Person Old and New Testament
Zerubbabel
Also known as Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel =ESV, NIV; Zorobabel =KJV
Zerubbabel (or Sheshbazzar), a descendant of David, led the first group of Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem from Babylon and oversaw the rebuilding of the temple. Mentioned in 27 verses across 6 books, first at 1 Chronicles 3:19.
Why it matters. Leader of the first Jewish exiles from Babylon
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zerubbabel
Zerubbabel, also known as Sheshbazzar, was a descendant of King David who played a crucial role in the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. He is mentioned in various books of the Old Testament, including 1 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah. Zerubbabel led the first group of exiles back to Jerusalem under the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia. He is listed among the leaders who returned and is credited with laying the foundation of the temple. Despite facing opposition from the Samaritans and others, Zerubbabel, along with the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, encouraged the people to complete the rebuilding of the temple. He is also mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, emphasizing his importance in the messianic lineage. Zerubbabel's leadership and dedication were instrumental in reestablishing Jewish worship in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 27 verses across 6 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.