Body: | Persian Empire Bible Coins: 539-333BC
Coins of the Persian appointed Satraps, Governors of Judah
Hebrew, Jewish, Yehuda, Bible coins of the Persian Empire
539-333BC
Persian Governors, Satraps of Judea
Introduction:
The first coins minted and used in Israel were produced during the
Persian Empire.
Esther lived in the middle of the Persian era and married King
Xerxes (485-465 BC) and is therefore a fitting symbol for the entire
Persian empire that dates from 539-333BC.
Coins and pottery from the Persian era not only confirm details
revealed in the Bible, they sometimes give us some important information
about the Judean governors and other details, that are not revealed in the
Bible!
The King of Persia had appointed a "prince" or "governor" from among
the returning Jews.
The Bible gives us great details about three of the most famous
Persian appointed governors of Judea, Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel and Nehemiah.
Five of the first eight governors of Judah are known only through
archeology!
Three unique words were brought into the Bible for the first time
after the Babylonian captivity of 587BC and during the Persian Empire:
"Yehudim" (Jew) is the unique word for the Jews is in the Bible
after the Babylonian captivity and the Persian era.
"Yehud" (Judah) is a unique Persian word found 6 times in the Bible.
"Tirshatha" (Governor) A unique Persian origin word for governors
(ie. Nehemiah) appointed by the Persian king is in the Bible. "pehah"=
(Governor) is the standard Hebrew title of a governor that dates back to
Solomon. However, during the minting of coins during Persian rule were
inscriptions with "PHH" and sometimes additionally with the personal name
of the governor!
Several unique inscriptions from the Persian era and later have been
found on coins, pottery and manuscripts.
YHD unvowelled (or "YHWD" in vowelled script) is derived directly
from JEW and/or JUDAH as referring to the entire Persian province.
I. Earliest and first Hebrew coins ever minted: Persian before
333BC
Silver obol, Jerusalem mint:
II. Persian appointed Jewish governors/princes of the province of Judah:
Sheshbazzar: The first governor: 533-520 BC
The decree of Cyrus in Ezra 1:1 happened in 539 BC. Five years later
Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel leave for Jerusalem
"Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the Lord,
which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house
of his gods; and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of
Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the
prince of Judah." (Ezra 1:7-8)
"'Also the gold and silver utensils of the house of God which
Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and brought them to
the temple of Babylon, these King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and
they were given to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed
governor." (Ezra 5:14)
Zerubbabel: The second governor: 520-510 BC
Both Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel are said to lay the foundations of
the Temple:
"Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of
God in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction
and it is not yet completed.'" (Ezra 5:16)
"Now in the second year of their coming to the house of God at
Jerusalem in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua
the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brothers the priests and the
Levites, and all who came from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work
and appointed the Levites from twenty years and older to oversee the work
of the house of the Lord. Then Jeshua with his sons and brothers stood
united with Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah and the sons of Henadad
with their sons and brothers the Levites, to oversee the workmen in the
temple of God. Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple
of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the
Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to
the directions of King David of Israel." (Ezra 3:8-10)
The solution is simple: When Sheshbazzar was the Governor,
Zerubbabel was a high ranking official. Think of Moses and Joshua, Elijah
and Elisha etc. Both were present at the laying of the foundation. When
Sheshbazzar died, Zerubbabel succeeded him as Governor of Judah.
Elnathan The third governor: 510-490 BC
Archeology has found two bullas and seals with "phwʾ" with the name
of Elnathan on them.
The first has an inscription with "Belonging to Elnathan the
governor" on it.
The second is called the Shelomith seal with this inscription on it:
"Belonging to Shelomith, maidservant of Elnathan the governor."
He is not mentioned in the Bible.
This is an excellent example of where archeology can fill in gaps of
information the Bible lacks. This of course, does not take away from the
inspiration of the bible, since there are many facts of history the Bible
does not contain. However, any time the Bible does touch upon history it is
always right 100% of the time!
Yehoʿezer: The forth governor: 490-470 BC
Archeology has found a jar handle stamp impression with "phwʾ" on
it and his name: "Yeho'ezer the Governor"
He is not mentioned in the Bible
However, excavations at Ramat Rachel in 1930 AD uncovered: "Another
130 seal impressions on jar handles found this season bring the total to
400. About 50 belong to the Iron Age and the rest to the Persian period"
(Excavations at Ramat Racḥel, Yohanan Aharoni, Biblical Archaeologist,
Vol 24, 1961 AD)
Ahzai: The fifth governor: 470-460 BC
Archeology has found a jar impression with "phwʾ" on it.
Nehemiah: The Seventh governor: First term: 445-433 BC (20th -32nd
year of Artaxerxes I who reigned 464-424BC) Second term: 429-? BC
Ezra: Arrives in Jerusalem in 458 BC in the 7th year of Artaxerxes
I, which is 13 years before Nehemiah arrives in 445 BC
"Moreover, from the day that I [Nehemiah who is writing the book]
was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth
year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years,
neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor's food allowance. But
the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took
from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their
servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of
God." (Nehemiah 5:14-15)
"Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and
scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,
"This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep." For all
the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law." (Nehemiah
8:9)
Sanballat and Tobiah opposed Nehemiah in 445 BC in Neh 2:10
"Aramaic dedication inscription of Qaynu son of Gashmu, king of
Qedar, on a silver bowl from Tell el-Mashkhuta, Egypt. Four of the silver
bowls bear Aramaic dedicatory inscriptions to the goddess Han-Ilat. One of
the inscriptions reads: "That which Qaynu, son of Gashmu, king of Qedar,
brought in offering to Han-Ilat." An analysis of the bowls and their
inscriptions has led scholars to conclude that the Gashmu mentioned in the
inscription is the very same Gashmu (or Geshem) mentioned in Nehemiah 2:19,
6:1,2,6." (Gashmu, Nehemiah's Adversary , Bible and Spade, Vol 1, No 3,
p82, 1972 AD)
Bagohi: The sixth governor: 409 BC
Archeology has found the Persian Elephantine Papyus with "Bagohi the
satrap of Judah" and "Sanballat satrap of Samaria" in the text of the same
"Temple Papyri" letter.
This is the only reference to Bagohi we have and we would not know
about him if we did not have the 28 Elephantine Papyrus discovered in 1904
BC
More on the Elephantine Papyrus.
"Hezekiah": Governor of Judea: 350-302 BC
Hezekiah was the last governor of the Persian Empire and governed
after Alexander the Great started the Greek empire in 333BC.
Hezekiah, therefore, is unique in that he governed Judea through the
transitional period between the Persian and Greek empires.
Archeology has found two coins with his name as governor.
We know about him only through coins he minted
Some coins contained the full inscription naming Hezekiah as the
governor: "YHZQKYH HPHH" (Yehezqiyah the Satrap) (Meshorer: Coins 22-23);
Others, like this one, "YHZQYH" (Yehezqiyah) (Meshorer: Coins 24-26)
only mention Hezekiah without the PHH (Hebrew: Peheh)
See the page on Yehezqiyah "Hezekiah" for more details on his coin!
III. "Yehudim" (JEW) was first applied to the Hebrews during the Babylonian
captivity:
Jew: The Hebrew people were first called "Yehudim" (Jews) by the
Babylonians and Persians.
Yehudim = Literally=one of the tribe Judah = usage is "Jew" as
today, one who ascribes to Judaism and the law of Moses.
"Although Heb. yehûḏî means "person belonging to [the tribe
of] Judah," it is never used this way in the OT. It comes into prominence
only after the destruction of the northern kingdom and, more specifically,
after the Babylonian Captivity. Thus it is used of an Israelite living in
the province of Judea (Judah) during the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and
Roman periods. It is most frequent in Esther, where it denotes all
Israelites (cf. the application of the term to Mordecai, who was of the
tribe of Benjamin: 2:5; 3:5; 5:13; etc.); the same usage is found in Daniel
(3:8, 12). Hence the term takes on a decidedly religious connotation,
referring to adherents of the Hebrew religion (see Judaism), though there
often remains a close connection with the land of Judah. (ISBE, Jew, 1988
AD)
Abraham was first to be called a "Hebrew" (Gen 14:13) and the exile
Hebrews were first to be called "Jews" (2 Kings 25:25).
i. "Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was
living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of
Aner, and these were allies with Abram." (Genesis 14:13)
Yehudim is a unique word in the Old Testament the Babylonians and
Persians used to refer to the Hebrew population from Judah.
The word "Jew" is common today but no one in the Bible before the
Babylonian Captivity of 587 BC was ever called a JEW.
JEW and Christian were names enemies gave the people of God.
The first time any Hebrew was called a Jew is after the Babylonian
captivity of 587 BC:
i. "But it came about in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son
of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men
and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews [literally:
Yehudim] and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah." (2 Kings 25:25)
The first time JEW is used in Ezra, was by the enemies of the
Hebrews in a letter to the king of Persia. This confirms it is a foreign
label given to the people of God.
i. "let it be known to the king that the Jews [literally:
Yehudim] who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are
rebuilding the rebellious and evil city and are finishing the walls and
repairing the foundations." (Ezra 4:12)
In the New Testament, it appears that "Christian" (Acts 12:26;
26:28) like "Jew" were names given the people of God by unbelievers!
There are no inscriptions on coins with JEW on them, but YHD came to
represent both the people (Jews, yehudim) and the province (Judah, Yehud).
IV. "Yehud" (land of Judah) is a unique Persian origin word for the
territory of the province of Judah
"YHD" inscriptions on coins represent primarily the three letter
symbol for the Persian PROVINCE of Judah and secondarily as the people who
became known as "Jews".
After the Persian period ended with Alexander the Great in 333 BC,
the YHD continued to be minted on Hebrew coins till about 200 BC.
Eventually the YHD was replace with "YRSLM" around 200 BC.
"The literary sources from the time of the Return to Zion do not
mention that Jerusalem was called "YHD," but seal impressions found on jar
handles from the Persian and Hellenistic periods suggest that this was the
case. It has become evident that Judean jar handles from the beginning of
the second century B.C.E. bear the inscription "YRSLM." The name "YRSLM"
thus came to replace the term "YHD" (depicted on the earlier jar handles)
which probably had also applied to the city." (Hendin, p6)
"YEHUD" is a unique Persian form of the word for Judah (Jehudah).
The standard word in the Old Testament for Judah is "Yehudah" which
is found 819 times.
Persian "Yehud" (6 times) is equivalent to "Yehudah" (819 times)
Persian "Yehud is found only 6 times in the Bible during the Persian
era: Ezra 5:1; 5:8; 7:14; Daniel 2:25; 5:13; 6:13
i. "Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo,
prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah [Persian: "Yehud"] and Jerusalem,
in the name of the God of Israel who was over them." (Ezra 5:1)
ii. "May it be known to the king that we went to the province of
Judah [Persian: "Yehud"], to the house of the great God. It is being built
of hewn stone, and timber is laid in the walls; this work is being done
diligently and prospers in their hands." (Ezra 5:8)
iii. "For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to
make inquiries about Judah [Persian: "Yehud"] and Jerusalem according to
the law of your God, which is in your hand," (Ezra 7:14)
iv. "Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said
to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah [Persian: "Yehud"] a
man who can tell the king the interpretation."" (Daniel 2:25)
v. "Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to
Daniel, "So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah [Persian:
"Yehud"], whom my father the king brought from Judah?" (Daniel 5:13)
vi. "Then they responded to the king, "Daniel, one of the
exiles from Judah [Persian: "Yehud"], pays no attention to you, O king, or
to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times
a day."" (Daniel 6:13)
"The name Yehud (Persian for Judah) was struck on at least two
Philis-tian quarter-sheqels (Nos. 1045 and 1046) and the initial yod, its
first letter, was struck on both quarter-sheqels and ma `ah-obols (Nos.
1047, 1048). These coins were manufactured on the Philistian weight
stan-dards, and in design and fabric resemble the Philistian coins and not
the Yehud issues struck later and used in and around the Jerusalem area.
One coin, No. 1049, possibly a quarter-sheqel, is of special inter-est
because it relates to the Judaean weight standard, and it carries the name
yhwd in four letters along with the 0 (` ayin), one of the tradi-tional
mintmarks of Gaza. This clue suggests that the earliest series of Yehud
coins, all of which are either unique or extremely rare, may have been
struck at Gaza for use in Judah, and later a mint was estab-lished in the
Jerusalem area. Gitler and Tal have noted that both ge-neric "Philistian"
and specific coins of Gaza were minted at the same mint 18 Gitler also
confirms that there is now additional evidence for the increased
probability of an initial central mint in Philistia." (Hendin, p87)
"The eponym of the tribe of Judah was born to Jacob as his fourth
son by his wife Leah (Gen 29:35). In Akkadian sources we find the name
forms ya-á-du, ya-a-ḫu-du and ya-ku-du. This is similar to the yĕhûd
or yahûd from the Persian period. An inscription found in a rock-cut tomb
in W Judah, that most probably dates back to the 7th or 6th century b.c.e.,
has hry yhd, "the mountains of Judah." On Arad Ostracon 40 the text is
unfortunately damaged after yĕhûd (l.13); it is therefore not certain
that -āh followed, as is often assumed. Both the etymology and the
original meaning are disputed. There is, however, a growing consensus that
the original meaning was geographic: Mt. Judah. Compare expressions such as
ʾereṣ yĕhûdâ (Amos 7:12), midbar yĕhûdâ (Judg 1:16), negeb
yĕhûdâ (1 Sam 27:10). Consequently, the main tribe of this area was
called after its territory. The last step was the name yĕhûdâ as the
name of a state. Apart from the eponym, the use of yĕhûdâ as a personal
name seems to be postexilic. It is a striking fact that a name yĕhûdâ
until now has not been found among the hundreds of extrabiblical personal
names discovered on ostraca and seals. This could speak in favor of
Lipínski's hypothesis that the name is related to Arabic wahda/yahda,
"ravine"/"canyon." But a derivation of the root yhd (Hopʿal) is
more probable, as was suggested by W. F. Albright as early as 1927. This
was recently defended again by A. R. Millard (1974). The ending -āh could
be a shortening of a theophoric element (see TPNAH, 165)." (ABD, Judah,
1992 AD)
V. "Tirshatha" (governor) is a unique Persian origin word for a governor of
the province of Judah appointed by a Persian king.
The Persian word "Tirshatha" (governor) is equivalent to the Hebrew
word "Pehah" (governor) and are both applied to the governors during the
Persian Empire.
Within the Persian era books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, is a
commonly used word for governor:
There are 5 times in four verses that the unique Persian origin word
for governor (Tirshatha) is used to refer to the Persian appointed
governors. Twice Nehemiah is called by this unique word for Governor:
"the governor [literally: Tirshatha, a Persian title] told them that
they were not to partake of the most holy food, until there should be a
priest to consult Urim and Thummim." (Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65)
"Now some of the heads of ancestral houses contributed to the work.
The governor [literally: Tirshatha, a Persian title] gave to the treasury
one thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred thirty priestly
robes." (Nehemiah 7:70)
"And Nehemiah, who was the governor [literally: Tirshatha, a Persian
title], and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the
people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do
not mourn or weep." For all the people wept when they heard the words of
the law." (Nehemiah 8:9)
"Upon the sealed document are the names of Nehemiah the governor
[literally: Tirshatha, a Persian title], son of Hacaliah, and Zedekiah;"
(Nehemiah 10:1)
VI. "Pehah" is the standard Hebrew word for "governor, Satrap"
The Hebrew word "Pehah" (governor) is equivalent to the Persian word
"Tirshatha" (governor) and are both applied to the governors during the
Persian Empire.
In coins and pottery "pehah" is written as the inscription "PHH".
(remove the vowels from Pehah)
The Hebrew word "pehah" is used 28 times in 27 verses of the Old
Testament.
"Pehah" came into use during the time of Solomon and continued down
through the Persian period.
In the book of Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther, the word is used many
times for the English word, "Governor".
We have found coins with the inscription "PHH" on them, in reference
to the Hebrew Governors appointed by Persian kings.
"The term pehah (satrap) as the title of the governor of a province
is well known from the Persian period. Zerubbabel was the first pehah of
Judah [correction, Sheshbazzar was first] in this period (Haggai 2:21), and
even the Persian governor of the entire satrapy on the western side of the
Euphrates was called "the governor on this side of the river" (Neh. 3:7).
An Elephantine papyrus from the end of the fifth century B.C.E. mentions
"Bagohi the satrap of Judah" and his contemporary "Sanballat satrap of
Samaria.'53 Among the finds from Wadi Daliyeh, this title is mentioned on a
bulla of Sanballat (the last governor of Samaria during the Persian period)
and on papyri from the days of "Hananiyah the satrap" (354 B.C.E.)." Seal
impressions found on jar handles in Judah feature the names of some of the
satraps, such as Yeho cezer and Ahzai.55 The coins with the inscription
"YHZQYH HPHH" are all of the same type (obverse: head facing frontward;
reverse: an owl). The name "YHZQYH" appears on another type of coin showing
a few changes (Coins 24-26), but without the title "PHH". However, Coin 24
also has completely different designs: on the obverse is a youthful male
head, and on the reverse the front part of a winged animal. This leads one
to ask a natural question: is this the same figure or are we dealing with
two different people? Anyone looking at photographs of the coins found
attached to one another at Tel Gamma will immediately discern that three of
them are of the type bearing the inscription "YHZQYH HPHH," while another
one is of the second type with a winged animal.'6 In the latter group are
coins featuring the name "YHZQYH" alone, and this indicates that all the
coins are really from the same time. It is therefore difficult to assume
that we are dealing with two different governors, and we should try to
explain why the title "PHH" is missing on the second type." (Meshorer, p16)
VII. Inscriptions found on coins and pottery from the Persian era:
"YHD" or "YHWD" = Yehud (Judah)
YHD unvowelled (or "YHWD" in vowelled script) is derived directly
from JEW and/or JUDAH as referring to the entire Persian province.
Many coins from the Persian era and later had the YHD/YHWD
inscription on them. There is a great similarity between YHWD and the
divine name of God YHWH "Yahweh".
This duck coin is patterned after weight stones in the shape of
ducks. It is interesting they put the duck motif on their coins as a kind
of continuation of the weight money system.
"Yehud" on store-jar handle from Ramat Rachel 390 BC
"YHWD" is mentioned a few times in the Bible [Ezra 5:1; 5:8; 7:14;
Daniel 2:25; 5:13; 6:13] as the name of the satrapy of Judah during the
period of Persian rule." This name of the province of Judah is known even
from papyri unearthed in the Jewish settlement of Elephantine in Egypt.
There are numerous well-known seal impressions on handles of jars from the
Persian period, which feature not only the name "YHWD" but also the
personal names of the province's Jewish satraps." "YHWD" (or "YHD" in
unvowelled script) was then undoubtedly the official title of Judah under
Persian rule, but it can even be considered to have applied not only to the
province itself but also to its capital city, Jerusalem. 2 Chron. 25:28
relates the following about the burial of Amaziah king of Judah: "and they
buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah" (769 B.c.E.). The "city
of Judah" is certainly Jerusalem, the burial place of the kings of Judah. A
similar appellation is also known from a Babylonian chronicle from the
seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar' s reign: al Ia-a-khu-du = the city of Judah
(599 B.C.E.).26 Moreover, it is evident that the Persian satrapy of Samaria
was call "S'MRYN," as was the city Samaria. A clear expression of this is
to be found in a Samarian document from Wadi Daliyeh that states: "bgmryn
byrta zy bgmryn mdynta" (i.e., in Samaria the citadel, or city, that is
Samaria the province)." From all that has been said above, it can be
concluded that the name "YHD" appearing on the coin applied both to the
city and the province as a single complex. At that time, the large cities
in the Land of Israel, such as Gaza, Ashdod, Ascalon, Dor, Megiddo, and
Samaria, controlled extensive territories around them and in effect
bordered on one another, and thus the city and province of "YHD"
constituted a single political entity." (Meshorer, p6)
"PHH" = Pehah (governor)
The Hebrew word "Pehah" (governor) is equivalent to the Persian word
"Tirshatha" (governor) and are both applied to the governors during the
Persian Empire. In coins and pottery "pehah" is written as the inscription
"PHH". (remove the vowels from Pehah)
Yehezqiyah "Hezekiah": Governor of Judea: ~350-333BC. Some coins
contained the full inscription naming Hezekiah as the governor: "YHZQKYH
HPHH" (Yehezqiyah the Satrap) (Meshorer: Coins 22-23);
"Anyone looking at photographs of the coins found attached to one
another at Tel Gamma will immediately discern that three of them are of the
type bearing the inscription "YHZQYH HPHH," while another one is of the
second type with a winged animal.'6 In the latter group are coins featuring
the name "YHZQYH" alone, and this indicates that all the coins are really
from the same time. It is therefore difficult to assume that we are dealing
with two different governors, and we should try to explain why the title
"PHH" is missing on the second type." (Meshorer, p16)
Here is the coin that has both inscriptions of "YHZQKYH HPHH"
Hezekiah, governor
Here is a coin for the Hezekiah, Governor of Judah without the PHH
inscription: ~350-333BC
Here is a coin for the Governor of Samaria named "Obediah" alone
without the word governor.
Here is a clay Bullah of "Satrap of Samaria" Persian pottery jar
handle seal impression
Conclusion:
Coins from the Persian era are the earliest ones minted by the
nation of Israel.
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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