Zerubbabel

By Mary Jane Chaignot

There is some confusion regarding the ancestry of Zerubbabel.
Ezra 3:2, 8; Neh. 12:1; Haggai 1:1 claim he was the son of Shealteil.
I Chronicles 3:19 states he was the son of Pedaiah, which would make him the grandson of Jehoiachin who was the grandson of Josiah.
Scholars cannot reconcile these two names.
Some think Pedaiah engaged in a levirate marriage with Shealtiel’s widow after Zerubbabel died, though there is nothing in the text to support this view.
The meaning of the name Zerubbabel is also uncertain. If it is derived from Hebrew, it probably means “begotten of [in] Babylon.” If it is derived from the Assyro-Babylonian term “Zeru-Babel,” it probably means “seed/offspring of Babylon.”
In some texts, he has an identical function to an individual named Sheshbazzar (“the prince of Judah”).
The easiest explanation is that he, like Daniel, had two names – one Hebrew (“Zerubbabel”) and one Babylonian/Persian (“Sheshbazzar”). Therefore, both references are to the same person.
The fact that Ezra refers to both individually might suggest two distinct persons.
Sheshbazzar was the leader of the first group of exiles returning to Jerusalem under king Cyrus (as recounted by Ezra).
Zerubbabel is found in the canonical books of 1 Chronicles, Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah.
He, along with Jeshua, was responsible for rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.
How and when this happened is a subject of dispute.
Some suggest that he was sent to Jerusalem by Cyrus [a.k.a. Sheshbazzar] (see Ezra 3-4).
If this is true, then the story would be as follows: In the first year of Cyrus, he was living in Babylon in captivity.
When Cyrus decreed that the Israelites could go back, Zerubbabel took advantage of the king’s offer and placed himself in charge of the returnees.
He was accompanied by a priest known as Jeshua.
It is possible that he was in the king’s service at this time and was appointed by the king to be governor of Judea.
As governor, one of his duties would have been to collect the taxes for Persia.
As soon as he arrived in Jerusalem, he began work on the temple.
By the second month of the second year, the foundation was laid and a great ceremony ensued.
At this point, however, the Samaritans were able to get the work stopped and nothing happened for at least sixteen or seventeen years (some say as long as 23 years).
During this time, Zerubbabel and the other leaders were busy building their own houses.
During the second year of Darius, the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, roused the people, and Zerubbabel again responded.
He began again to work on the temple and it was finished four years later (despite many interruptions and continued opposition).
At this point, the temple was dedicated with much pomp and circumstance.
Along with Jeshua, Zerubbabel is also credited with restoring the functions of priests and Levites and providing for their maintenance.
During the seventh year of Darius, they celebrated their first Passover.
Zerubbabel is included in both Matthew and Luke’s genealogies with the name, Zorobabel, which is the Greek form of Zerubbabel.
The other historical option is the one determined by the legend recounted in 1 Esdras.
This one has him working in the court of King Darius, at which point he won a contest because of his wit.
He determined that the one thing strongest was “women” and ultimately “truth.”
After being called “Kinsman” of the king, he was offered whatever he wanted.
What he wanted was to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple (this would have been sixteen or seventeen years after the first option).
Once he arrived in Jerusalem, the stories are quite similar.
Scholars do know that he was governor of Judea and a leader in the rebuilding of the temple.
There was opposition again the second time to thwart any rebuilding efforts. But this time, they appealed to the king, who found the original decree from King Cyrus.
Thereafter, they built without opposition.
This work would have predated anything Nehemiah did with the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.
The roles of Haggai and Zechariah are not exactly clear with this second option.
In Zech. 4:11-14, Zerubbabel and Jeshua were labeled as God’s anointed.
They were given instructions as to the rebuilding of the Temple.
There is also language referring to them as “the Branch.”
Scholars see messianic overtones in this title.
In Haggai 2:2, they are specifically addressed by God.
In Haggai 2:20-23, God says, “On that day, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant…and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you.”
“On that day” refers to that final Day of Judgment – Zerubbabel will be there.
Since a signet ring is a symbol of one’s authority, to be a signet ring meant that that person was invested with the authority of another – in this case, God’s.
Lest anyone thought the line of Judean kings had ended, this passage suggests God would take Zerubbabel and make him his authority, the representation of God.
In this fashion, God endorsed Zerubbabel as a legal heir to David’s throne
This was meant to be a restoration of the Davidic line.
Some scholars have suggested that Zerubbabel was actually made King of Judah, but that he was martyred by the Persians. This would lend credence to him having a messianic kingdom and in so doing, he foreshadowed the Messiah to come.
There is no record that Zerubbabel ever took the office of king, but the words suggest it.
Nothing is known about his demise.
There is no record of any governors after him; it is likely that the Persians stopped appointing any.
His name is also not included in Ezra’s list of those who were present when the temple was finished (leading scholars to believe in the martyrdom theory).
It is also possible he simply returned to Babylon to live out his final days.
According to 1 Chronicles, he had one daughter and seven sons.

Bibliography

Coggins, R. J. and M.A. Knibb. "The First and Second Books of Esdras." The Cambridge Bible Commentary. London, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. 1979.

deSilva, David. Introducing the Apocrypha. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2002.

Jones, Ivor. "The Apocrypha." Epworth Commentaries. London, Great Britain: Epworth Press. 2003.

Kee, Howard Clark. Cambridge Annotated Study Apocrypha. Cambridge, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press. 1989.

Kohlenberger, John, III. The Parallel Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press. 1997.

Meeks, Wayne, ed. The Harper Collins Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers. 1993.

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