Sheshbazzar שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר
"prince of Judah", to whom Cyrus handed over the vessels of the Temple
"And Cyrus king of Persia brought them out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah" (Ezra 1:8). These were the vessels of the Temple that Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem: of gold and silver, five thousand four hundred in all, "all these did Sheshbazzar bring up when the exiles were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem" (1:11).
Later, when Persian officials ask by what right the Temple is being built, the returnees answer by letter and remind them: "Then came this Sheshbazzar and laid the foundations of the House of God which is in Jerusalem; and from that time until now it has been building, and it is not finished" (Ezra 5:16).
Who he was, and how he stands in relation to Zerubbabel, the text does not explain. Only the title is given—prince of Judah—and the deed: he received the vessels and laid the foundation.
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Tanakh
- Ezra 1:8–11 — the Temple vessels counted out to him; five thousand four hundred
- Ezra 5:14–16 — the letter to Darius: he laid the foundations of the House
Basis: stated in the Tanakh.