Mithredath

Two Persian officials in Ezra bear the name Mithredath. One is a treasurer under Cyrus who plays a constructive part in the return; the other is a fellow-officer of Bishlam who joins in writing a letter to oppose the rebuilding work in Jerusalem. The umbrella collects both.

Mithredath the Treasurer of Cyrus

When Cyrus releases the temple vessels carried off by Nebuchadnezzar, the handover passes through this Mithredath: "even those Cyrus king of Persia brought forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah" (Ezra 1:8). His role is administrative — counting out the vessels into the hand of the prince of Judah — and he appears only in this transfer.

Mithredath in the Letter Against Jerusalem

A second Mithredath appears later, on the opposing side. In the days of Artaxerxes, he is among the officials who write to the Persian court against Jerusalem: "And in the days of Artaxerxes: Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his fellow slaves, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian [character], and set forth in the Syrian [tongue]" (Ezra 4:7). The letter is part of the campaign that successfully halts the rebuilding for a time.