ZERUBBABEL
BIBLICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
BIBLICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
ZERUBBABEL PART one
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ZERUBBABELze-rub'-a-bel (zerubbabhel, probably a transliteration of the Babylonian name Zeru-Babili, "seed of Babylon"; Zorobabel):
1. Name:
Is commonly called the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3:2, 8; Ezra 5:2 Nehemiah 12:1 Haggai 1:1, 12, 14 Matthew 1:12 Luke 3:27); but in 1 Chronicles 3:19 he is called the son of Pedaiah, the brother apparently of Shealtiel (Salathiel) and the son or grandson of Jeconiah. It is probable that Shealtiel had no children and adopted Zerubbabel; or that Zerubbabel was his levirate son; or that, Shealtiel being childless, Zerubbabel succeeded to the rights of sonship as being the next of kin.
2. Family:
Whatever may have been his blood relationship to Jeconiah, the Scriptures teach that Zerubbabel was his legal successor, of the 3rd or 4th generation. According to 1 Chronicles 3:19, he had one daughter, Shelomith, and seven sons, Meshullam, Hananiah, Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-hesed. In Matthew 1:13 he is said to have been the father of Abiud (i.e. Abi-hud). As it is the custom in Arabia today to give a man a new name when his first son is born, so it may have been, in this case, that Meshullam was the father of Hud, and that his name was changed to Abiud as soon as his son was named Hud. In Luke 3:27, the son of Zerubbabel is called Rhesa. This is doubtless the title of the head of the captivity, the resh gelutha', and would be appropriate as a title of Meshullam in his capacity as the official representative of the captive Jews. That Zerubbabel is said in the New Testament to be the son of Shealtiel the son of Neri instead of Jeconiah may be accounted for on the supposition that Shealtiel was the legal heir or adopted son of Jeconiah, who according to Jeremiah 36:30 was apparently to die childless.
3. Relation to Sheshbazzar:
It has been shown in the article on Sheshbazzar that he and Zerubbabel may possibly have been the same person and that the name may have been Shamash-ban (or bun)-zer-Babili-usur. It seems more probable, however, that Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah, was governor under Cyrus and that Zerubbabel was governor under Darius. The former, according to Ezra 1:8 and 5:14-16, laid the foundations, and the latter completed the building of the temple (Ezra 2:2, 68; Ezra 4:2 Haggai 1:14 Zechariah 4:9).
4. History:
All that is known certainly about Zerubbabel is found in the canonical books of Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra-Nehemiah. According to these he and Jeshua, the high priest, led up a band of captives from Babylon to Jerusalem and began rebuilding the temple in the second year of Darius Hystaspis. They first constructed the altar of burnt offerings, and afterward built a temple, usually called the Second Temple, much inferior in beauty to that of Solomon. According to Josephus and the apocryphal Book of Ezra (1 Esdras 3, 4), Zerubbabel was a friend of Darius Hystaspis, having successfully competed before him in a contest whose object was to determine what was the strongest thing in the world-wine, kings, women, or truth. Zerubbabel, having demonstrated that truth was the mightiest of all, was called the king's "cousin," and was granted by him permission to go up to Jerusalem and to build the temple. Zerubbabel was also made a governor of Jerusalem, and performed also the duties of the tirshatha, an official who was probably the Persian collector of taxes.
Zerubbabel Part two
(Biblical Characters in Freemasonry "Zerubbabel by: van Gorden 1980")
Ideas must work 1hrough the brains and arms of good and
brave men. or they arc no beuer 1han dreams ··
Ralph Waldo Emerson
ZERUBBABEL: "EXECUTIVE ABILITY "
The word executive comes from the verb “to execute"; which means,—"to put into effect, to implement, to carry out, to perform, to do.” The executive is one who puts into effect, implements, etc.; and one who causes others to do these things and directs the doing of them. The executive, to perform or to cause others to perform effectively, must possess numerous qualities and abilities,—too many to be dealt with in detail here. These include clarity of vision, an analytical mind, and determination combined with flexibility; as well as the ability to lead and inspire others.
The executive must clearly see the goal to be attained, the obstacles likely to hinder its attainment, and the methods needed to overcome them. Determination provides the will to overcome such obstacles, while flexibility enables the executive to deal with the unexpected. As the executive must work through others, the ability to direct, lead, and inspire others becomes a prime requirement of the effective executive.
Zerubbabel demonstrated executive ability in rebuilding the Temple after the first return from the Babylonian captivity. Zerubbabel, whose name means “Born at Babel (Babylon)”, was either the son of Shealtiel or the son of Shealtiel’s brother, Pedaiah. In either case, he was the granson of Jehoiachin, king of Judah. This made him the legal successor of Jehoiachin and heir to the throne, as well as heir to leadership of the tribe of Judah. Those who consider him the son of Pedaiah believe that Shealtiel, the elder of the two brothers, died without an heir, and had adopted Zerubbabel as his son.
Zerubbabel’s status in the tribe of Judah at the time of the first return from Babylon remains unclear, because of another dispute about his identity. Probably Sheshbazzar, described as Prince of Judah,” whom Cyrus appointed as Persian governor of Jerusalem, and Zerubbabel were identical, with Sheshbazzar the Babylonian name of Zerubbabel. Some, however, contend that Sheshbazzar was Zerubbabel’s uncle.
If they were not identical, Zerubbabel clearly accompanied Sheshbazzar in the first return, and held a position of authority among the exiles. With Jeshua, the High Priest, Zerubbabel set up an altar for burnt offerings, kept the Feast of Tabernacles, and began the rebuilding of the Temple. If not Sheshbazzar. the first governor, Zerubbabel had become governor at some time within the next 15 years. The first chapter of Haggai states that in the second year of Darius as king of Persia, the Lord spoke through Haggai to “. . . Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah. . . .’’
The first effort to rebuild the Temple ended in failure. Samaritans opposed the project, because the returned exiles excluded them from it. These received support from local Persian officials who saw the newly arrived exiles as threats to their position and security. Cyrus’ death and the succession struggles in Persia that followed it increased the problem. The returned Jews also lost much of their enthusiasm for the project after these obstacles developed, and began to concentrate on personal concerns, such as building costly homes for themselves.
In the second year of Darius’ reign, 520 B.C., Haggai called for work on the Temple to be resumed. Zerubbabel and Jeshua responded to Haggai’s call. Under their leadership, the work began within three weeks of Haggai’s call. The effort and diligence applied to the work were such that within four weeks from the start, the general character of the new structure had become discernible. It required only four years to complete the Temple The rebuilding of the Temple insured Zerubbabel’s place in history.
Biblical historians refer to the Second Temple as "Zerubbabers Temple”—the First is "Solomon's Temple" and the Third is "Herod’s Temple"—indicating Zerubbabel’s importance in its construction. It was about a third larger than Solomon's Temple, but lacked the latter’s splendor and ornamentation. It stood, more or less intact, until 20 B.C., when Herod began to rebuild it as the Third Temple. The significance of Zerubbabel’s effort lay in the rapidity of the Temple's erection. The speed of construction resulted in large part from the zeal of the builders,—a zeal arising from a great religious revival.
But zeal requires direction to be effective. Zerubbabel provided that direction and his executive ability contributed much to the success of the project. In the Masonic degrees. Zerubbabel illustrates loyalty to conviction, faithfulness to duty, devotion to truth, and determination to fulfill the obligations of these virtues. The lessons particularly emphasize truth, and teach that truth is the strongest force affecting mankind. Truth, supported by dedication to conviction and steadfast commitment to duty, will ultimately prevail. Implicit in this is the need for executive ability to translate loyalty, faithfulness, and devotion to truth, into effective action.
Biblical References:
Ezra: 1 thru 6.
Haggai: 1; 2.
Zechariah: 4; 6.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ZERUBBABELze-rub'-a-bel (zerubbabhel, probably a transliteration of the Babylonian name Zeru-Babili, "seed of Babylon"; Zorobabel):
1. Name:
Is commonly called the son of Shealtiel (Ezra 3:2, 8; Ezra 5:2 Nehemiah 12:1 Haggai 1:1, 12, 14 Matthew 1:12 Luke 3:27); but in 1 Chronicles 3:19 he is called the son of Pedaiah, the brother apparently of Shealtiel (Salathiel) and the son or grandson of Jeconiah. It is probable that Shealtiel had no children and adopted Zerubbabel; or that Zerubbabel was his levirate son; or that, Shealtiel being childless, Zerubbabel succeeded to the rights of sonship as being the next of kin.
2. Family:
Whatever may have been his blood relationship to Jeconiah, the Scriptures teach that Zerubbabel was his legal successor, of the 3rd or 4th generation. According to 1 Chronicles 3:19, he had one daughter, Shelomith, and seven sons, Meshullam, Hananiah, Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-hesed. In Matthew 1:13 he is said to have been the father of Abiud (i.e. Abi-hud). As it is the custom in Arabia today to give a man a new name when his first son is born, so it may have been, in this case, that Meshullam was the father of Hud, and that his name was changed to Abiud as soon as his son was named Hud. In Luke 3:27, the son of Zerubbabel is called Rhesa. This is doubtless the title of the head of the captivity, the resh gelutha', and would be appropriate as a title of Meshullam in his capacity as the official representative of the captive Jews. That Zerubbabel is said in the New Testament to be the son of Shealtiel the son of Neri instead of Jeconiah may be accounted for on the supposition that Shealtiel was the legal heir or adopted son of Jeconiah, who according to Jeremiah 36:30 was apparently to die childless.
3. Relation to Sheshbazzar:
It has been shown in the article on Sheshbazzar that he and Zerubbabel may possibly have been the same person and that the name may have been Shamash-ban (or bun)-zer-Babili-usur. It seems more probable, however, that Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah, was governor under Cyrus and that Zerubbabel was governor under Darius. The former, according to Ezra 1:8 and 5:14-16, laid the foundations, and the latter completed the building of the temple (Ezra 2:2, 68; Ezra 4:2 Haggai 1:14 Zechariah 4:9).
4. History:
All that is known certainly about Zerubbabel is found in the canonical books of Zechariah, Haggai and Ezra-Nehemiah. According to these he and Jeshua, the high priest, led up a band of captives from Babylon to Jerusalem and began rebuilding the temple in the second year of Darius Hystaspis. They first constructed the altar of burnt offerings, and afterward built a temple, usually called the Second Temple, much inferior in beauty to that of Solomon. According to Josephus and the apocryphal Book of Ezra (1 Esdras 3, 4), Zerubbabel was a friend of Darius Hystaspis, having successfully competed before him in a contest whose object was to determine what was the strongest thing in the world-wine, kings, women, or truth. Zerubbabel, having demonstrated that truth was the mightiest of all, was called the king's "cousin," and was granted by him permission to go up to Jerusalem and to build the temple. Zerubbabel was also made a governor of Jerusalem, and performed also the duties of the tirshatha, an official who was probably the Persian collector of taxes.
Zerubbabel Part two
(Biblical Characters in Freemasonry "Zerubbabel by: van Gorden 1980")
Ideas must work 1hrough the brains and arms of good and
brave men. or they arc no beuer 1han dreams ··
Ralph Waldo Emerson
ZERUBBABEL: "EXECUTIVE ABILITY "
The word executive comes from the verb “to execute"; which means,—"to put into effect, to implement, to carry out, to perform, to do.” The executive is one who puts into effect, implements, etc.; and one who causes others to do these things and directs the doing of them. The executive, to perform or to cause others to perform effectively, must possess numerous qualities and abilities,—too many to be dealt with in detail here. These include clarity of vision, an analytical mind, and determination combined with flexibility; as well as the ability to lead and inspire others.
The executive must clearly see the goal to be attained, the obstacles likely to hinder its attainment, and the methods needed to overcome them. Determination provides the will to overcome such obstacles, while flexibility enables the executive to deal with the unexpected. As the executive must work through others, the ability to direct, lead, and inspire others becomes a prime requirement of the effective executive.
Zerubbabel demonstrated executive ability in rebuilding the Temple after the first return from the Babylonian captivity. Zerubbabel, whose name means “Born at Babel (Babylon)”, was either the son of Shealtiel or the son of Shealtiel’s brother, Pedaiah. In either case, he was the granson of Jehoiachin, king of Judah. This made him the legal successor of Jehoiachin and heir to the throne, as well as heir to leadership of the tribe of Judah. Those who consider him the son of Pedaiah believe that Shealtiel, the elder of the two brothers, died without an heir, and had adopted Zerubbabel as his son.
Zerubbabel’s status in the tribe of Judah at the time of the first return from Babylon remains unclear, because of another dispute about his identity. Probably Sheshbazzar, described as Prince of Judah,” whom Cyrus appointed as Persian governor of Jerusalem, and Zerubbabel were identical, with Sheshbazzar the Babylonian name of Zerubbabel. Some, however, contend that Sheshbazzar was Zerubbabel’s uncle.
If they were not identical, Zerubbabel clearly accompanied Sheshbazzar in the first return, and held a position of authority among the exiles. With Jeshua, the High Priest, Zerubbabel set up an altar for burnt offerings, kept the Feast of Tabernacles, and began the rebuilding of the Temple. If not Sheshbazzar. the first governor, Zerubbabel had become governor at some time within the next 15 years. The first chapter of Haggai states that in the second year of Darius as king of Persia, the Lord spoke through Haggai to “. . . Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah. . . .’’
The first effort to rebuild the Temple ended in failure. Samaritans opposed the project, because the returned exiles excluded them from it. These received support from local Persian officials who saw the newly arrived exiles as threats to their position and security. Cyrus’ death and the succession struggles in Persia that followed it increased the problem. The returned Jews also lost much of their enthusiasm for the project after these obstacles developed, and began to concentrate on personal concerns, such as building costly homes for themselves.
In the second year of Darius’ reign, 520 B.C., Haggai called for work on the Temple to be resumed. Zerubbabel and Jeshua responded to Haggai’s call. Under their leadership, the work began within three weeks of Haggai’s call. The effort and diligence applied to the work were such that within four weeks from the start, the general character of the new structure had become discernible. It required only four years to complete the Temple The rebuilding of the Temple insured Zerubbabel’s place in history.
Biblical historians refer to the Second Temple as "Zerubbabers Temple”—the First is "Solomon's Temple" and the Third is "Herod’s Temple"—indicating Zerubbabel’s importance in its construction. It was about a third larger than Solomon's Temple, but lacked the latter’s splendor and ornamentation. It stood, more or less intact, until 20 B.C., when Herod began to rebuild it as the Third Temple. The significance of Zerubbabel’s effort lay in the rapidity of the Temple's erection. The speed of construction resulted in large part from the zeal of the builders,—a zeal arising from a great religious revival.
But zeal requires direction to be effective. Zerubbabel provided that direction and his executive ability contributed much to the success of the project. In the Masonic degrees. Zerubbabel illustrates loyalty to conviction, faithfulness to duty, devotion to truth, and determination to fulfill the obligations of these virtues. The lessons particularly emphasize truth, and teach that truth is the strongest force affecting mankind. Truth, supported by dedication to conviction and steadfast commitment to duty, will ultimately prevail. Implicit in this is the need for executive ability to translate loyalty, faithfulness, and devotion to truth, into effective action.
Biblical References:
Ezra: 1 thru 6.
Haggai: 1; 2.
Zechariah: 4; 6.