Editing Zerubbabel (section)

==In the Hebrew Bible==

===In the Prophets (''Nevi'im'')===
Zerubbabel appears in the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah.

====The Prophecy of Haggai====

{{blockquote|"'On that day, says the Lord of Hosts, I will take you Zerubbabel, son of [[Shealtiel]], my servant, and wear you like a [[signet ring]]; for it is you whom I have chosen. This is the word of the Lord of Hosts'" ({{bibleverse|Haggai|2:23}}).}}

This quotation from the Book of Haggai illustrates the messianic expectations that are often associated with Zerubbabel. The term, "my servant," describes Zerubbabel as God's servant. This term is often associated with [[King David]]. Walter Rose concludes that the fact that "the [[epithet]] 'servant' is hardly ever used for kings after David may be related to the fact that most of them were disappointing in their performance as kings appointed by YHVH".<ref>Walter H. Rose, ''Zemah and Zerubbabel: Messianic Expectations in the Early Postexilic Period''. (Sheffield, England Sheffield Academic Press 2000), pg 211.</ref> Rose emphasizes that the author of the Book of Haggai is associating Zerubbabel with King David.

Scholars have also analyzed the phrase "I will take you." Rose associates this term with a mission, change, or protection.<ref>Rose 216–217</ref> For Zerubbabel, this mission was likely the rebuilding of the second Temple.

The most widely debated part of this prophecy is the phrase, "wear you like a signet ring." A [[signet ring]] is an authoritative symbol that is associated with power. Rose interprets this passage by comparing it to the passage in [[Jeremiah 22:24]], in through which he concludes that the King is a signet ring on God's hand.<ref>Rose 229</ref> John Kessler interprets the idea of the nature of the Signet ring as such that "the real true figure of speech at issue is a personification of which the simile or metaphor is only a part. The real trope consists of the personification of Yahweh, who is likened to the owner of a signet".<ref name= Floyd113>
Kessler (2006), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=1HCq055I_GoC&pg=PA113 113].</ref> However, this word when in Hebrew has been translated as meaning both seal and signet ring.

It is unclear whether Haggai's prophecy claims that Zerubbabel is going to be the King of the Land of Judah or if he is just to build the second Temple. Many scholars have interpreted the following passage from Haggai as identifying Zerubbabel as a king of the land of Judah, a continuation of the Davidic line:

{{blockquote|"Zerubbabel is to be made either the representative of YHVH, or the new king who will restore the monarchy, or the new world leader. One sometimes finds words like messianic or Messiah used to describe Zerubbabel's role".<ref>Rose 230</ref>}}

According to [[Peter Ackroyd (biblical scholar)|Peter Ackroyd]], Zerubbabel was "'a royal representative of God'".<ref>Rose 231</ref> Both historians' interpretations of the prophecy of Haggai appear to understand the term of the "signet ring" as being a metaphor for Zerubbabel attaining God's authority on earth.

Not all biblical scholars interpret Zerubbabel's authority in the same manner. Other scholars see it as a prophecy proclaiming that Zerubbabel will become king. According to [[Sara Japhet]]:

{{blockquote|"Haggai does not explain, however, for what Zerubbabel was chosen. From what is described in the prophecy—the overthrow of the kingdoms of the nations as the first stage in the choosing of Zerubbabel—we may conclude that Haggai sees Zerubbabel as a king, whose kingdom is made possible by a change in the political structure. ... [F]rom now on, since Zerubbabel has been chosen as a 'signet,' he will be 'sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah'. All this, however, is only hinted at in the prophecy of Haggai and not stated explicitly".<ref>Rose 232</ref>}}

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

{{blockquote|"Haggai is expressing the hope of a change in status of the province of Yehud, and of Zerubbabel's emergence as a king of a vassal state within the Persian empire".<ref name= Floyd116>
Kessler (2006), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=1HCq055I_GoC&pg=PA116 116].</ref>}}

John Kessler's interpretation agrees with Lemaire's:

{{blockquote|"The Promise of David…was now functioning in a new form, accommodated to the realities of the Persian period. Zerubbabel was not the ruler of a nation, but the governor of a province. Yet, such a provisional situation posed no inherent threat to the promise of the Davidic house".<ref name= Floyd119>
Kessler (2006), p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=1HCq055I_GoC&pg=PA119 119].</ref>}}

Some historians claim that Haggai's prophecy does not claim that Zerubbabel will become the King of [[Judea|Judah]]. Rose's concludes that the imagery itself does not claim that Zerubbabel will be King of Judea.<ref>Rose 237</ref> Rose also claims that "in Haggai's passage, one does not find a statement about Zerubbabel being YHVH's anointed, or about his autonomous rule (given by God), present or future, and there is no explicit promise that God will make the nations submit to his chosen one. One reads only about a mutual destruction of political and military forces masterminded by God. On the basis of these observations, I think it is safe to conclude that there is no reason to assume that divine intervention which does not mention autonomous rule or submission of the nations to Zerubbabel ({{bibleverse|Hag.|2}}) would necessarily imply a change of his position".<ref>Rose 241</ref>

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

{{blockquote|"The absence of any reference to the Davidic line from which Zerubbabel came, and the failure to use words like "melech" ... (related to the title of King)...point in a different direction".<ref>Rose 243</ref>}}

====Zechariah====

Falling in line with the rest of the twelve prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible (the Nevi'im), the book of Zechariah describes a hope for a future king, beyond the current leader Zerubbabel, and further establishes a portrayal of this future 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.

Zerubbabel's name is mentioned four times throughout Zechariah 1–8, and all of these instances occur in one short oracle written in [[Zechariah 4|chapter 4]]. Any other references to Zerubbabel throughout this book are guesses or theories as to his significance. Zechariah 4:1–3 gives a vision that was had by Zechariah of a lampstand with a bowl on it. Upon that are seven lamps, each with seven lips. There are two olive trees, one to the right of the bowl and one to the left. The explanation, told by the angel that Zechariah is conversing with, is as follows:

{{blockquote|"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts. 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"' (Zech 4:6–7)}}

{{blockquote|"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. … The seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth … the two olive trees … are the two sons of oil (anointed ones) who stand by the Lord of the whole earth." (Zech 4:9–14)}}

There is a debate in the biblical scholarly community as to who the "sons of oil" is referencing. Though conventional wisdom often understood it to be Zerubbabel and [[Joshua the High Priest|Joshua]], Boda argues that, because of the important role that prophets were said to play in the reconstruction of the Temple in Zech 8:9, Haggai and Zechariah are the sons of oil.<ref name= ARP10>Anthony R. Petterson, "The Shape of the Davidic Hope across the Book of the Twelve," ''[[Journal for the Study of the Old Testament]]'' 35 (2010): 225–246.</ref>

The controversy regarding the prophesies about Zerubbabel relate back to this quote about Zerubbabel laying the foundation of the temple and eventually completing it. Zech 3:8 and 6:12 refer to a man called "The Branch." In [[Zechariah 6]], the Lord tells Zechariah to gather silver and gold from the returned exiles (who had come back to Judah from Babylonia), and to go to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah (members of the Davidic lineage). Then Zechariah is told to fashion a crown out of the silver and gold, set it on the head of Joshua son of Jehozadak, and tell him the following:

{{blockquote|"Thus says the Lord of hosts: Here is a man whose name is Branch (Hebrew: ''Zemah''): for he shall branch out in his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord … he shall bear royal honor, and shall sit upon his throne and rule. There shall be a priest by his throne, with peaceful understanding between the two of them." (Zech 6:12–13)}}

It is unclear whether or not "the Branch" refers to Zerubbabel. 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 (1 Chron 3:19–20). There is some evidence for this link, namely that Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah at the time of Zechariah, he was frequently associated with Joshua (Ezra 3:2, 3:8), and he is also described as the Temple builder (Zech 4:9). However, there are several reasons that complicate this association. The first is that Joshua is the one crowned, not the Branch. The next is that Zerubbabel is not mentioned. The third is that the references to Zemah appear to anticipate a future event, while Zerubbabel existed in the present.<ref>Rose 248</ref> Zechariah neither proclaims that Zerubbabel will restore the monarchy, nor does he contradict the previous hopes for a Davidic king (Hag 2:23). Rather, Zechariah maintains hope for a Davidic king in the future, without tying down the prophecy directly to Zerubbabel.<ref name= ARP10/>

===In the Writings (Kethuvim)===

====Ezra====
According to the [[Book of Ezra]] chapter 2, Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem in the first wave of liberated exiles under the decree of King Cyrus of Persia in 538 BC. The mention of Zerubbabel in the book of Ezra primarily serves the purpose of describing the return to Judah following the exile from [[Babylon]] and the construction of the [[Second Temple]]. According to the authors of the Book of Ezra, "when the seventh month came… [[Joshua the High Priest|Jeshua]] son of Jozadak along with his fellow-priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, with his colleagues, set to work to build the altar of the God of Israel". ({{bibleverse||Ezra|3:1–2|HE}})

The Book of Ezra also gives a date for the beginning of the construction of the Temple:

{{blockquote|"In the second month of the second year, after they came to the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak began the work".({{bibleverse||Ezr.|3:8|HE}})}}

This passage describes how Zerubbabel was part of the group who began to build the second Temple of Jerusalem. According to the Book of Ezra, Zerubbabel is also under the authority of King Cyrus of Persia to build the Temple (Ezr. 4:3). The passages describing Zerubbabel do mention the [[#Zerubabbel and the Prophecy of Haggai|prophecies of Haggai]] and [[#Zechariah|of Zechariah]] concerning Zerubbabel's actions in the land of Judah.

Regarding [[Sheshbazzar]], he is frequently considered to have been appointed governor of Judah by the Persian King Cyrus in the year 538 BC, although an argument has been made that he was the last Neo-Babylonian governor of [[Yehud (Babylonian province)|Yehud]] at the time of the Persian invasion.<ref>{{cite book |title=Exile and Return: The Babylonian Context |last=Silverman |first=Jason M. |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |year=2015 |isbn=978-3-11-041928-3 |pages=308–321 |editor-last=Stökl |editor-first=Jonathan |chapter=Sheshbazzar, a Judean or a Babylonian? A Note on his Identity |editor-last2=Waerzeggers |editor-first2=Caroline |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CBpCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA308}}</ref> He was given gold and told to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. According to a letter from [[Tattenai]] (the governor of the province Beyond the River) to King Darius I, Sheshbazzar started the Temple, but it lay under construction for a long time ({{bibleverse||Ezra|5:16|HE}}). It seems as though Zerubbabel picked up construction shortly afterwards, in the 2nd year of Darius' rule (August 29, 520 BC) (see Zerubbabel in Haggai).<ref>{{Cite book |title=T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism |last=Williamson |first=H. G. M. |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-567-66095-4 |editor-last=Stuckenbruck |editor-first=Loren T. |volume=2 |page=734 |chapter=Sheshbazzar |editor-last2=Gurtner |editor-first2=Daniel M. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ica_DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA734}}</ref>

According to the Letter written by King Darius I recorded in the Book of Ezra:

{{blockquote|"the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which [[Nebuchadnezzar]] carried away from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned; they are all to be taken back to the temple in Jerusalem, and restored each to its place in the house of God". ({{bibleverse||Ezr.|6:5|HE}})}}

The final detail in the book of Ezra regarding Zerubbabel is a date for the completion of the second Temple. According to the Book of Ezra, "the house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius." In this passage, the word "house" refers to the second Temple.

====Nehemiah====
The reference to Zerubbabel in the Book of [[Nehemiah]] is rather brief. The author of the Book of Nehemiah only refers to Zerubbabel in passing when the author states that: "These are the priests and the Levites which came back with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with Jeshua" (Neh. 12:1). The Book of Nehemiah provides no new information regarding Zerubbabel; however, Nehemiah came to Jeruzalem around 444 BC, almast a century later then Zerubbabel, so that is not so surprising.

====1st Chronicles====
The mention of Zerubbabel in 1 Chronicles only states Zerubbabel and his lineage and descendants. The [[Masoretic text]] of the passage states:

{{blockquote|"The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and [[Shimei]]. The sons of Zerubbabel: [[Meshullam]] and Hannaniah; they had a sister Shelomith. There were five others: [[Hashubah]], [[Ohel (Bible)|Ohel]], [[Berechiah]], [[Hasadiah]], and [[Jushab-hesed]]" (1 Chronicles 3:19).}}

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.<ref name= SJ>{{citation |last=Japhet |first=Sara |author-link=Sara Japhet |title=I & II Chronicles: A Commentary |year=1993 |page=100 |isbn=978-0-664-22641-1 |publisher=Westminster/John Knox Press |location=Louisville}}</ref>

===Son of Shealtiel or Pedaiah===
{{anchor|SonOfWhom}}[[File:Zerubbabel.jpg|thumb|200px|Zerubbabel from [[Guillaume Rouillé]]'s ''[[Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum]]'' (1553)]]
The Hebrew Bible has conflicting texts regarding whether Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel or of Pedaiah. Several texts (that are thought to be more or less contemporaneous) explicitly call "Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel" ({{bibleverse|Ezra|3:2,8;5:2|NIV}}, {{bibleverse|Nehemiah|12:1|NIV}}, {{bibleverse|Haggai|1:1,12,14|NIV}}). In addition, the genealogy given in the [[Septuagint]] text of 1 Chronicles supports that position,<ref name= SJ/> as does the [[Seder Olam Zutta]]. In contrast, the [[Masoretic text]] of {{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|3:17–19|NIV}} makes Zerubbabel a nephew of Shealtiel: King Jeconiah is the father of Shealtiel and Pedaiah, then Pedaiah is the father of Zerubbabel.<ref name= SJ/>

The text which identifies Zerubbabel as a son of Pedaiah could be a scribal error. It occurs in a part of the text where the Hebrew seems incongruent and possibly garbled ({{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|3:16–21|NIV}}).<ref>"Zerubbabel", ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' 1908.</ref> The expected mention of Shealtiel being a father seems accidentally omitted, and thus his children became confused with Pedaiah's. There may be other problems with these verses as well.

In any case, those texts that call Zerubbabel "son of Shealtiel" have a context that is overtly political and seems to emphasize Zerubbabel's potential royal claim to the throne of the Davidic Dynasty by being Shealtiel's successor. Zerubbabel is understood as the legal successor of Shealtiel, with Zerubbabel's title paralleling the High Priest [[Joshua the High Priest|Jeshua]]'s title, "son of Jozadak", that emphasizes Joshua's rightful claim to the dynasty of high priests, descending from [[Aaron]]. Therefore, with one descending from David and the other from Aaron, these two officials have the divine authority to rebuild the Temple.