Jeshua
Jeshua was the leader of a group of Israelites who returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile.
Biography
This Jeshua was the leader of a clan of returning exiles listed in Ezra 2:6 and Nehemiah 7:11, identified together with Joab as heading a group of 2,812 (or 2,818) returnees who journeyed from Babylon to Jerusalem. This list in Ezra 2 represents the first great wave of the return from exile under Zerubbabel, approximately 537–538 BC, and constitutes one of the most historically significant population movements in the Old Testament period. Jeshua and Joab's combined household was one of the largest groupings among the returnees, suggesting considerable social standing and organizational capacity within the exilic community.
Significance
Jeshua's leadership of one of the largest returning family groups in Ezra 2 highlights the communal dimension of Israel's restoration. The return from Babylon was not accomplished by solitary heroes but by extended family networks led by men and women willing to make the difficult journey back to a ruined homeland. Jeshua's household, numbering nearly three thousand souls, embodied the collective faith of a people who believed God's promise to restore them was worth acting upon. This mass return was understood by the prophets as a fulfillment of divine promise, the beginning of a new chapter in the covenant story of Israel.
Verse Appearances (2)
Ezra
Nehemiah
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]