The term "Median" refers to the people, land, and kingdom associated with the Medes, an ancient Indo-Iranian people who played a significant role in the history of the Near East. The Medes are frequently mentioned in the Bible, particularly in the context of their interactions with the Israelites and their role in the rise and fall of empires.

Historical Background

The Medes were originally a collection of tribes inhabiting the region known as Media, located in what is now northwestern Iran. By the 7th century BC, they had established a powerful kingdom that became a formidable force in the region. The Medes are best known for their alliance with the Babylonians in overthrowing the Assyrian Empire, a pivotal event that reshaped the political landscape of the ancient Near East.

Biblical References

The Medes are mentioned in several books of the Bible, often in connection with significant historical events. One of the earliest references is found in 2 Kings 17:6, where the Assyrians are described as having settled Israelites in "Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes" following the conquest of Samaria. This indicates the extent of Assyrian control and the use of Median territories for the relocation of exiled peoples.

In the book of Isaiah, the Medes are prophesied to play a role in the downfall of Babylon. Isaiah 13:17 states, "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold." This prophecy highlights the Medes' involvement in the eventual conquest of Babylon, which is further elaborated in the book of Daniel.

Daniel 5:28 records the divine judgment against Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, with the words, "Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." This event marks the transition of power from the Babylonian Empire to the Medo-Persian Empire, a significant shift in biblical history.

The Medo-Persian Empire

The Medes eventually formed a dual monarchy with the Persians, known as the Medo-Persian Empire. This empire is prominently featured in the book of Daniel, where it is symbolized by the silver chest and arms of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:32) and the bear raised up on one side in Daniel's vision (Daniel 7:5). The Medo-Persian Empire is noted for its role in allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, as decreed by Cyrus the Great, a Persian king.

Cultural and Religious Influence

The Medes, like the Persians, practiced Zoroastrianism, a religion that emphasized the duality of good and evil and the importance of moral choice. While the Bible does not delve deeply into the religious practices of the Medes, their cultural and political influence is evident in the biblical narrative, particularly in the context of God's sovereignty over the nations and His use of foreign powers to accomplish His purposes.

Conclusion

The Medes, as depicted in the Bible, serve as instruments in God's divine plan, demonstrating His control over history and the rise and fall of empires. Their interactions with the Israelites and their role in the broader narrative of the ancient Near East underscore the interconnectedness of biblical and historical events.1. (a.) Being in the middle; running through the middle; as, a median groove.

2. (a.) Situated in the middle; lying in a plane dividing a bilateral animal into right and left halves; -- said of unpaired organs and parts; as, median coverts.

3. (n.) A median line or point.

MEDIAN

me'-di-an.

See DARIUS; MEDES; MEDIA.

3370. Medos -- a Mede, Median, an inhabitant of Media
... a Mede, Median, an inhabitant of Media. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Medos Phonetic Spelling: (may'-dos) Short Definition: a Mede Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3370.htm - 6k

3097. magos -- a Magian, ie an (Oriental) astrologer, by impl. a ...
... 3097 (plural, ) -- properly, belonging to "the Magoi, a Median tribe (so Herodotus);
a Magian, one of a sacred caste, originally Median, who seem to have ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3097.htm - 7k

4077. Maday -- an inhabitant of Media
... of Media NASB Word Usage Mede (1). Median. (Aramaic) corresponding to Maday -- Median.
see HEBREW Maday. 4076, 4077. Maday. 4078 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4077.htm - 6k

4074. Maday -- a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their land
... Word Origin of foreign origin Definition a son of Japheth, also his desc. and their
land NASB Word Usage Madai (2), Medes (5), Media (8), Median (1). ...
/hebrew/4074.htm - 6k

The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
... THE MEDIAN WAR"THE LAST NATIVE DYNASTIES OF EGYPT"THE EASTERN WORLD ON
THE EVE OP THE MACEDONIAN CONQUEST. The Persians in 512 ...
/.../chapter iithe last days of.htm

Accession of Cyrus to the Throne.
... of the realm of Media, and he endeavored to stimulate his rising ambition to the
desire of one day possessing for himself both the Median and Persian throne. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter v accession of cyrus.htm

History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9
... The constitution of the Median empire borrowed from the ancient peoples of the
Euphrates: its religion only is peculiar to itself -- Legends concerning ...
/.../history of egypt chaldaea syria babylonia and assyria v 9/title page.htm

Appendix I.
... Cyaxares (624-585), the son of Phraortes, soon after his succession to his
father"say between 624 and 620"led a second Median assault upon Assyria and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/appendix i.htm

Babylon.
... He joined himself to the Medea, giving his son, Nebuchadnezzar, in marriage to the
Median Princess Amytis; and as has already been said, the two nations ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xi babylon.htm

Change not Always Improvement.
... He had conquered the Median race, and was conquered by Median garb. Doffing the
triumphal mail, he degraded himself into the captive trousers! ...
/.../tertullian/on the pallium/chapter iv change not always improvement.htm

Cyrus, the Servant Of-The Lord {4}
... with the Turanian, or Finnish tribes; and adopted much of their creed, as well as
of their morals, throughout their vast but short- lived Median Empire. ...
/.../kingsley/historical lectures and essays/cyrus the servant of-the lord.htm

The Servant of the Lord.
... with the Turanian, or Finnish tribes; and adopted much of their creed, as well as
of their morals, throughout their vast but short-lived Median Empire. ...
/.../kingsley/lectures delivered in america in 1874/lecture iv the servant of.htm

Cyrus.
... Cyrus was the son of a Persian king and Median princess, and had been so well brought
up at home, that when as a little boy he visited his grandfather at ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xii cyrus.htm

The visit to Media.
... introduced when he arrived in Media, and with the gayeties and luxuries, the pomp
and display, and the spectacles and parades in which the Median court abounded ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter iii the visit to.htm

Median (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Being in the middle; running through the middle;
as, a median groove. ... 3. (n.) A median line or point. Int. ...
/m/median.htm - 7k

Medes (15 Occurrences)
... Esar-haddon in his 2nd year (679-678 BC) and Assurbani-pal warred with certain
Median tribes, whose power was now growing formidable. ...
/m/medes.htm - 18k

Magi (4 Occurrences)
... 16, "Wise-men," the Revised Version (British and American) and the King James Version,
"Magi" the Revised Version margin)): 1. Originally a Median Tribe: Were ...
/m/magi.htm - 26k

Cyrus (20 Occurrences)
... In that which he quotes (i.107), it is said that Mandane was the daughter of the
Median king Astyages, who, in consequence of a dream which he had had ...
/c/cyrus.htm - 39k

Media (14 Occurrences)
... informs us (6:2-5), was found in "the palace that is in the province of the Medes,"
Achmetha or Ecbatana of the Greeks, which is the only Median city mentioned ...
/m/media.htm - 15k

Armenia (2 Occurrences)
... Xenophon in the Cyropedia mentions a Median conquest of Armenia, Strabo their Median
attire; yet Armenian girls could not understand Xenophon's Persian ...
/a/armenia.htm - 21k

Achmetha (1 Occurrence)
... of northern Media. Here was the palace which was the residence of the old
Median monarchs, and of Cyrus and Cambyses. In the time ...
/a/achmetha.htm - 10k

Ahasbai (1 Occurrence)
... That this Median king had sons living in the time of Cyrus is shown by the fact
that two rebel aspirants to the throne in the time of Darius Hystaspis claimed ...
/a/ahasbai.htm - 11k

Persian (4 Occurrences)
... The former is known to us from the inscriptions of the Achemenian kings, the latter
from the Avesta, and a few Median words preserved for us by Herodotus and ...
/p/persian.htm - 45k

Nebuchadnezzar (90 Occurrences)
... the Babylonian kings. He married the daughter of Cyaxares, and thus the
Median and Babylonian dynasties were united. Necho II., the ...
/n/nebuchadnezzar.htm - 57k

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