Who was Hashum in the Bible?

Hashum was an ancestor of a family group of exiles who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem after the captivity. He is listed among the heads of families in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 2:19; Nehemiah 7:22).

What is the significance of Hashum's family returning from exile?

Hashum's descendants were part of the faithful remnant that God restored to Judah, fulfilling His promise of return from captivity. Their return was crucial for rebuilding Jerusalem and re-establishing worship, as recorded in the post-exilic books.

Did Hashum have any role in the covenant renewal described in Ezra?

Yes, a descendant named Hashum is listed among those who had married foreign wives and pledged to send them away to obey God's law during Ezra's covenant renewal (Ezra 10:33). This shows his family's commitment to spiritual purity.

Hashum

Old TestamentExile & ReturnMaleFamily from exile

Hashum was an ancestor of exiles who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon. (Ezr.2.19; 10.33; Neh.7.22)

Hashum

Biography

Hashum was an ancestral figure whose descendants formed a recognizable family group among the exiles who returned to Judah from Babylon. In Ezra 2:19, 328 members of 'the sons of Hashum' are counted among those who journeyed back under Zerubbabel's leadership, with Nehemiah 7:22 recording a closely parallel figure. Ezra 10:33 notes that some of Hashum's descendants had taken foreign wives, an issue addressed in the post-exilic reforms. The family's prominence across multiple registers, return lists, covenant sealing, and reform records, suggests Hashum was a figure of some historical standing whose lineage retained communal identity across generations of displacement and return. His name, meaning 'wealthy' or 'broad,' may reflect ancestral distinction.

Significance

The 'sons of Hashum' illustrate a crucial dynamic in Israel's post-exilic restoration: the preservation of family identity through the long years of exile as a vehicle of covenant continuity. That Hashum's descendants are traceable across the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, in lists of returnees, among covenant signatories, and in reform narratives, demonstrates how genealogical memory served theological purposes. God's promises were made to Israel as families and tribes, not merely individuals. The family of Hashum, navigating the complex realities of return, intermarriage, and reform, reflects the messy, faithful, ongoing work of covenant renewal in every generation.

Verse Appearances (3)

Ezra

Ezra 2:19 Ezra 10:33

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 7:22

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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