Who is…
Shealtiel
also known as: Salathiel
Hebrew: שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל —meaning: asked for of God; I asked El (for this child)
He is a prince of the Kingdom of Judah, but never became a king, due to the curse on Jeconiah’s royal line. Jeconiah was the last king of the Kingdom of Judah.
He is the father of Prince Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:2, 8; Neh. 12:1).
Little is known about Shealtiel as an individual—no personal stories, speeches, or actions are recorded about him in the Bible. However, he served as a crucial bridge between the pre-Captivity monarchy (Jeconiah), through the exile, and through his son Zerubbabel to the post-Captivity restoration of Jerusalem.
His father King Jeconiah (also called Jechonias, Jehoiachin, etc.) was exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II in 597 BC after a brief 3-month reign (2 Kings 24:8–16; 2 Chronicles 36:9–10). Jeconiah was only about 18 years old at the time of Captivity.
Shealtiel was one of Jehoiachin’s sons and part of the royal household taken into captivity. Babylonian ration tablets from around 592 BC mention Jehoiachin and his five sons receiving provisions in Babylon. This suggests Shealtiel (and his brothers) were likely born in Judah shortly before the exile or in the very early years of captivity in Babylon. Therefore he spent essentially most of his life in exile in Babylon (597–539 BC period).
He probably died before or around the time of the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC and the decree of Cyrus allowing the return in 538 BC. This is inferred because he is never mentioned as participating in the return or temple restoration—his “son” Zerubbabel is the active leader.
Biblical references
1 Chronicles 3:17: “The sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son…” (followed by a list of brothers including Pedaiah)
Matthew 1:12: “After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.”
He is referenced indirectly through Zerubbabel in Ezra 3:2, 8; 5:2; Nehemiah 12:1; Haggai 1:1, 12, 14; 2:2, 23; Zechariah (various passages addressing “Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah”)
Luke 3:27: Lists a Shealtiel as the son of Neri (this creates a divergence from the Jeconiah line in Matthew and 1 Chronicles; scholars often explain it via legal heirship, adoption, or a different branch of the family)
Prince Shealtiel is in the direct line between King David and Joseph, the legal father of Jesus Christ by adoption.
Lineage—David to Joseph
KING DAVID → King Solomon → King Rehoboam → King Abijah (Abijam) → King Asa → King Jehoshaphat → King Jehoram (Joram) → King Ahaziah (Uzziah) → King Jotham → King Ahaz → King Hezekiah → King Manasseh → King Amon → King Josiah → Jeconiah (Jechonias, Jekonjah, Coniah, Jehoiachin) → Prince Shealtiel → Prince Zerubbabel (Zorobabel) → Abiud (Abihud) → Governor Eliakim → Azor → Zadok → Achim → Eliud → Eleazar → Matthan → Jacob → JOSEPH, the adoptive, legal father of Jesus Christ
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