We meet the Persians for the first time in the Bible in the period towards the end of the Jews' exile in Babylon, when Cyrus, having conquered Babylon in 539 BC, issued a royal edict the following year permitting the exiles to return to their homeland (Ezr 1:1). Judea became part of one of the satraps (administrative districts) and, by and large, enjoyed a measure of independence as the returnees rebuilt the temple and walls of Jerusalem (Ezra and Nehemiah). Meanwhile, God's story with the Jews who remained in exile continues in the narratives of Daniel and Esther.
Resources:
Iran in the Bible: The Forgotten Story Our Dairly Bread Films Youtube 28 min. N
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Rise of the Persians. The Ancients (acast.com), Sept 2022. 44 mins.
Podcast/Audio N (Open on Phone)
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