Identity of Sheshbazzar

Haggai and Zechariah claim that Zerubbabel laid the foundations of the temple, not Sheshbazzar (Zech 4:9; 8:9; Hag 2:18). There are three possible solutions for the overlap between Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel:

• Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel were actually the same person.

• Andrew E. Steinmann suggests that Sheshbazzar was the Persian official commissioned for the project, but Zerubbabel was the actual project manager who did the work (“Chronological Note,” 520).

• A. Gelston proposed that Sheshbazzar unsuccessfully attempted to rebuild the temple in 536 bc and Zerubbabel successfully restarted the rebuilding project in 520 bc (“Foundations of the Second Temple,” 234–35). This is the most widely accepted explanation.

Based on the spellings of Sheshbazzar in the Septuagint (Sasabasar) and 1 Esdras (Sanabassar), as well as the shared title “prince of Judah,” D. J. A. Clines identifies Sheshbazzar as Shenazzar (1 Chr 3:18; Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, 41). However, most modern commentators do not identify Sheshbazzar with any other biblical character (Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah, 46).