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מַרְסְנָא

𐤌𐤓𐤎𐤍𐤀

Maresena

H4826 noun

SILEX Entry

Root uncertain uncertain (proper name, not a Hebrew root)

Definition

A proper name designating one of the seven high-ranking officials or counselors at the Achaemenid Persian court, specifically in the time of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I). The word functions as a personal name, but does not occur outside lists identifying Persian courtiers.

Semantic Range

proper name for a Persian official, personal name, used as a designation for an individual in administrative court context

Root / Etymology

Foreign personal name, likely of Old Persian origin. The root is uncertain; the name is not formed with traditional Hebrew suffixes or roots. Etymology uncertain.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term מַרְסְנָא (Marsenâ) appears only in Esther 1:14 as the name of a high-ranking official serving in the court of Ahasuerus (commonly identified as Xerxes I). The context is the list of seven Persian nobles who were allowed access to the king. The name is of foreign—almost certainly Persian—derivation, and is consistent with other Persian personal names attested in late biblical texts such as Esther, Daniel, and Ezra. Unlike common Israelite names, מרסנא does not convey an explicit meaning in Hebrew and does not follow native Hebrew naming conventions. English translations render the name phonetically, but later biblical interpretation sometimes conflates such Persian names with local Israelite officials, which is anachronistic. The appearance of Persian personal names in the Hebrew Bible reflects the multicultural and bureaucratic context of the Persian period, especially in narrative sections set in the imperial court. There is no evidence to support theological or symbolic meanings for מרסנא. The meaning and status of the name do not shift across history; it remains solely as a proper name for a non-Israelite courtier.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of foreign derivation; Marsena, a Persian; Marsena.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

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Root Family

— (—) — uncertain; foreign personal name

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H116 אֱדַיִן then
H133 אַדְמָתָא Admatha
H175 אַהֲרוֹן and in Aharon
H1834 דַּמֶּשֶׂק Damascus
H1867 דָּֽרְיָוֵשׁ Darius

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4826-01 מַרְסְנָ֖א maresena HNp Marsena Marsena 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4826-01 Esther 1:14 מַרְסְנָ֖א maresena HNp Marsena Marsena
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