai 1:1; &nbsp;Haggai 1:15; &nbsp;Zechariah 1:1; &nbsp;Zechariah 1:7; &nbsp;Zechariah 7:1. He found in the palace at [[Achmetha]] or Ecbatana, the capital of Cyrus, a decree of that king concerning the temple in Jerusalem. This he confirmed, and the temple was finished in four years, b.c. 516. &nbsp;Ezra 6:15. It may, however, have been used before it was entirely completed, as is inferred from &nbsp;Zechariah 7:2; &nbsp;Zechariah 3:3. Darius the Persian, mentioned in &nbsp;Nehemiah 12:22, is generally identified with Darius Codomaunus, the antagonist of Alexander the Great, who ascended the throne b.c. 336, and reigned until b.c. 330. He was the last Persian monarch, and was killed by his own generals. Alexander defeated him, and thus the prophecy of Daniel, &nbsp;Daniel 8:1-27, was fulfilled. </p>

<p> 1. [[Darius The Mede]]  </p> <p> &nbsp; Daniel 5:31 &nbsp; 9:1 &nbsp; 11:1 , was son of Astyages king of the Medes, and brother of Mandane mother of Cyrus, and of Amyit the mother of Evil-merodach and grandmother of Belshazzar: thus he was uncle, by the mother's side, to Evil-merodach and to Cyrus. The [[Hebrew]] generally calls him Darius; the Septuagint, Artaxerxes; and Xenophon, Cyaxares. Darius dethroned Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans, and occupied the throne till his death two years after, when it reverted to the illustrious Cyrus. In his reign Daniel was cast into the lion's den, &nbsp;Daniel 6:1-28 . </p> <p> 2. [[Darius Hystaspis]]  </p> <p> Spoken of in &nbsp;Ezra 4:1-7:28 , Haggai, and Zechariah, as the king who renewed the permission to rebuild the temple, given to the Jews by Cyrus and afterwards recalled. He succeeded Smerdis, the Magian usurper, B. C. 521, and reigned thirty-six years. He removed the seat of government to Susa, whereupon Babylon rebelled against him; but he subdued the rebellion and broke down the walls of Babylon, as was predicted, &nbsp;Jeremiah 51:58 . </p> <p> 3. [[Darius Codomanus]]  </p> <p> &nbsp; Nehemiah 12:22 , was one of the most brave and generous of the Persian kings. Alexander the Great defeated him several times, and at great length subverted the Persian monarchy, after it had been established two hundred and six years. Darius was killed by his own generals, after a short reign of six years. Thus were verified the prophecies of Daniel, &nbsp;Daniel 8:1-27 , who had foretold the enlargement of the Persian monarchy, under the symbol of a ram, butting with its horns westward, northward, and southward, which nothing could resist; and its destruction by a goat having a very large horn between his eyes, (Alexander the Great,) coming from the west, and overrunning the world without touching the earth. Nothing can be added to the clearness of these prophecies, so exactly describing what in due time took place and is matter of history. </p>

<li> Darius the Persian (&nbsp;Nehemiah 12:22 ) was probably the Darius II. (Ochus or Nothus) of profane history, the son of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was the son and successor of Ahasuerus (Xerxes). There are some, however, who think that the king here meant was Darius III. (Codomannus), the antagonist of Alexander the Great (B.C. 336-331). <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton [[M.A., DD]]  Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Darius'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/d/darius.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> ''''' da ''''' - ''''' rı̄´us ''''' : The name of three or four kings mentioned in the Old Testament. In the original Persian it is spelled "Darayavaush"; in Babylonian, usually "Dariamush"; in Susian(?), "Tariyamaush"; in Egyptian "Antaryuash"; on Aramaic inscriptions, דריהוש or דּריוהושׁ; in Hebrew, דּרתושׁ , <i> ''''' dāreyāwesh ''''' </i> ; in Greek, Δαρεῖος , <i> ''''' Dareı́os ''''' </i> ; in Latin, "Darius." In meaning it is probably connected with the new Persian word <i> ''''' [[Dara]] ''''' </i> , "king." Herodotus says it means in Greek, ρ Ο2 Ἐρξείηςπ , <i> ''''' Erxeı́ēs ''''' </i> , <i> ''''' coercitor ''''' </i> , "restrainer," "compeller," "commander." </p> <p> (1) Darius the Mede (&nbsp;Daniel 6:1; &nbsp;Daniel 11:1 ) was the son of <i> Ahasuerus </i> (Xerxes) of the seed of the Medes (&nbsp; Daniel 9:1 ). He received the government of Belshazzar the [[Chaldean]] upon the death of that prince (&nbsp;Daniel 5:30 , &nbsp;Daniel 5:31; &nbsp;Daniel 6:1 ), and was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. </p> <p> From &nbsp;Daniel 6:28 we may infer that Darius was king contemporaneously with Cyrus. Outside of the Book of Daniel there is no mention of Darius the Mede by name, though there are good reasons for identifying him with Gubaru, or Ugbaru, the governor of Gutium, who is said in the Nabunaid-Cyrus Chronicle to have been appointed by Cyrus as his governor of Babylon after its capture from the Chaldeans. Some reasons for this identification are as follows: </p> <p> ( <i> a </i> ) Gubaru is possibly a translation of Darius. The same radical letters in Arabic mean "king," "compeller," "restrainer." In Hebrew, derivations of the root mean "lord," "mistress," "queen"; in Aramaic, "mighty," "almighty." </p> <p> ( <i> b </i> ) Gutium was the designation of the country North of Babylon and was in all possibility in the time of Cyrus a part of the province of Media. </p> <p> ( <i> c </i> ) But even if Gutium were not a part of Media at that time, it was the custom of Persian kings to appoint Medes as well as [[Persians]] to satrapies and to the command of armies. Hence, Darius-Gubaru may have been a Mede, even if Gutium were not a part of Media proper. </p> <p> ( <i> d </i> ) Since Daniel never calls Darius the Mede king of Media, or king of Persia, it is immaterial what his title or position may have been before he was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans. Since the realm of the [[Chaldeans]] never included either Media or Persia, there is absolutely no evidence in the Book of Daniel that its author ever meant to imply that Darius the Mede ever ruled over either Media or Persia. </p> <p> ( <i> e </i> ) That Gubaru is called governor ( <i> ''''' pihatu ''''' </i> ), and Darius the Mede, king, is no objection to this identification; for in ancient as well as modern oriental empires the governors of provinces and cities were often called kings. Moreover, in the Aramaic language, no more appropriate word than "king" can be found to designate the ruler of a sub-kingdom, or province of the empire. </p> <p> ( <i> f </i> ) That Darius is said to have had 120 satraps under him does not conflict with this; for the Persian word "satrap" is indefinite as to the extent of his rule, just like the English word "governor." Besides, Gubaru is said to have appointed <i> ''''' pihatus ''''' </i> under himself. If the kingdom of the Chaldeans which he received was as large as that of [[Sargon]] he may easily have appointed 120 of these sub-rulers; for Sargon names 117 subject cities and countries over which he appointed his prefects and governors. </p> <p> ( <i> g </i> ) The peoples, nations and tongues of chapter 6 are no objection to this identification; for [[Babylonia]] itself at this time was inhabited by Babylonians, Chaldeans, Arabians, Arameans and Jews, and the kingdom of the Chaldeans embraced also Assyrians, Elamites, Phoenicians and others within its limits. </p> <p> ( <i> h </i> ) This identification is supported further by the fact that there is no other person known to history that can well be meant. Some, indeed, have thought that Darius the Mede was a reflection into the past of Darius Hystaspis; but this is rendered impossible inasmuch as the character, deeds and empire of Darius Hystaspis, which are well known to us from his own monuments and from the Greek historians, do not resemble what Daniel says of Darius the Mede. </p> <p> (2) Darius, the fourth king of Persia, called Hystaspes because he was the son of a Persian king named Hystaspis, is mentioned in Ezr (&nbsp;Daniel 4:5 , et al.), Hag (&nbsp;Daniel 1:1 ) and Zec (&nbsp;Daniel 1:1 ). Upon the death of Cambyses, son and successor to Cyrus, Smerdis the Magian usurped the kingdom and was dethroned by seven Persian nobles from among whom Darius was selected to be king. After many rebellions and wars he succeeded in establishing himself firmly upon the throne ( <i> Ant. </i> , XI, i). He reorganized and enlarged the Persian empire. He is best known to general history from his conflict with [[Greece]] culminating at Marathon, and for his re-digging of the [[Suez]] Canal. In sacred history he stands forth as the king who enabled the Jews under Jeshua and Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. </p> <p> (3) Darius, called by the Greeks NoThus, was called Ochus before he became king. He reigned from 424 to 404 bc. In the [[Scriptures]] he is mentioned only in &nbsp;Nehemiah 12:22 , where he is called Darius the Persian, probably to distinguish him from Darius the Mede. It is not necessary to suppose that Darius Codomannus who reigned from 336 to 330 bc, is meant by the author of Neh 12, because he mentions Jaddua; for ( <i> a </i> ) Johanan, the father of this Jaddua, was high priest about 408 bc, as is clear from the Aramaic papyrus from [[Elephantine]] lately published by Professor Sachau of Berlin, and Jaddua may well have succeeded him in those troubled times before the death of Darius NoThus in 404 bc. And ( <i> b </i> ) that a high priest named Jaddua met Alexander in 332 bc, is attested only by Josephus ( <i> Ant. </i> , XI, viii, 5). It is not fair to take the testimony of Josephus as to Jaddua without taking his testimony as to the meeting with Alexander and as to the appeal of Jaddua to the predictions of the Book of Daniel. But even if Josephus be right, there may have been two Jadduas, one high priest in 404 bc, and the other in 332 bc; or the one who was alive and exercising his functions in 404 bc may still have been high priest in 332 bc. He need not have exceeded 90 years of age. According to the Eshki Harran inscription, which purports to have been written by himself, the priest of the temple in that city had served for 104 years. In our own time how many men have been vigorous in mind and body at the age of 90, or thereabouts; Bismarck and Gladstone, for example? </p>