OPEN UP:
A man with a mystery name was entrusted with the temple valuables. He also laid the foundation of the temple, and he may have been the adoptive father of the prince.
My true, eternal name is also unknown. But the identity of my adoptive Father is clear.
“and Cyrus, king of Persia, had them brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and he counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. Now this was their number: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 duplicates; 30 gold bowls, 410 silver bowls of a second kind and 1,000 other articles. All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Sheshbazzar brought them all up with the exiles who went up from Babylon to Jerusalem. “
(Ezra 1:8-11)
The captives are still preparing to leave captivity in Babylon and return to the ruins of Jerusalem…
Mithredath was treasurer to King Cyrus. His name is Persian, meaning “given by [the god] Mithra.”
Sheshbazzar, the “prince of Judah” also has a foreign name. He is a mystery man…
– King Cyrus had his treasurer count out the temple articles to Sheshbazzar.
– Sheshbazzar brought the temple articles back with the returning exiles.
Why are these people’s names so long??
I thought my 7-letter name was long! These 10- or 11-letter names just add to the difficulty of navigating an ancient, foreign culture.
The Jewish captives had been thrown into a melting pot that mixed at least four different languages.
Hebrew — the “home” language of the Jews, and the language of the Old Testament
Akkadian — possibly the language of the Babylonians
Parsa/Persian — the language of the Persians
Aramaic — a commonly-known language, sometimes used in official international documents
Can these names be skipped over?
I’m skipping Mithredath. His name is Persian, and he was treasurer to King Cyrus.
Sheshbazzar is such a mystery that he has the honor of making it into the “New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties.”
His name might mean “worshipper of fire.”
Or…
The name Sheshbazzar is commonly regarded as Babylonian, meaning either “Shamash [the sun- god] protects the son” (samas- abla- usur) or “Sin [the moon- god] protects the father” (sin- ab- usur).
(NICEZN)
If Sheshbazzar is prince of Judah, why does he have a name that refers to other gods?
The Babylonians gave new names to the captives who served in the royal court. For example, Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge.” In Babylon, Daniel received the court name Belteshazzar, which means “[the god] Bel protect the king.”
“…to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar…”
(Daniel 1:7)
What was Sheshbazzar’s Hebrew name?
Some older commentaries say he was Zerubbabel, the next “prince” in line for the throne. Zerubbabel played a key role in rebuilding the temple.
1. They are both called “prince” of Judah (although “prince” could refer to any appointed ruler, such as governor).
2. They are both appointed as (puppet) governors over Judah.
3. They are both credited with laying the foundation of the temple.
The only other place Sheshbazzar is mentioned is in an Aramaic document written by the Jews in Ezra 5, which says he laid the foundations of the temple.
“…[the temple articles] were given to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom [Cyrus] had appointed governor… Then that Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem…”
(Ezra 5:14, 16)
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it…”
(Zechariah 4:9)
Why would anyone doubt that “Sheshbazzar” is the Babylonian replacement name for “Zerubbabel”?
Zerubbabel is not a strong Hebrew name, clearly requiring a Babylonian replacement. It means “seed of Babylon” or “born in Babylon.” He probably was born in Babylon and may have been given an “acceptable” cross-cultural name.
Are there other possibilities for Sheshbazzar’s Hebrew identity?
(Assuming Sheshbazzar was Jewish, and not, for example, a secular governor/prince over Judah…)
Some have speculated that Sheshbazzar was Shealtiel, the uncle of Zerubbabel.
Shealtiel was part of the royal line, so the term “prince” would apply.
His name is clearly Hebrew, requiring a replacement name in Babylon. (Shealtiel means “I have asked of God.”)
Shealtiel seems to have adopted Zerubbabel.
“…Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brothers arose and built the altar…”
(Ezra 3:2)
Zerubbabel’s birth father was Pedaiah, Shealtiel’s brother, who may have died in captivity.
The sons of Jeconiah, the prisoner, were Shealtiel his son, and… Pedaiah…
The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel…”
(1 Chronicles 3:17-19)
Which one laid the foundation of the temple?
If Zerubbabel was young, Shealtiel/Sheshbazzar may have been governor for a short time until Zerubbabel took over. They may have laid the foundation of the temple together.
We’ll probably never be sure, this side of heaven.
Above all else, my salvation is a matter of identity.
Am I still a captive, with the horrible names a captive is called?
Worthless.
Worshipper of worthless things.
Unfaithful to God.
Not free to choose.
Whose child am I? What is my real name?
Some of this I won’t know until I get to heaven.
“To him who overcomes… I will give… a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”
(Revelation 2:17)
“We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.”
(1 Corinthians 13:12b CEV)
Like Sheshbazzar/Shealtiel/Zerubbabel, my real name is a mystery — but there is no question whose child I am.
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
(Romans 8:15-16 NIV)
I love my earthly parents, but in the records, look for me under “Deborah daughter of God!”
If today were my last day on earth, I would:
…make sure my kids know their true identity as God’s children through His Spirit.
God,
Not only did you make me a full daughter, but you made me a full heir. You even gave me Your own nature — Your Spirit. I share this with a lot of other people, and we all merge together to form the temple. It doesn’t matter which one did what. It matters that we are together, and we belong. This is a great, mysterious gift!
For Jesus’ glory alone, Amen.
References
www.blueletterbible.org
Bible Hub: Sheshbazzar
Defending Inerrancy
New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Zondervan, 1982. (link)
Through the Olive Tree Bible app:
“NICEZN” — Fensham, F. Charles. New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Eerdmans, 1982.
“EBC” — Garland, David E. and Longman III, Tremper. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4. Zondervan, 2010.
“TWOT” — Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody, Chicago, 1980.
All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.