Further biblical indications of Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai

by Damien F. Mackey According to my revised Medo-Persian kingdom, which features only the two kings, (1) Darius the Mede/Cyrus and (2) Darius the Persian - Daniel 8:3’s “ram with two horns” - we should perhaps look for earlier mention of the officials/governors of Darius the Persian, Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai, during the reign of Cyrus, and possibly, also, even earlier still, during the long reign of Nebuchednezzar ‘the Great’. I may have been fortunate to have found mention of both. Firstly, the easy one: Shethar-Bozenai When purposefully looking for the names of both Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai in the list of “the seven eunuchs who served” King Ahasuerus (i.e., Cyrus), in Esther 1:10, where we likely find mention, first and foremost, of Haman (as Mehuman): Mehuman and Memukan of Esther 1 (2) Mehuman and Memukan of Esther 1 | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu I – though not recognising any name that I could reasonably equate with Tattenai – did, however, come across a very Shethar-like name in “Zethar”. Esther1:10: … [the King] commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Karkas …. The list appears to be repeated in a somewhat reverse order a bit further on, in v. 14: “… and were closest to the king—Karshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memukan, the seven nobles of Persia and Media who had special access to the king and were highest in the kingdom”. Mehuman (= Haman), now given as Memukan, is listed last this time. But the jackpot was to find the exact name, “Shethar”, of Shethar-[Bozenai]! While that coincidence does not guarantee that the “Shethar” of King Cyrus (Ahasuerus) was the Shethar-Bozenai of the Book of Ezra, it is certainly a matter worthy of some further consideration. Tattenai Prior to that, but on this very same day (3rd May, 2024), I had dug more deeply in the hope of locating Tattenai. I looked for an anti-Yahwistic type in the kingdom of Judah, being most mindful of the official who had brought back from Egypt, for execution, the prophet Uriah (Urijah), who is my Isaiah: A Geography of prophet Isaiah - north and south (3) A Geography of prophet Isaiah - north and south | Damien Mackey - Academia.edu I had completely forgotten the name of this particular official, but, upon checking Jeremiah, I found out who he was (26:22): “… King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor and certain other men with him went to Egypt”. This was another unexpected surprise, because an earlier checking with Abarim for the meaning of the name “Tattenai”, and for related names, had revealed that the name means “to give”, and that, most astonishingly, the first listed related name given there was Elnathan: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Tattenai.html Related names • Via נתן (natan): Elnathan, Jonathan, Mattan, Mattanah, Mattaniah, Mattatha, Mattathias, Mattattah, Mattenai, Matthan, Matthat, Matthew, Matthias, Mattithiah, Nathan, Nathanael, Nathan-melech, Nethanel, Nethaniah, Nethinim So, the Elnathan son of Achbor, who had pursued the holy prophet Uriah into Egypt, now becomes my favoured candidate for the Tattenai of the Book of Ezra, now some several decades later, who is still found resisting the efforts of the servants of Yahweh.