Place Old and New Testament
Media
Also known as Mede+Persians, Mede, Medes
Media (Medes), an ancient kingdom in western Iran that, along with Persia, conquered Babylon and formed the Persian Empire (2Ki.17.6; 18:11; Esther 1:3, 14, 18; 10:2; Isaiah 21:2; Jeremiah 25:25; Dan.8.20). Mentioned in 21 verses across 7 books, first at 2 Kings 17:6.
Why it matters. An ancient kingdom; part of the Persian Empire
- Primary passages
- Location
- 34.798, 48.515 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Media
Media was an ancient kingdom located in western Iran, which played a significant role in biblical history. The Medes, along with the Babylonians, conquered the Assyrian Empire in 612 BC (Isaiah 13:17; Jeremiah 51:11, 28). Later, the Medes joined forces with the Persians to form the powerful Medo-Persian Empire. This empire, under the rule of Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon in 539 BC (Dan.5.28, 31). The Medes are mentioned in the book of Esther as one of the peoples under the rule of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) (Esther 1:3, 14, 18; 10:2). The Medes were also involved in the deportation of the Israelites from the northern kingdom (2Ki.17.6; 18:11). The prophet Daniel served in the Medo-Persian court (Dan.6.8, 12, 15; 9:1; 11:1) and interpreted the handwriting on the wall, which announced the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (Dan.5.28). Medes were among the peoples present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Act.2.9).
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.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 21 verses across 7 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.