גִּזְבָּר
treasurer
Definition
Gizbâr refers to a high-ranking financial official, specifically a treasurer or keeper of the royal treasury. In the biblical context, this term denotes a Persian administrative role responsible for managing and safeguarding the king's wealth, including precious metals and valuable goods. Its single occurrence in Ezra 1:8 describes an official appointed by King Cyrus to oversee the temple vessels being returned to Jerusalem. The role implies significant trust and authority in handling sacred and royal property.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Ezra 1:8. It appears in the context of the Persian Empire's administration following Cyrus's decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. The gizbâr, named Mithredath, is entrusted with the specific task of counting and handing over the valuable temple articles that Nebuchadnezzar had plundered. The usage highlights the Persian imperial bureaucracy's role in facilitating the restoration of Judah's worship.
Etymology
Gizbâr is a loanword of Persian origin, derived from the Old Persian *ganzabara*, meaning 'treasurer' or 'keeper of the treasure.' It entered Biblical Hebrew through contact with the Achaemenid Persian administration that ruled during the post-exilic period. The word reflects the international and administrative context of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, where several Persian titles appear.
Semantic Range
Though an administrative title, gizbâr is theologically significant as it appears in a pivotal moment of God's faithfulness: the restoration from exile. The Persian treasurer's role in returning the sacred temple vessels (Ezra 1:8) demonstrates how God sovereignly uses even foreign officials and imperial systems to fulfill His covenant promises and re-establish proper worship. It underscores the theme that all resources, even those of a pagan empire, are under God's control for His redemptive purposes.
In the Persian Empire, a gizbâr was a trusted financial administrator directly serving the king or a satrap (provincial governor). This position involved meticulous record-keeping and responsibility over state wealth, including tribute, spoils of war, and royal treasures. The biblical usage shows the precision of Persian bureaucracy in handling the repatriation of religious items, which contrasts with the earlier Babylonian plundering and reflects a policy of respecting local cults within the empire.
אֹצָר (ʾotsar, H214) — A general term for 'treasure' or 'storehouse,' focusing on the place or collection of wealth rather than the person managing it. סֹכֵן (soken, H5532) — A 'steward' or 'administrator,' a broader term for a household or royal manager, not exclusively financial.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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