Ahasuerus or Ahasverus (Hebrew אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, Standard Hebrew Aḥašveroš, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḫašwērôš) is a name used several times in the Hebrew Bible and related legends and apocrypha. The name is generally thought to be equivalent to Xerxes, both being derived from the original Persian Khshayarsha. Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 6 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Bible, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early middle ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... Xerxes (the Greek form of the Persian Khshayārsha) is the name of two Persian kings of the Achaemenid dynasty: Xerxes I, reigned 485–465 BC. Xerxes II, reigned 424 BC. Xerxes may also refer to: Xerxes, an Armenian king, killed about 212 BC by Antiochus III the Great. ...

The Hebrew transliterated Achashverosh (אחשוורוש) is the King described in the Book of Esther as the ruler of the Persian Empire. His identity is unknown. The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. ... The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ...

Traditionaly he has been identified as Xerses I or Artaxerses as per the Midrash of Esther Rabba, I, 3. However this poses a number of historical difficulties. Midrash (pl. ...

The most sound identification is with Cambyses II as the events described take place before Darius I's edict ordering the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Cambyses II (Persian Kambujiya), was the name borne by the son of Cyrus the Great. ... Seal of Darius I, showing the king hunting on his chariot, and the symbol of Ahuramazda Darius the Great (Pers. ... The Temple in Jerusalem or the Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Beit HaMikdash) was built in ancient Jerusalem in c. ...

The name is used in the following instances.

• The name of the king of Persia in the Book of Esther. He is generally identified with Xerxes I of Persia although several alternative identifications have been proposed. The Greek version of the Book of Esther refers to him as Artaxerxes and Josephus relates that this was the name by which he was known to the Greeks.

• The name of a king of Persia in the Book of Ezra. Jewish tradition regards him as the same as the Ahasuerus of the Book of Esther. 19th century Bible scholars suggested that he might be Cambyses.

• The name of an ally of Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Tobit. He is identified with Cyaxares I of Media. A traditional Catholic view is that he is identical to the Ahasuerus of the Book of Daniel.

• The name of the father of Darius the Mede in the Book of Daniel. Josephus names Astyages as the father of Darius the Mede and the description of the latter as uncle and father-in-law of Cyrus by mediaeval Jewish commentators matches Cyaxares II said to be the son of Astyages by Xenophon. Thus this Ahasuerus is commonly identified with Astyages. He is alternatively identified, together with the Ahasuerus of the Book of Tobit, as Cyaxares I, said to be the father of Astyages. Views differ on how to reconcile the sources in this case. One view is that the description of Ahasuerus as the father of Darius the Mede should be understood in the broader sense of grandfather or ancestor. Another view treats the description as literal and views Astyages as an intermediate ruler wrongly included in the family line in the Greek sources.
• the Wandering Jew