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Who was Shimshai in the Bible?

Lived during the exile and the return

Shimshai is mentioned in Ezr.4.8, 9, 17, and 23 as a scribe who, together with Rehum the commander, opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Shimshai appears in 4 verses of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Shimshai?

Shimshai is mentioned in Ezr.4.8, 9, 17, and 23 as a scribe who, together with Rehum the commander, opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Shimshai and Rehum wrote a letter to the king, accusing the Jews of rebuilding the city and its walls, and claiming that this would lead to rebellion against the Persian Empire. In response to their letter, Artaxerxes ordered the work on the city to cease until further notice. Shimshai and Rehum, along with their associates, then went to Jerusalem and forcibly stopped the Jews from rebuilding the city. This opposition temporarily halted the reconstruction efforts until the reign of King Darius, who later allowed the Jews to resume their work on the temple and the city.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Shimshai appear in the Bible?

Shimshai is referenced in 4 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Ezra 4

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Shimshai.

RehumJerusalemPersiaSamariaArtaxerxes

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Shimshai?

Shimshai appears in 4 verses, all of them in Ezra.

Which books of the Bible mention Shimshai?

Just one: Ezra.

Where can I read every verse about Shimshai?

This page lists 4 of them. Protos carries all 4, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Ezra with Shimshai explained on the verse.

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