Who was Rhesa in the Bible?

Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel and a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ. He is listed in the genealogy of Jesus found in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:27).

Why is Rhesa significant in the Bible?

Rhesa's significance lies in his place within the lineage of King David leading to Jesus the Messiah. His inclusion in Luke's genealogy connects Jesus to the royal line and God's covenant promises (Luke 3:23-38).

What do we know about Rhesa's life?

The Bible provides no details about the events of Rhesa's life. His sole mention is as a name in the genealogical record, establishing his crucial role as a link in the ancestry of Jesus.

Rhesa

New TestamentMaleSon

Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel and an ancestor of Jesus Christ, according to Luke's genealogy.

Rhesa

Biography

Rhesa appears exclusively in Luke's genealogy of Jesus Christ, listed in Luke 3:27 as the son of Zerubbabel and the father of Joanan. As a descendant of Zerubbabel, the Davidic prince who led the first return of exiles from Babylon and oversaw the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple, Rhesa stood in an exceptionally significant ancestral line. His name, possibly of Aramaic or Persian origin, may reflect the cultural environment of the post-exilic Jewish diaspora. While no biographical narrative surrounds him, Rhesa's position in Luke's genealogy places him in the generational bridge between the celebrated era of restoration under Zerubbabel and the centuries of the Second Temple period that eventually led to the birth of Jesus. He represents the quiet continuity of the Davidic line through historically obscure generations.

Significance

Rhesa's significance is entirely bound up in his role as a link in the genealogical chain connecting Zerubbabel to Jesus. Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) traces Jesus' human ancestry back through David, Abraham, and ultimately to Adam, demonstrating that Jesus entered the world through a fully historical, identifiable human lineage. Rhesa's place in that chain testifies to God's faithfulness in preserving the Davidic line through the post-exilic era when Israel had no king and the future of the covenant seemed precarious. His inclusion reminds readers that messianic fulfillment required centuries of providential maintenance of a human family, an act of divine patience and precision that ultimately culminated in the Incarnation.

Authority Records

Wikidata

FatherZerubbabelChildJoananSiblingAbiudSiblingOhelSiblingHashubahSiblingJushab-HesedSiblingMeshullamSiblingHasadiahSiblingHananiahSiblingShelomithSiblingBerechiah

Verse Appearances (1)

Luke

Luke 3:27

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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