Shimshai

Shimshai (meaning: the shining one or sunny) was the secretary or scribe of Rehum the chancellor, a Persian administrative official in Samaria who opposed the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls in the early restoration period. Shimshai and Rehum wrote an accusatory letter to King Artaxerxes against the Jews, claiming that the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls would lead to the refusal of taxes and tribute and ultimately to rebellion against the Persian empire (Ezra 4:8–9).

Their letter succeeded in halting the work: Artaxerxes ordered the construction to cease until further notice (Ezra 4:17–22), and Rehum and Shimshai went to Jerusalem with armed men and compelled the Jews to stop by force (Ezra 4:23). This interruption is part of the broader opposition to the restoration recorded in Ezra 4. The building project was eventually resumed under Darius after the prophets Haggai and Zechariah stirred the community to recommit to completing the temple. Shimshai's name is of Persian or Babylonian origin, reflecting the administrative culture of the Samaritan province.