Ezra 3:2

3:2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak ¹  and his priestly colleagues ²  and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his colleagues ³  started to build ⁴  the altar of the God of Israel so they could offer burnt offerings on it as required by ⁵  the law of Moses the man of God.

Ezra 5:2

5:2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak began ⁶  to rebuild the temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

Nehemiah 12:1

The Priests and the Levites Who Returned to Jerusalem

12:1 These are the priests and Levites who returned ⁷  with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,

Haggai 1:1

Introduction

1:1 On the first day of the sixth month ⁸  of King Darius’ ⁹  second year, the Lord spoke this message through the prophet Haggai ¹⁰  to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak: ¹¹ 

Haggai 1:12

The Response of the People

1:12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, ¹²  along with the whole remnant of the people, ¹³  obeyed ¹⁴  the Lord their God. They responded favorably to the message of the prophet Haggai, who spoke just as the Lord their God had instructed him, ¹⁵  and the people began to respect the Lord. ¹⁶ 

Haggai 1:14

1:14 So the Lord energized and encouraged ¹⁷  Zerubbabel ¹⁸  son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, ¹⁹  and the whole remnant of the people. ²⁰  They came and worked on the temple of their God, the Lord who rules over all.

Haggai 2:2

2:2 “Ask the following questions to ²¹  Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, ²²  and the remnant of the people:

Haggai 2:23

2:23 On that day,’ ²³  says the Lord who rules over all, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ ²⁴  says the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, ²⁵  for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord who rules over all.” ²⁶ 

¹ sn Jozadak (also in 3:8) is a variant spelling of Jehozadak.

² tn Heb “his brothers the priests.”

³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

⁴ tn Heb “arose and built.”

⁵ tn Heb “written in.” Cf. v. 4.

⁶ tn Aram “arose and began.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

⁷ tn Heb “who went up.”

⁸ sn The first day of the sixth month was Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar; August 29, 520 b.c. according to the modern (Julian) calendar.

⁹ sn King Darius is the Persian king Darius Hystaspes who ruled from 522-486 b.c.

¹⁰ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (בְּיַד־חַגַּי, bÿyad-khaggay). This suggests that the prophet is only an instrument of the Lord; the Lord is to be viewed as the true author (see 1:3; 2:1; Mal 1:1).

¹¹ tn The typical translation “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) can be understood to mean that Jehozadak was high priest. However, Zech 3:1, 8 clearly indicates that Joshua was high priest (see also Ezra 5:1-2; cf. NAB). The same potential misunderstanding occurs in Hag 1:12, 14 and 2:2, where the same solution has been employed in the translation.

¹² tn Many English versions have “Joshua [the] son of Jehozadak, the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.

¹³ tn Heb “all the remnant of the people.” The Hebrew phrase שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם (shÿ’erit ha’am) in this postexilic context is used as a technical term to refer to the returned remnant (see Ezra 9:14; Isa 10:20-22; 11:11, 16; Jer 23:3; 31:7; and many other passages). Cf. TEV “all the people who had returned from the exile in Babylonia.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “heard the voice of”; NAB “listened to the voice of.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “and according to the words of Haggai the prophet just as the Lord their God sent him.” Some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV) take the last clause as causal: “because the Lord their God had sent him.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “and the people feared from before the Lord”; NASB “showed reverence for the Lord.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “stirred up” (as in many English versions). Only one verb appears in the Hebrew text, but the translation “energized and encouraged” brings out its sense in this context. Cf. TEV “inspired”; NLT “sparked the enthusiasm of”; CEV “made everyone eager to work.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “the spirit of Zerubbabel” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

¹⁹ tn Heb “the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (as in many English versions), but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.

²⁰ tn Heb “and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.” The Hebrew phrase שְׁאֵרִית הָעָם (shÿ’erit ha’am) in this postexilic context is used as a technical term to refer to the returned remnant; see the note on the phrase “the whole remnant of the people” in v. 12.

²¹ tn Heb “say to”; NAB “Tell this to.”

²² tn Many English versions have “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.

²³ sn The expression on that day appears as a technical eschatological term in a number of other OT passages (cf., e.g., Isa 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; Amos 8:3, 9; Hos 2:18, 21).

²⁴ sn My servant. The collocation of “servant” and “chosen” bears strong messianic overtones. See the so-called “Servant Songs” and other messianic texts in Isaiah (Isa 41:8; 42:1; 44:4; 49:7).

²⁵ sn The noun signet ring, used also to describe Jehoiachin (Jer 22:24-30), refers to a ring seal worn by a king or other important person and used as his signature. Zerubbabel was a grandson of King Jehoiachin (1 Chr 3:17-19; Matt 1:12); God once pronounced that none of Jehoiachin’s immediate descendants would rule (Jer 22:24-30), but here he reverses that judgment. Zerubbabel never ascended to such a lofty position of rulership; he is rather a prototype of the Messiah who would sit on David’s throne.

²⁶ tn The repetition of the formula “says the Lord who rules over all” in v. 23 emphasizes the solemn and divine nature of the promise.