And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.
During the time when Artaxerxes was king, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their associates wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated into Aramaic.
This verse describes how local officials wrote a formal complaint letter to the Persian king in the official government language of that time.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 464-424 BC during the reign of Artaxerxes I of Persia, after the Jewish exiles had returned from Babylon and begun rebuilding Jerusalem. Aramaic was the official diplomatic and administrative language of the Persian Empire, used for official correspondence throughout the vast kingdom. Local governors and officials in various provinces would communicate with the Persian court in this common language.
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