Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
, according to a frequent usage of the word “son;” the grandson or the nephew of Salathiel. He is also known by the Persian name of Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, 11). In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, he led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (Ezra 2:64), exclusive of a large number of servants, who returned from captivity at the close of the seventy years. In the second year after the Return, he erected an altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of that which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (3:8-13; ch. 4-6).
All through the work he occupied a prominent place, inasmuch as he was a descendant of the royal line of David.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
e. Babylon), the head of the tribe of Judah at the time of the return from the Babylonish captivity in the first year of Cyrus. ” It is probable that he was in the king of Babylon’s service, both from his having, like Daniel and the three children, received a Chaldee name, Sheshbazzar, and from the fact that he was appointed by the Persian king to the office of governor of Judea. On arriving at Jerusalem, Zerubbabel’s great work, which he set about immediately, was the rebuilding of the temple.
In the second month of the second year of the return the foundation was laid with all the pomp which could be commanded. The efforts of the Samaritans were successful in putting a stop to the work during the seven remaining years of the reign of Cyrus and through the eight years of Cambyses and Smerdis. Nor does Zerubbabel appear quite blameless for this long delay.
The difficulties in the way of building the temple were not such as need have stopped the work and during this long suspension of sixteen years Zerubbabel and the rest of the people had been busy in building costly houses for themselves. But in the second year of Darius, light dawned upon the darkness of the colony from Babylon. In that year—it was the most memorable event in Zerabbabel’s life—the spirit of prophecy suddenly blazed up with a most brilliant light among the returned captives. Their words fell like sparks upon tinder.
In a moment Zerubbabel roused from his apathy, threw his whole strength into the work. After much opposition [see Nehemiah, The Book Of] and many hindrances find delays, the temple was at length finished, in the sixth pear of Darius, and was dedicated with much pomp and rejoicing.
[Temple] The only other works of Zerubbabel of which we learn from Scripture are the restoration of the courses of priests and Levites and of the provision for their maintenance, according to the institution of David (Ezra 6:18; Nehemiah 12:47) the registering the returned captives according to their genealogies, (Nehemiah 7:5) and the keeping of a Passover in the seventh year of Darius, with which last event ends all that we know of the life of Zerubbabel, His apocryphal history is told in 1 Esdr. 3-7.
The exact parentage of Zerubbabel is a little obscure, from his being always called the son of Shealtiel, (Ezra 3:2,8; 5:2) etc.; (Haggai 1:1,12,14) etc., end appearing as such in the genealogies of Christ (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27) whereas in (1 Chronicles 3:19) he is represented as the son of Pedaiah, Shealtiel or Salathiel’s brother, and consequently as Salathiel’s nephew. Zerubbabel was the legal successor and heir of Jeconiah’s royal estate, the grandson of Neri and the lineal descendant of Nathan the son of David. In the New Testament the name appears in the Greek form of Zorobabel.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898) & Schaff's Bible Dictionary
ZERUB'BABEL (begotten in Babylon), 1 Chr 3:19, or ZOROB'ABEL, Matt 1:12, was the leader of the first colony of Jews that returned from the captivity in Babylon, Ezr 2:2, and was of the family of David, a son of Salathiel or Shealtiel, Hag 1:1; Matt 1:12, but called a son of Pedaiah, the brother or son of Salathiel, in 1 Chr 3:17-19. To him Cyrus committed the sacred vessels that were returned to Jerusalem. He laid the foundations of the temple, Zech 4:6-10, and was chiefly instrumental in restoring the religious rites of the nation.
The advances of the mixed population of Samaria, who wished to participate in the building of the temple, he refused, and their intrigues at the Persian court caused the work to be stopped, but only for a short time; finally, he succeeded in completing the building. Ezr 5:2; Hag 1:12, 2 Kgs 22:14; Gen 2:2, Hab 2:4; Zech 4:6, 1 Kgs 16:10. He was the governor of Judaea. Neh 12:47.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
a stranger at Babylon; dispersion of confusion