Judea under Persian Rule

538–332 B.C.

Under Persian rule, the lands of Israel (now called Samaria) and Judah (now called Judea) were minor provinces within the satrapy called Beyond the River. Returning Judeans settled mostly in the province of Judea, but a few settled in the plain of Ono and Idumea as well. The fact that the plain of Ono lay outside the jurisdiction of Judea may explain why Nehemiah suspected that the other local governors intended to do him harm there.