Daniel's Medo-Persia Prophecies

The Medo—Persian Empire is a key player in the prophecies of Daniel. It is called the Medo—Persian Empire because it was a combination of Media and Persia after the Persian conqueror Cyrus (c. 553—530 B.C.) overtook Media, before he eventually went on to defeat Babylon.

Years before, under prophetic guidance, the prophet Isaiah had described the work of Cyrus (Isa. 45:1). This conqueror of Media soon defeated the neighboring tribes and ruled from Ararat in the north to southeastern Babylonia and the Persian Gulf in the south. To round out his empire, he defeated the rich Croesus of Lydia in 547 B.C. and then took Babylon by a brilliant strategy in 539 B.C. Cyrus, and he recognized that the Lord had given him all these kingdoms (2 Chron. 36:23 Ezra 1:2).

Mentioned in Daniel 2's prophecy of the statue, as silver is inferior to gold, the Medo—Persian Empire was still inferior to the Babylonians in position and world power. While Medo—Persia covered more territory, it was inferior in overall magnificence. In fact, the Median and Persian conquerors adopted the culture of the complex Babylonian civilization, for their own was far less developed.

In Daniel 7, Medo—Persia is represented as a bear. As silver is inferior to gold, so, in some respects, the bear is inferior to the lion. The bear is, nevertheless, cruel and rapacious, characteristics that are attributed to the Medes in Isaiah 13:17, 18. The interpreter (v. 16) does not explain the lopsided bear of the vision. However, a comparison with chapter 8:3 and 20 indicates that the kingdom was composed of two parts. Of the Medes and the Persians, the Persians became the dominant power. Speaking of three ribs, these are not mentioned in the interpretation (vs. 17—27), but many commentators have considered them a symbol of the three principal powers that were conquered by the Medo—Persian Empire—Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt.

Cyrus was tolerant of other religions, and favored especially people who had been subjugated by the Babylonians, restoring the temples and modes of worship of these people and allowing exiles to return to their homelands. Among those who profited by these favorable policies were the Jews, who received permission to return to Palestine and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr 36:22, 23 Ezr 1:1—11 6:2—5). See Cyrus.

After Cyrus died, he was succeeded by his son Cambyses (530—522 B.C.), who is not mentioned in the Bible. Darius, a distant relative, then rose to claim the kingship (522—486 B.C.). Darius I proved to be a strong monarch and a great organizer, who ruled over his vast empire with a benevolent and peaceful hand. During the early years of his reign, the Jews, who had been hindered in rebuilding the temple at Jerusalem after the time of Cyrus, finally completed this work without interference under an extremely favorable decree issued by Darius (Ezr 4:24 to 6:15).

Darius was then followed by Xerxes I (486—465 B.C.), who suffered heavy defeats in Greece. He partly destroyed Babylon after a second uprising there against his rule, fulfilling in part the prophecies concerning Babylon's fate made long before by Isaiah and Jeremiah (see Isa. 13:17—22; Jer. 50:9—16). In the Bible, Xerxes is mentioned by the name of Ahasuerus.

Artaxerxes I (465—423 B.C.), Xerxes' son, took the throne upon his father's assassination, ruling for four decades. Under him Ezra, a scholarly Jew, returned to Jerusalem in 457 B.C. with authority to reorganize the judicial and civil service of the province of Judah according to the Mosaic law (Ezr. 7:1, 6, 11—26). Also under him Nehemiah was made governor of Judah and was allowed to refortify Jerusalem (Neh. 2:5—8).

Darius II (423—404 B.C.) came to the throne after a short interval, apparently the last Persian ruler mentioned in the Old Testament, likely the "Darius the Persian" of Neh. 12:22, from whose reign we have the last lists of temple personnel given in the Bible.

In Daniel 8, Daniel has a dream of a ram and a male goat, again representing the Medo—Persian Empire. The ram is described as having two great horns, one higher than the other. The book of Daniel repeatedly refers to the nation that conquered Babylon as that of "the Medes and Persians" and pictures that dual empire elsewhere as a single beast. Medo—Persia was later conquered by Alexander the Great of Greece.