Page "Book of Esther" Paragraph 22

Based on the view that the Ahasuerus of the Book of Tobit is identical with that of the Book of Esther, some have also identified him as Nebuchadnezzar's ally Cyaxares ( ruled 625 – 585 BCE ).

In certain manuscripts of Tobit, the former is called Achiachar, which, like the Greek Cyaxares, is thought to be derived from Persian Akhuwakhshatra.

Depending on the interpretation of Esther 2: 5 – 6, Mordecai or his great-grandfather Kish was carried away from Jerusalem with Jeconiah by Nebuchadnezzar, in 597 BCE.

The view that it was Mordecai would be consistent with the identification of Ahasuerus with Cyaxares.

Identifications with other Persian monarchs have also been suggested.