person · P0055
Zerubavel זרובבל בן שאלתיאל
Governor of Yehudah of Davidic descent who led returnees from Bavel and laid the foundation of the Second Temple, resuming the work at the urging of Chaggai and Zechariah. Chaggai's closing oracle names him God's chosen "signet." A named member of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah in Rambam's listing.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- זרובבל בן שאלתיאל
- Also known as
- Zerubavel ben She'altiel, Zerubbabel
- Era
- second-temple
- Received the mesorah from
- Baruch ben Neriah
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3350–3420 AM (led the return under Koresh, 3390 AM)
- Academic
- fl. c. 538–520 BCE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈70 years
- Precision
- approximate
III. Where
- Places
- Jerusalem
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A member of the court of Ezra — the Men of the Great Assembly — in Rambam's enumeration.
Confidence is for the membership as stated by the Rambam. |
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| With Yeshua ben Yotzadak he began the work on the house of God in Jerusalem in the second year of the return, appointing the Levites over the labor.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| "On that day... I will take you, Zerubavel ben She'altiel My servant... and set you as a signet, for I have chosen you" — Chaggai's closing oracle to the Davidic governor.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3350–3420 AM around the return of 3390 AM; academically he is firmly placed 538–520 BCE (Cyrus's decree to the second year of Darius I). The ~166-year traditional/academic Persian-period divergence applies; systems stated separately.
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |