Lexical Definition

‎שִׁמְשַׁי‎ Shimshay (shim-shah'-ee) Shimshai ^N:N-M-P
(Aramaic) from ‎שֶׁמֶשׁ‎; sunny

Shimshai.

• § Shimshai = "sunny"
• Shimshai, a Samaritan

1) the scribe for Rehum, the satrap of Judea for the Persian government

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.8

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎שִׁמְשַׁי‎ proper name, masculine; — always ‎סָֽפְרָא‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎: Ezra 4:8; Ezra 4:9; Ezra 4:17; Ezra 4:23 (Andr^{M 86 *} conjectures Old Iranian caritative ‎ששמי‎, conformed to ‎שׁמשׁ‎, compare Scheft⁹², who, however, prefers Old Baktrian sim¢zhi = sima¢zhi, proper name). ‎שֵׁן‎ see ‎שׁנן‎. below

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Ezra's opponent • Scribe who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Man living at the time of Exile and Return

Shimshai was a scribe who, along with Rehum the commander, wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes opposing the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

• A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.8;
• only referred to as Shimshai שִׁמְשַׁי.

Shimshai is mentioned in Ezra 4:8, 9, 17, and 23 as a scribe who, together with Rehum the commander, opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Shimshai and Rehum wrote a letter to the king, accusing the Jews of rebuilding the city and its walls, and claiming that this would lead to rebellion against the Persian Empire. In response to their letter, Artaxerxes ordered the work on the city to cease until further notice. Shimshai and Rehum, along with their associates, then went to Jerusalem and forcibly stopped the Jews from rebuilding the city. This opposition temporarily halted the reconstruction efforts until the reign of King Darius, who later allowed the Jews to resume their work on the temple and the city.

All entries for Shimshai: שִׁמְשַׁי