Person Old Testament
Bishlam
Bishlam was a Samaritan official who, along with others, wrote to King Artaxerxes to oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Ezra 4:7.
Why it matters. Samaritan official who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Bishlam
Bishlam was a Samaritan official who, together with Tabeel and the rest of their associates, wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes of Persia to oppose the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Ezr. 4:7). This letter was written in Aramaic and translated, indicating that it was an official document. The Samaritans, who were the inhabitants of the region north of Judah, were adversaries of the Jews and sought to undermine their efforts to rebuild the city and the temple. In their letter, they accused the Jews of rebuilding a rebellious and wicked city, warning the king that if the city were rebuilt, the Jews would no longer pay taxes and would damage the king's revenues (Ezr. 4:12-13). As a result of this letter, the king ordered the work on the city to cease until further notice (Ezr. 4:21-22). Bishlam's actions demonstrate the political opposition and challenges faced by the Jews as they sought to restore their homeland after the Babylonian exile.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Ezra (1 verse)