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Bible Dictionaries
Zerubbabel
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or or ZEROBABEL, was son of Salathiel, of the royal race of David. St. Matthew 1:12 , and 1 Chronicles 3:17; 1 Chronicles 3:19 , make Jeconiah king of Judah to be father to Salathiel; but they do not agree as to the father of Zerubbabel. The Chronicles say Pedaiah was father of Zerubbabel; but St. Matthew, St. Luke, Ezra, and Haggai, constantly make Salathiel his father. We must therefore take the name of son in the sense of grandson, and say that Salathiel having educated Zerubbabel, he was always afterward looked upon as his father. Some think that Zerubbabel had also the name of Sheshbazzar, and that he has this name in Ezra 1:8 . Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem long before the reign of Darius, son of Hystaspes. He returned at the beginning of the reign of Cyrus, A.M. 3468, fifteen years before Darius. Cyrus committed to his care the sacred vessels of the temple with which he returned to Jerusalem, Ezra 1:11 . He is always named first as being the chief of the Jews that returned to their own country, Ezra 2:2; Ezra 3:8; Ezra 5:2; he laid the foundations of the temple, Ezra 3:8-9; Zechariah 4:9 , &c; and restored the worship of the Lord, and the usual sacrifices. When the Samaritans offered to assist in rebuilding the temple, Zerubbabel and the principal men of Judah refused them this honour, since Cyrus had granted his commission to the Jews only, Ezra 4:2-3 .
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Zerubbabel'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/z/zerubbabel.html. 1831-2.
