The very short answer:
Definitely, with qualifications.
Is the word "Iran" in the Bible? : Most definitely not! Not explicitly. But that does not mean that it is not implied in the Bible.
While "Iran" is not mentioned, if we look at maps of Biblical nations at various times in ancient history, we find that the area that Iran now occupies has been occupied by Persia off and on for around 2500 years. Present day Iran sits just to the east of present day Iraq, which was known best in ancient Biblical times as first, Assyria, and then, Babylonia. In those nations prime years (800 BC to 540 BC), two other nations were rising to their east, called Media and Persia. Those nations (as Medo-Persia) temporarily united to conquer Babylonia in 539 BC.
Media soon fell to Persia, which predominated in that area (Iran/Iraq area) until conquered by Alexander the Great in 330-331 BC. Within seven years, Alexander died, and eventually Persia ascended to again become the regional power (although weakened) in the Iraq/Iran area.
Since then, Persia and the Persians (who are not Arabs), have either remained in or returned to that general area, conquering, and being conquered (the Persian land fell to the Muslims [mostly Arabians] in 641 AD). See Iran and Persia in an encyclopedia for more information. Eventually Iran was reestablished in much of the area formerly known as Persia.
And so, when we find the nation Persia in a Bible verse, we can consider that the land is now usually called Iran (with some border variations).
In Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, there is a great war against Israel that is considered to be a very important prophetic passage by almost all, and also considered as not yet having occured by most. In this war, the major power is the nation to the far north of Israel (called Magog, Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal in Ezekiel's day). More about that nation in a later post (but you might check it out with a current map). But the list of other nations that unite with that major power against Israel is interesting: In Ezekiel 38:5, it states that "Persia, Ethiopia (possibly Sudan --aka 'Cush'), and Libya (aka 'Put') are with them".
So, yes, with the qualification of a name change, we can say that Iran is mentioned in Bible prophecy as Persia, and there will be much more about this coming war against Israel in future posts.
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Yes I am sure that Persia is in the Bible. It was Persian king, "Cyrus the Great" who allowed the enslaved Hebrews to return to their homeland when he conquered Babylonia. The non-Arab Persians have a long history of civil and human rights. They did not become Moslems until the fifth century A.D.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and accurate. I'd like to point out an anomaly, however: Ethiopia is a Christian nation with a Jewish minority--not the kind of power you'd think would take part in an attack on Israel. Nor is Ethiopia intended: if you look at a map of northeastern Africa in Biblical times, Cush corresponds to present-day Sudan, a belligerent Islamic nation. See http://www.keyway.ca/htm2001/20010315.htm.
ReplyDeleteBriefcase is right about his observation about Ethiopia and the Sudan, that the "Cush" of Biblical times tends more to mean the Sudanese area. Belligerent now for sure!!
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