Person Old Testament
Darius
Darius the Persian was the Emperor during the days of the Levites Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Nehemiah 12:22.
Why it matters. Persian Emperor during the time of the Levites
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Darius
Darius, mentioned in Neh.12.22, was a Persian king who reigned during the time of the Levites Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua. This passage is part of a list of priests and Levites who served in the Temple after the Babylonian exile.
The mention of Darius in this context serves as a historical marker, indicating that these Levites served during his reign. This Darius is likely Darius II Nothus, who ruled the Persian Empire from 423 to 404 BC.
The inclusion of Darius' name in this list demonstrates the continuity of the priestly and Levitical service in the Temple, even under Persian rule. It also shows that the Jewish community in Jerusalem maintained their religious practices and recorded their history during this period.
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.
Nehemiah (1 verse)