29 Facts About Zerubbabel

Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem soon after.

Zerubbabel means seed of Babylon, showing how quickly the elites integrated into the Babylonian social structure.

Elias Bickerman speculates that one of the reasons that Zerubbabel was able to rebuild the Temple was because of "the widespread revolts at the beginning of the reign of Darius I in 522 BC, which preoccupied him to such a degree that Zerubbabel felt he could initiate the rebuilding of the temple without repercussions".

However, Zerubbabel was of the main Davidic line through Solomon and Jeconiah.

Zerubbabel could be viewed as a governor of a state within another nation and thus technically "not on the throne" of a nation.

Several Old Testament texts are conflicting as to whether Zerubbabel was the son or nephew of Shealtiel.

The Book of Ezra begins with Cyrus the Great entrusting the Temple vessels to Sheshbazzar ; this apparently important figure disappears from the story entirely after being named in Ezra 1:8 and Ezra 5:14, and Zerubbabel is abruptly introduced as the main figure.

Lemaire interprets the author of Haggai as wanting Zerubbabel to be appointed to a lesser role:.

Zerubbabel was not the ruler of a nation, but the governor of a province.

Some historians claim that Haggai's prophecy does not claim that Zerubbabel will become the King of Judah.

Rose's concludes that the imagery itself does not claim that Zerubbabel will be King of Judea.

Furthermore, Rose makes this claim because the prophecy does not claim that Zerubbabel will become king:.

Anthony Petterson argues that the standard explanation of Haggai and Zechariah's prophecies, in which Zerubbabel was supposed to be the restorer of the Davidic dynasty but never fulfilled these expectations, does not actually stand as an explanation of the final form of these texts.

The controversy regarding the prophesies about Zerubbabel relate back to this quote about Zerubbabel laying the foundation of the temple and eventually completing it.

Should this have been the intention of the author, then the restoration of the Davidic line of kings would be imminent, as Zerubbabel is a member of the line of David.

The third is that the references to Zemah appear to anticipate a future event, while Zerubbabel existed in the present.

Zechariah neither proclaims that Zerubbabel will restore the monarchy, nor does he contradict the previous hopes for a Davidic king.

The passages describing Zerubbabel do mention the prophecies of Haggai and of Zechariah concerning Zerubbabel's actions in the land of Judah.

Zerubbabel was given gold and told to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple.

The final detail in the book of Ezra regarding Zerubbabel is a date for the completion of the second Temple.

Unlike the passages in Nehemiah, Haggai, and Ezra, the Masoretic text of 1 Chronicles appears to state that Zerubbabel is not the son of Shealtiel, but rather the son of Pedaiah.

However, in the Septuagint text of 1 Chronicles, Zerubbabel is said to be the son of Shealtiel, in agreement with all other accounts.

The Hebrew Bible has conflicting texts regarding whether Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel or of Pedaiah.

Zerubbabel is understood as the legal successor of Shealtiel, with Zerubbabel's title paralleling the High Priest Jeshua's title, "son of Jozadak", that emphasizes Joshua's rightful claim to the dynasty of high priests, descending from Aaron.

Zerubbabel is listed alongside Jeshua son of Jozadak and Nehemiah as a leader of the restoration of the Temple.

Zerubbabel was given sanction to rebuild the Temple and return the sacred Temple vessels that Nebuchadnezzar II had preserved after the conquest of Babylon.

The prophecy contains messianic imagery and Zerubbabel is told the future of the city of Jerusalem.

Zerubbabel plays a large role in Sholem Asch's final work The Prophet.

Zerubbabel is announced as the Prince of Judah upon his return to the Holy Land.