Iran in Bible

The Bible frequently references Persia (ancient name for the region encompassing modern-day Iran) and related areas like Elam (a southwestern Iranian region) and Media (northwestern Iran). These mentions occur primarily in the Old Testament, reflecting historical interactions between the Persian Empire and the Jewish people during the 6th-4th centuries BCE. Persia is portrayed as a powerful empire that conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, leading to the end of the Jewish exile and the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Key Persian kings such as Cyrus the Great, Darius I, and Xerxes (Ahasuerus) are named, often in a positive light for their policies toward the Jews. The term "Persia" appears about 29 times in the Bible, while "Elam" (linked to ancient Iran) appears around 28 times, and "Media" about 7 times.

Chronicles 36:20-23:
Describes the Babylonian captivity ending with the rise of Persia. Cyrus king of Persia issues a decree allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy. This marks the transition from Babylonian to Persian rule: "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem...'" This event is dated around 538 BCE.

Ezra

Persia is mentioned 11 times here, focusing on the return from exile under Persian patronage.
Ezra 1:1-8: Cyrus's decree to rebuild the Temple, stirring the spirit of the Jews to return. "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia... the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus..."
Ezra 3:7: Persian authorization for building materials.
Ezra 4:3-24: Opposition to rebuilding, with letters to Persian kings Artaxerxes and Darius. Darius reaffirms Cyrus's decree.
Ezra 6:14: Completion under Darius and Artaxerxes.
Ezra 7:1-28: Artaxerxes supports Ezra's mission to teach the law in Jerusalem.
Ezra 8:36: Delivery of Persian commissions to satraps.
Ezra 9:9: Acknowledgment of God's favor through Persian kings.

Nehemiah

Set during the Persian period, with Nehemiah as cupbearer to Artaxerxes.
Nehemiah 2:1: Artaxerxes grants Nehemiah permission to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. 
Nehemiah 12:22: Reference to Persian kings Darius.

Esther

The entire book is set in Persia under King Ahasuerus (likely Xerxes I, 486-465 BCE). 
Esther 1:1-3: "Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces... in Susa the citadel." Describes Persian court life and banquets. 
Esther 1:14, 18-19: Mentions Persian laws and nobles. 
Esther 8:9: Empire-wide decree in Persian script. 
Esther 10:1-2: Ahasuerus's reign over the Medes and Persians, with records in Persian chronicles. The story highlights Jewish survival in Persia through Queen Esther's intervention against Haman's plot.

Isaiah

Isaiah 21:2: Prophecy against Babylon, mentioning Elam and Media as conquerors: "Elam, go up! Media, lay siege!" 
Isaiah 44:28; 45:1-13: Cyrus is called God's "anointed" (messiah) and "shepherd" to subdue nations and free captives. "Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped..." This is remarkable as Isaiah wrote ~150 years before Cyrus's birth.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 25:25: Kings of Elam and Media in a list of nations drinking the cup of God's wrath. 
Jeremiah 49:34-39: Oracle against Elam (Iranian region): God breaks their bow (military might) and scatters them, but promises restoration.

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 27:10: Persians as warriors in Tyre's army. 
Ezekiel 32:24: Elam buried in the pit with the uncircumcised. 
Ezekiel 38:5: Persia allied with Gog in a future invasion.

Daniel

Persia mentioned 5 times, with visions of empires. 
Daniel 5:28: "Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." (Fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia.) 
Daniel 6:8, 12, 15: Unchangeable laws of the Medes and Persians under Darius.
Daniel 8:2: Vision in the province of Elam. 
Daniel 8:20: The ram with two horns represents "the kings of Media and Persia." 
Daniel 10:1, 13, 20: Daniel's vision in Cyrus's reign; the "prince of Persia" (possibly a spiritual entity) withstands an angel. 
Daniel 11:2: Future kings of Persia stirring up against Greece.

Acts (New Testament)

Acts 2:9: Parthians, Medes, and Elamites (Iranian regions) present at Pentecost, hearing the gospel in their languages.

Historically, these mentions align with the Achaemenid Persian Empire (550-330 BCE), which was tolerant of Judaism, allowing temple reconstruction and self-governance. Elam (Susiana) was integrated into Persia, and Media was a key ally. No direct mention of "Iran" (a 20th-century name), but "Persia" and related terms clearly refer to the same geographic and cultural sphere.

Iran/Persia in Bible

Number of Times Persia/Iran Mentioned

34

Bible

0

Quran

20

Hinduism

12

Buddhism

2

Sikhism

63

Occult
Literature

Iran/Per​sia in Bible