Bible Person
Meaning: my son · Male · 4 cross references
Shimshai is the secretary serving Rehum in the opposition to Jerusalem's rebuilding under Persian rule. He represents the scribal-administrative side of resistance to restoration. First appears in Ezra 4:8.1
Name meaning
my son
Identity
male
First appears
Ezra 4:8
AI summary: Shimshai matters because the cross references present him as the writing hand behind official opposition to the Jews' rebuilding work. His participation shows how resistance can operate through documents, procedure, and imperial channels rather than through open warfare. He is a minor figure, but a real one in the politics of post-exilic obstruction. Taken together, the material presents Shimshai as a bureaucratic opponent of Jerusalem's rebuilding.1
Central Figure
Shimshai
Meaning: my son
The shining one, or sunny, the secretary of Rehum the chancellor, who took part in opposing the rebuilding of the temple after the Captivity (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17-23).
Name meaning
my son
Identity
male
The shining one, or sunny, the secretary of Rehum the chancellor, who took part in opposing the rebuilding of the temple after the Captivity (Ezra 4:8, 9, 17-23). 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, person metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.