dar.ya.vesh is a personal name used for a ruler whose reign supplies settings and dates for events and prophetic messages.

The attested use is a proper name for a ruler, most often marking the year of that ruler’s reign in dates for prophetic messages; it also occurs in statements identifying a reign or describing the named ruler.

1. Name in reign dates and royal settings · dominant

   The form is tagged Noun · Proper throughout. In Haggai 1:1 and Zechariah 1:1, the APB renders dates in the second year of the named king before introducing messages to the prophets; Haggai 2:10 and Zechariah 7:1 likewise place prophetic words within a numbered year of his reign. Ezra 4:5 and Nehemiah 12:22 use the name in references to a reign, while Daniel 9:1 identifies the named figure as made to reign.

   Haggai 1:1Haggai 2:10Zechariah 1:1Zechariah 7:1Ezra 4:5Daniel 9:1

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB consistently presents the name as “Darius,” often with “King” in date and reign formulas; Daniel 11:1 adds “the Mede,” and Ezra 4:5 adds “king of Persia.” These surrounding descriptions should not be treated as separate meanings of the name.