Chancellor

Chancellor translates a Persian administrative title (Aramaic ba'al te'em, literally lord of judgment or master of the decree) used in the book of Ezra for Rehum the chancellor, who wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes opposing the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls (Ezra 4:8–9, 17). The letter was successful in halting the work until the reign of Darius. The title represents a high Persian provincial official with judicial and administrative authority — essentially a royal commissioner overseeing the affairs of the Trans-Euphrates satrapy. The incident illustrates the administrative mechanisms through which the returning exiles' work faced opposition from neighboring peoples.