Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/Artaxerxes

by Matthew George Easton

Artaxerxes The Greek form of the name of several Persian kings. (1.) The king who obstructed the rebuilding of the temple (|Ezra 4:7). He was probably the Smerdis of profane history.

(2.) The king mentioned in |Ezra 7:1, in the seventh year (B.C. 458) of whose reign |Ezra led a second colony of Jews back to Jerusalem, was probably Longimanus, who reigned for forty years (B.C. 464-425); the grandson of Darius, who, fourteen years later, permitted Nehemiah to return and rebuild Jerusalem.