Who Was Zerubbabel’s Father?

Since ancient Hebrews did not have surnames, the Bible often identifies individuals by adding “son of xxx” or “xxx from [place],” which can make it difficult for us to identify biblical figures.

1 Chronicles 3:17-19 states: Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) was taken captive. His sons were Shealtiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. So, according to this passage, Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah.

However, the Bible repeatedly states that Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel:

Matthew 1:12 “After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.”

Ezra 3:2 “…Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates…”

Nehemiah 12:1 “These were the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel…”

Haggai 1:1 “…the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah…”

Luke 3:27 “…Joanna son of Rhesa, Rhesa son of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Shealtiel son of Neri, Neri son of Melchi…”

(1 Chronicles 3:17-19, NIV) Jeconiah was taken captive. His sons were Shealtiel, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei.                            

(Ezra 3:2, NIV) Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates, started to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.

(Nehemiah 12:1, NIV) These were the priests and Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra.

(Haggai 1:1, NIV) In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest.

(Matthew 1:12, NIV) After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.

(Luke 3:27, NIV) Joanna son of Rhesa, Rhesa son of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Shealtiel son of Neri, Neri son of Melchi.

So, who was Zerubbabel’s father? There are two possibilities:

1、According to Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 25:5-6), if brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his wife must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother must take her as his wife and sleep with her. The first son she bears must carry on the dead brother’s name, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

Therefore, we can infer that if Shealtiel was married but died before having a son, his brother Pedaiah would have been obligated to marry Shealtiel’s wife. If this were the case, their firstborn son (Zerubbabel) would be legally considered the son of Shealtiel, even though, from a strict biological perspective, Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah.

2、Another possibility is that there were three different individuals named Zerubbabel:

a. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai were written around the same period and focus on the return from exile and the rebuilding of the Temple. The “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel” mentioned in these books was the governor of Judah who led the return and the rebuilding of the Temple. Matthew’s genealogy also aligns with this.

b. The genealogy in Chronicles focuses more on larger families of that time, to facilitate tracing ancestry and confirming each person’s Israelite lineage. It’s possible that Pedaiah also had a son named Zerubbabel, which was a common practice back then. Furthermore, the subsequent verses seem to indicate that this Zerubbabel’s family was numerous. At the same time, none of the sons or descendants of this Zerubbabel are named Abihud, which contradicts Matthew’s account, so it is likely not the same Zerubbabel.

c.The “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel” in Luke’s Gospel is a descendant of David’s son Nathan, not Solomon. They are separated by 20 generations from David, so it is very likely that this Zerubbabel lived later than the Zerubbabel recorded in Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Matthew/1 Chronicles. Because the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, was already a widely known leader at that time, another Shealtiel may also have named his son Zerubbabel.