Lexical Summary Maday: Medes, Media Original Word: מָדַי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Medes (Aramaic) corresponding to Maday -- Mede(-s). see HEBREW Maday NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to Maday Definition desc. of Japheth, also their land NASB Translation Medes (4), Media (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מָדַי proper name, of a people or territory Medes, Media (Biblical Hebrew id.); — 1. of a people Daniel 5:28; Daniel 6:9; Daniel 6:13; Daniel 6:16. 2. territory Ezra 6:2. Topical Lexicon Historical and Geographical Setting Media lay on the Iranian plateau north and east of Mesopotamia, stretching from the Zagros Mountains to the Caspian Sea. Its chief royal residence, Ecbatana (modern Hamadan), stood some 6,000 feet above sea level—a natural fortress and summer capital for Near-Eastern monarchs. By the late seventh century BC the Medes had helped topple Assyria. In 550 BC Cyrus of Persia united the two kindred peoples, producing the Medo-Persian Empire that dominated the ancient world until Alexander. Old-Testament Occurrences (Ezra–Daniel) 1. Ezra 6:2 presents Media as the repository of royal archives: “A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media…”. The decree it preserved released Jewish exiles to rebuild the temple, showing how God used a distant province to safeguard His purposes. 3–5. Daniel 6:8, 12, 15 emphasize “the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.” The expression highlights (a) the empire’s highly formal legal system, (b) the immutability of edicts once sealed, and (c) the tension between human decrees and God’s higher law—resolved when the Lord delivers Daniel from the lions’ den. Media in Prophetic Perspective • Isaiah 13:17 foretells that the Medes would overthrow Babylon, a prophecy fulfilled in 539 BC when they entered the city without major conflict. Covenantal and Redemptive Significance The empire that carried Daniel into administration also issued the decrees enabling Judah’s return (2 Chronicles 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4). Through Cyrus and Darius, Media became an instrument for covenant restoration, prefiguring how God can employ Gentile powers to further salvation history. The fixed “law of the Medes and Persians” forms a literary backdrop against which the steadfastness of God’s own word shines even brighter (Psalm 119:89). Lessons for Ministry • God governs international politics to accomplish His promises; leaders and laws are subordinate to His will. Later History and Legacy Media’s prominence declined after the fourth century BC, but its peoples were still present at Pentecost: “Parthians, Medes, and Elamites” (Acts 2:9). Thus the gospel eventually reached the very descendants of those who once held Judah captive, fulfilling the missionary breadth envisioned in the Abrahamic promise. Summary Strong’s Hebrew 4076 names a province pivotal in God’s orchestration of Israel’s restoration, the downfall of Babylon, and the unfolding of Daniel’s visions. Media’s legal rigidity, military vigor, and archival diligence all served purposes far greater than its own imperial ambitions: the vindication of divine prophecy and the advance of redemptive history. Forms and Transliterations בְּמָדַ֥י במדי לְמָדַ֣י לְמָדַ֥י למדי מָדַ֥י מדי bə·mā·ḏay bemaDai bəmāḏay lə·mā·ḏay lemaDai ləmāḏay mā·ḏay maDai māḏayLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Ezra 6:2 HEB: בְּבִֽירְתָ֛א דִּ֛י בְּמָדַ֥י מְדִינְתָּ֖ה מְגִלָּ֣ה NAS: is in the province of Media, a scroll KJV: that [is] in the province of the Medes, a INT: the palace which of Media the province A scroll Daniel 5:28 Daniel 6:8 Daniel 6:12 Daniel 6:15 5 Occurrences |
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