Introduction:
Media, an ancient region located in what is now northwestern Iran, plays a significant role in biblical history and prophecy. The Medes, the inhabitants of Media, are frequently mentioned in the Bible, often in conjunction with the Persians. The Medes were an Indo-European people who established a powerful kingdom that eventually merged with the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Historical Background:
The Medes are first mentioned in Assyrian records in the 9th century BC. By the 7th century BC, they had established a kingdom that became a formidable power in the ancient Near East. The Medes are credited with the fall of the Assyrian Empire, in alliance with the Babylonians, around 612 BC. Their kingdom was later absorbed into the Achaemenid Empire when Cyrus the Great, a Persian with Median ancestry, united the Medes and Persians.

Biblical References:
The Medes are mentioned in several books of the Bible, often in the context of prophecy and historical events:

1. 2 Kings 17:6 : "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes." This verse highlights the Assyrian practice of relocating conquered peoples, including the Israelites, to various parts of their empire, including Media.

2. Isaiah 13:17 : "Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold." This prophecy foretells the Medes' role in the downfall of Babylon, emphasizing their indifference to wealth as a motivating factor in their conquests.

3. Daniel 5:28 : "Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." This passage records the divine judgment pronounced on Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, predicting the transfer of power to the Medes and Persians.

4. Daniel 6:8 : "Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed, in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." This verse refers to the unchangeable nature of laws in the Medo-Persian Empire, highlighting the legal system's rigidity.

5. Esther 1:19 : "Therefore, if it pleases the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia and Media, so that it cannot be repealed." This passage underscores the enduring influence of the Medes within the Persian Empire, as seen in the account of Queen Esther.

Prophetic Significance:
The Medes are often associated with divine judgment in biblical prophecy. Isaiah and Jeremiah both speak of the Medes as instruments of God's wrath against Babylon (Isaiah 13:17-19; Jeremiah 51:11, 28). These prophecies were fulfilled when the Medo-Persian forces conquered Babylon in 539 BC, an event that marked a significant shift in the ancient world and the fulfillment of God's plan as revealed through His prophets.

Cultural and Religious Influence:
The Medes, along with the Persians, played a crucial role in shaping the cultural and religious landscape of the ancient Near East. Their influence extended into the Jewish community, particularly during the period of the Babylonian exile and subsequent return to Jerusalem under Persian rule. The Medo-Persian Empire's policies of religious tolerance and administrative efficiency allowed the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple and reestablish their religious practices, as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

Conclusion:
While the Medes as a distinct people eventually faded from prominence, their legacy persisted through their integration into the Persian Empire and their role in biblical history. The Medes' mention in the Bible serves as a testament to their historical significance and the fulfillment of God's sovereign purposes throughout history.Media Medes

(middle land). Media lay northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iran. Its greatest length was from north to south, and in this direction it extended from the 32d to the 40th parallel, a distance of 550 miles. In width it reached front about long. 45 degrees to 53 degrees; but its average breadth was not more than from 250 to 300 miles. The division of Media commonly recognized by the Greeks and Romans was that into Media Magna and Media Atropatene.

1. Media Atropatene corresponded nearly to the modern Azerbijan , being the tract situated between the Caspian and the mountains which run north from Zagros.
2. Media Magna lay south and east of Atropatene. It contained great part of Kurdistan and Luristan , with all Ardelan and Arak Ajemi . It is indicative of the division that there were two Ecbatanas, respectively the capitals of the two districts. The Medes were a nation of very high antiquity; we find a notice of them in the primitive Babylonian history of Berosus, who says that the Medes conquered Babylon at a very remote period (cir. B.C. 2458), and that eight Median monarchs reigned there consecutively, over a space of 224 years. The deepest obscurity hangs, however, over the whole history of the Medes from the time of their bearing sway in Babylonia, B.C. 2458-2234, to their first appearance in the cuneiform inscriptions among the enemies of Assyria, about B.C. 880. Near the middle of the seventh century B.C. the Median kingdom was consolidated, and became formidable to its neighbors; but previous to this time it was not under the dominion of a single powerful monarch, but was ruled by a vast number of petty chieftains. Cyaxares, the third Median monarch, took Nineveh and conquered Assyria B.C. 625. The limits of the Median empire cannot be definitely fixed. From north to south it was certainly confined between the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates on the one side, the Black and Caspian Seas on the other. From east to west it had, however, a wide expansion, since it reached from the Halys at least as far as the Caspian Gates, and possible farther. It was separated from Babylonia either by the Tigris or more probably by a line running about halfway between that river and the Euphrates. Its greatest length may be reckoned at 1500 miles from northwest to southeast, and its average breadth at 400 or 450 miles. Its area would thus be about 600,000 square miles, or somewhat greater than that of modern Persia. Of all the ancient Oriental monarchies the Median was the shortest in duration. It was overthrown by the Persians under Cyrus, B.C. 558, who captured its king, Astyages. The treatment of the Medes by the victorious Persians was not that of an ordinary conquered nation. Medes were appointed to stations of high honor and importance under Cyrus and his successors. The two nations seem blended into one, and we often find reference to this kingdom as that of the "Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:28; 6:8,12,15) The references to the Medes in the canonical Scriptures are not very numerous, but they are striking. We first hear of certain "cities of the Medes," in which the captive Israelites were placed by "the king of Assyria" on the destruction of Samaria, B.C. 721 (2 Kings 17:6; 18:12) Soon afterward Isaiah prophesies the part which the Medes shall take in the destruction of Babylon, (Isaiah 13:17; 21:2) which is again still more distinctly declared by Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 51:11,28) who sufficiently indicates the independence of Media in his day. ch. (Jeremiah 25:25) Daniel relates the fact of the Medo-Persia conquest, (Daniel 5:25,31) giving an account of the reign of Darius the Mede, who appears to have been made viceroy by Cyrus. (Daniel 6:1-58) In Ezra we have a mention of Achmetha (Ecbatana), "the palace in the province of the Medes," where the decree of Cyrus was found, (Ezra 6:2-5) --a notice which accords with the known facts that the Median capital was the seat of government under Cyrus, but a royal residence only, and not the seat of government, under Darius Hystaspis. Finally, in Esther the high rank of Media under the Persian kings, yet at the same time its subordinate position, is marked by the frequent composition of the two names in phrases of honor, the precedence being in every ease assigned to the Persians.

3370. Medos -- a Mede, Median, an inhabitant of Media
... of Assyria. Word Origin of foreign origin Definition a Mede, Median, an
inhab. of Media NASB Word Usage Medes (1). Mede. Of foreign ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3370.htm - 6k4074. Maday -- a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land
... Madai, Medes, Media. Of foreign derivation; Madai, a country of central Asia --
Madai, Medes, Media. 4073, 4074. Maday. 4075 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4074.htm - 6k

4076. Maday -- descendant of Japheth, also their land
... Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to Maday Definition desc. of Japheth,
also their land NASB Word Usage Medes (4), Media (1). Medes. ...
/hebrew/4076.htm - 6k

Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and his Successors and How their ...
... Now they bury the kings of Media, of Persia, and Parthia in this tower to this day ...
manner: He said that the ram signified the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians ...
/.../the antiquities of the jews/chapter 11 concerning nebuchadnezzar and.htm

The visit to Media.
... marks of parade and display, which were generally so much prized among the Medes. ...
There was one pleasure, however, to be found in Media, which in Persia he had ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter iii the visit to.htm

Concerning the Calamity that Befell Antiochus, King of Commagene. ...
... This nation about this time laid a design of falling upon Media, and the ... them; so
they came in great multitudes, and fell upon the Medes unexpectedly, and ...
/.../chapter 7 concerning the calamity.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with
the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta"Media-proper ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Accession of Cyrus to the Throne.
... Defeat and capture of Astyages."Interview with Harpagus."Cyrus King of Media and
Persia."Confinement of Astyages."Acquiescence of the Medes."Death of ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter v accession of cyrus.htm

Cyrus.
... The Medes lived in the slopes towards the Tigris, and had learnt to be luxurious ...
when as a little boy he visited his grandfather at Echatana, in Media, he was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xii cyrus.htm

Hebrew Captives; Or, Mordecai and Esther.
... Media, a word some suppose to be derived from Madai, the son of Japheth, was ... Both
seemed to have become one nation; first the Medes gaining the ascendancy, and ...
/.../headley/half hours in bible lands volume 2/hebrew captives or mordecai and.htm

Demonstration v. --Of Wars.
... he ruled; the lesser, that of the Medes, and the greater, that of the Persians.
But when Alexander the Greek came, he slew Darius, King of Media and Persia. ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration v of wars.htm

The Conquest of Lydia.
... The Halys being thus passed, Croesus moved on in the direction of Media. ... They were
jealous of the growing power of the Medes and Persians, and had made a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter vii the conquest of.htm

The Restoration.
... BC, and now loomed so large in the eyes of the world, fell, when the combined forces
of the Medes and Babylonians ... (3) The Persian power conquered Media and the ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xvi the restoration.htm

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