Persia was the largest empire of the ancient world, built by Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
Under the Persians, the territory stretched from India to Cush, and the king ruled over more than a hundred provinces from capitals such as Susa and Persepolis.
In the Bible, the rise of Persia is directly linked to the end of Judah’s exile. God moved the heart of Cyrus to decree the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah.
It was in the citadel of Susa, the winter capital of the Persian kings, that some of the most striking scenes of biblical history after the exile took place.
There Esther became queen and, together with her uncle Mordecai, delivered the Jewish people from a decree of extermination. There too Nehemiah, cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, was granted permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
The prophet Daniel was also in Susa, where he received a vision about the end of the Persian empire itself, showing that even Persia was under the sovereign control of God.
The history of Persia in the Bible reminds us that God rules even the mightiest empires, and uses kings who do not even know him to fulfill his promises and protect his people.
