Zerubbabel

The name Zerubbabel is likely an abbreviation of Zərua‘ Bāvel (Hebrew: זְרוּעַ בָּבֶל), meaning “seed of Babylon,” referring to a child conceived or born in Babylon; or Zərûy Bāvel (Hebrew: זְרוּי בָּבֶל), meaning “scattered of Babylon,” referring to being exiled to Babylon.

Zerubbabel was the grandson of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the second to last king of Judah, and he became the first governor of Judah after the Jews were released from captivity and returned home (Haggai 2:21). In the first year of King Cyrus the Great of Persia, Zerubbabel led the first group of Jews (numbering 42,360) back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. The following year, Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Some non-Jews requested to participate in the reconstruction of the Temple, but Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the heads of the clans recognized their ill intentions and refused. However, these non-Jews continued to discourage those rebuilding the Temple. Eventually, they persuaded the Persian government to issue a decree prohibiting the work. Two years later, Zerubbabel and Jeshua (Joshua), encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, bravely resumed the Temple construction despite the prohibition (Ezra 4:23-24; 5:1-2; Haggai 1:1, 12, 14; Zechariah 1:1). Afterward, King Darius of Persia ordered a search of the Persian archives, confirming that the Temple construction was lawful (Ezra 6:1-12). Darius then issued a decree for the Temple work to proceed quickly.

Zerubbabel consistently received encouragement from the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who assured him that the work of rebuilding the Temple was pleasing to God. Thus, he persevered (Haggai 2:2-4, 21-23; Zechariah 4:6-10), and the Temple was finally completed in 515 BC (Ezra 6:13-15). During Zerubbabel’s governorship, the Levites received their necessary provisions, and the singers and gatekeepers were supplied with “their daily portion” (Nehemiah 12:47).