Susa (Shushan)

Illustration of Susa (Shushan)

Susa, called Shushan in the King James Version, was one of the great capitals of the Persian Empire and the setting for the entire book of Esther - the palace where Vashti was deposed, Esther was crowned, Haman built his gallows, and the Jews were delivered. It was also where Nehemiah served as cupbearer to Artaxerxes when the news about Jerusalem's broken walls moved him to tears, and where Daniel, in vision, stood by the river Ulai to receive the prophecy of the ram and the goat. Few cities outside the promised land carry so much biblical weight: three different books turn on events inside its walls, and the drama of Purim - still celebrated by Jews worldwide - unfolded street by street through this city.

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Details

Region
Persia
Modern Location
Shush, Iran
Strongest connections in Scripture
Esther 1 Nehemiah 1 Daniel 8

Key Passages

The Feast at Shushan the Palace

Esther 1:1-3

The book of Esther opens with a 180-day display of imperial splendor at Shushan - the stage on which God will work deliverance without ever being named.

N1ow it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

2 That in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, 3 In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

Nehemiah's Burden at Shushan

Nehemiah 1:1-4

News of Jerusalem's ruin reaches the Persian palace, and a royal cupbearer's grief begins the rebuilding of the walls a thousand miles away.

T1he words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. 4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Daniel's Vision at Shushan

Daniel 8:1-2

In vision Daniel stands at Shushan by the river Ulai to receive prophecy about empires yet to come - the city itself becomes a window onto the future.

I1n the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

2 And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

Explore Related

Characters

Esther Esther was a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai who became queen of Persia after King Ahasuerusโ€ฆ Mordecai Mordecai was a Jewish exile living in the Persian capital of Susa who served as the cousin and guardian ofโ€ฆ Haman Haman served as a high-ranking official in the Persian court of King Ahasuerus during the time of theโ€ฆ Vashti In the opulent court of the Persian king Ahasuerus, Queen Vashti embodied a moment of quiet defiance whenโ€ฆ Ahasuerus (Xerxes) Ahasuerus, identified with the Persian ruler Xerxes I who reigned from 486 to 465 BC, ruled over a vastโ€ฆ Nehemiah Nehemiah served as cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes I in the fifth century BC, a trusted role thatโ€ฆ Daniel Daniel was a young Israelite taken captive to Babylon in the sixth century BC, where he rose to prominenceโ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

Excavations at Susa uncovered the actual palace complex of the Persian kings, including the great columned hall where a feast like Ahasuerus's would have been held.

2

The famous law code of Hammurabi was discovered at Susa, where an Elamite king had carried it off as war booty centuries before Esther.

3

A tomb traditionally honored as Daniel's stands in Shush, Iran to this day, and has drawn pilgrims for over a thousand years.

Key Chapters

Esther 1 Queen Vashti Deposed 4 min read Nehemiah 1 Nehemiah's Prayer 3 min read Daniel 8 Vision of the Ram and Goat 5 min read