Original Word: שׁוּשַׁנְכִי
Part of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: Shuwshankiy
Pronunciation: shoo-shan-KAH-yeh
Phonetic Spelling: (shoo-shan-kee')
KJV: Susanchites
NASB: men of Susa
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) of foreign origin]

1. a Shushankite (collectively) or inhabitants of some unknown place in Assyrian

Susanchites

(Aramaic) of foreign origin; a Shushankite (collectively) or inhabitants of some unknown place in Assyrian -- Susanchites.

Word Origin
(Aramaic) of foreign origin
Definition
inhab. of Susa
NASB Translation
men of Susa (1).

שׁוּשַׁנְכָיֵא proper name, of a people plural the Susians, people of Susa Ezra 4:9, see דהוא (Dl^{Pa 327}; singular [שׁוּשַׁנָךְ] according to Scheft⁹², = Old Persian * šušana-ka, from Susa, so (as alternative) Andr^{M 85} *; compare (on Elamite god Šušinak) Weissbach^{Anzanische Inschr. 136} Jen^{VOJ vi. 54} Zim^{KAT 3. 485, and} (on Šušun‡a in Elamite inscription, apparently proper name, of a territory) see Weissb^l.c. Jen^{ZMG iv (1901), 229}).

Geographical Setting

Shushan (Susa) lay on the lower reaches of the Karkheh River in what is now southwestern Iran. Fertile plains, access to the Persian Gulf, and intersecting trade routes made the city a strategic administrative center from early Elamite times through the Achaemenid period. Extensive palace complexes, royal archives, and fortified walls uncovered by archaeologists confirm its long-standing political importance.

Biblical Context

The word שׁוּשַׁנְכִי (Shushanchi, “Susians”) occurs once, in Ezra 4:9. There it designates inhabitants or former inhabitants of Shushan who had been resettled in the land of Samaria and who joined in the formal complaint sent to King Artaxerxes to halt the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple:

“Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates … the Persians, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the Susians, the Dehavites, the Elamites—” (Ezra 4:9).

Historical Background

After Babylon fell in 539 B.C., Cyrus the Great and his successors governed a multinational empire. Imperial policy moved contingent populations into newly conquered provinces to secure loyalty and to dilute nationalistic resistance. The Susians named in Ezra were likely part of such a resettlement under either Assyrian precedents or Persian administration. Their presence in Samaria by the reign of Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.) illustrates how thoroughly the Persian Empire mixed ethnic groups throughout its territories.

Role in the Ezra Narrative

Ezra 4 records escalating opposition against returned exiles who were rebuilding the temple. The Susians, together with nine other ethnic designations, represent the polyglot leadership around Samaria that feared political and economic displacement if Jerusalem regained strength. Their unified petition succeeded temporarily; work on the house of God ceased “until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia” (Ezra 4:24). The single reference therefore marks the Susians as active participants in organized resistance to covenant restoration.

Connections to Other Biblical Passages

1. Shushan appears prominently elsewhere:
• Esther 1:2; 2:5-8—the royal seat where Esther’s drama unfolds.
• Nehemiah 1:1—Nehemiah receives word of Jerusalem’s ruin in “the citadel of Susa.”
• Daniel 8:2—Daniel receives a vision “in the citadel of Susa.”

These occurrences show the city as both political hub and backdrop for crucial redemptive events, underscoring divine sovereignty over imperial centers.

2. Ezra 4:9-24 parallels Nehemiah 4 and 6, where similar hostility meets wall reconstruction. The narrative pattern confirms that opposition to God’s work arises repeatedly but is ultimately overruled by His providence.

Theological Significance

The mention of Susians highlights:
• God’s purposes advancing amid complex international settings.
• The reality that spiritual opposition often employs official channels and diverse alliances (Psalm 2:1-6).
• The faithfulness of the remnant who persevere despite imperial decrees (Haggai 2:4-5).

Ministry Implications

Believers engaged in kingdom work should expect coordinated resistance both secular and religious. As in Ezra’s day, adversaries may invoke legal or political tactics. Prayerful persistence, prophetic encouragement, and reliance on divine timing remain essential. Leaders today gain courage from knowing that even powers headquartered in renowned capitals—ancient or modern—cannot frustrate God’s redemptive agenda.

Archaeological and Extrabiblical Insights

Excavations at Susa have unearthed the Apadana of Darius, administrative tablets, and rich artistic motifs (e.g., glazed brick friezes of archers and lions). These finds corroborate the city’s grandeur described implicitly in Esther and explicitly in Persian records. They also clarify why displaced Susians might possess administrative expertise useful to the Samarian coalition opposing Jerusalem.

Further Study

Compare Ezra 4 with Haggai 1 and Zechariah 4 for prophetic responses to the same period of discouragement. Examine Daniel 8 and Esther 1-10 to trace how events originating in Shushan contribute to Israel’s preservation. For historical context, consult the Cyrus Cylinder and the Persepolis Administrative Archives, which illustrate Persian policies of population movement mirrored in Ezra 4:9.

שֽׁוּשַׁנְכָיֵ֔א שושנכיא shushanchaYe šū·šan·ḵā·yê šūšanḵāyêInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts