TATTENAI

tat'-e-ni (tattenay, various forms in the Septuagint; the King James Version Tatnai, tat'ni, tat'na-i'): A Persian governor, who was the successor of Rehum in Samaria and some other provinces belonging to Judah, bordering on Samaria. He governed the provinces during the reign of Darius Hystaspis and Zerubbabel (Ezra 5:3,6; 6:6,13). He was friendly to the Jews, and when he heard adverse reports from Jerusalem he suspended judgment till he had investigated the matter on the ground, and then reported to the Persian government in a very moderate manner. In 1 Esdras 6:3,7,27; 7:1 he is called "Sisinnes."

S. L. Umbach

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.