Bishlam

Biblical Account

Bishlam appears only once, in Ezra 4:7. The text records that "in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia," and that the letter "was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue" (that is, in Aramaic script and the Aramaic language). Ezra 4 describes how the surrounding peoples obstructed the people of Judah who had returned from exile as they sought to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. In this context Bishlam is simply named as one of those who wrote to the king. The text says nothing about his origin, his office, or the specific contents of the letter.

Significance Within Scripture

Bishlam is one of the figures who illustrate the opposition from outside that the Judean community faced after the return from exile. The reference in Ezra 4:7 to an Aramaic document is connected with the fact that the passage that follows, Ezra 4:8 through 6:18, is itself written in Aramaic. This section is frequently cited in discussions of the languages of the Bible. Bishlam is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debated Questions

• Name or common word? Some scholars read the Hebrew bishlam not as a personal name but as an expression meaning "in peace" or "with the consent of." The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) is reported to have rendered the word in the sense of "in peace." The Korean Bible versions Korean Revised Version and New Korean Revised Version render it as a personal name.
• Which letter? Scholars differ on whether the letter of Ezra 4:7 is the same as the letter of Rehum and Shimshai recorded in 4:8 and following, or a separate document.
• Date: Views also differ on which Artaxerxes is meant and on whether Ezra 4:6–23 is arranged thematically rather than chronologically.

There is no widely known tradition outside the biblical text that adds details about Bishlam's life.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Bishlam are uncommon. He is usually mentioned only briefly, as one of those who opposed the rebuilding, in expositions dealing with the rebuilding of the temple in the time of Ezra.