Zerubbabel, whose name means “seed of Babylon,” was a Jew who was born in Babylon. He returned to Palestine in 538 BC to serve as the governor of Jerusalem under the rule of the Persians.
The exact identity of Zerubbabel’s biological father is uncertain. All biblical references except one mention Shealtiel as his father (Ezra 3:2, 8; 5:2; Nehemiah 12:1, Haggai 1:1, 12-14; Matthew 1:12-13 and Luke 3:27). This would make Zerubbabel the grandson of King Jehoiachin, and a descendant of King David. However, 1 Chronicles 3:19 says Pedaiah, the brother of Shealtiel, was Zerubbabel’s father.
Two solutions to this problem have been proposed. Many scholars have assumed that Shealtiel died before fathering a son who would be his heir. His brother, Pedaiah, would then have fathered Zerubbabel with Shealtiel’s widow. Because of this, Zerubbabel would have kept the name of Shealtiel rather than Pedaiah because of the laws governing Jewish marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This solution is weakened by the lack of evidence in the Bible. In the same way, the writers of the Bible would have been very careful to state this important piece of information if they wanted to “correct” an error concerning Zerubbabel’s parents.
A simpler solution is obtained by reading 1 Chronicles 3:19, which says Salathiel (Shealtiel) was the father of Zerubbabel. By looking at this verse, we can harmonize the verse in 1 Chronicles with the other verses listed above.
Whether Shealtiel or Pedaiah was Zerubbabel’s biological father, it is clear that Zerubbabel was a descendant of King David and he was viewed by the people of Israel as a possible candidate for leading them back to a position of power.
Following the edict of King Cyrus in 538 BC, Jews were permitted to return to Palestine and reclaim their homeland. Zerubbabel was appointed governor, and probably by 529 BC had started work on the reconstruction of the Jerusalem temple. However, because of several discouraging events, little was accomplished until the year 520 B.C.
The writings of Haggai and Zechariah reveal much information about Zerubbabel’s standing in the Israelite community. These two prophets evidently viewed Jeshua and Zerubbabel as the two men chosen by God for the task of rebuilding the temple. In many of their oracles, there is open support for one of these two men (Haggai 2:21-23, Zechariah 3:8, Zechariah 4:6-7 and Zechariah 6:12). The prophets thought Jeshua and Zerubbabel’s work was similar to the work of a messiah. This is most clearly seen in the vision of Zechariah (Zechariah 4:11-14). In that vision, two olive branches, one on either side of the lampstand, are identified as “the two anointed who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” As the context clearly shows, none other than Jeshua (Zechariah 3:1-9) and Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:6-10) are meant by this reference. Because of his association with the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel had been given a place of great honor in Jewish tradition.
Some scholars think that Zerubbabel was known to the Persians as Sheshbazzar.