The Empires of the Bible from the Confusion of Tongues to the Babylonian Captivity

ELAM

2. The country of Elam lay on the east of the Lower Tigris and Euphrates, with Media on the north, and the head of the Persian Gulf and Persia on the south. Its chief city, and one of the greatest of ancient times, was Susa, the Shushan of Scripture, and from it there was given to the country the artificial name of Susiana, by which it is called almost altogether by other than Bible writers. From Elam came the first great conqueror, Chedorlaomer. ¹ After the ten tribes of Israel had been carried captive, among the peoples whom the kings of Assyria placed in the land, there were Elamites. ² EB 34.2

3. The Persians were children of Elam. Cyrus, king of Persia, was of Elamitic origin, and the recognized chief of the Susianians. Madai and Elam—the Medes and Persians—peopled the whole tableland of Iran, or central Asia, from the River Tigris to the River Indus, and from the Sea of Aral to far into Hindustan. The Bactrians, the Sogdians, the Arians of Herat, the Hyrcanians, the Chorasmians, the Sarangians, the Sagartians, the Carmanians, the Hindus, with many other less prominent peoples, and even the later Armenians and Cappadocians, were all of Medo-Persic stock. EB 34.3