Bible Dictionary
Sharezer
Sharezer was a son of Sennacherib who, with Adrammelech, murdered his father and fled to the land of Armenia. Another man of this name was connected with a delegation in Zechariah’s time.
Definition
Sharezer is the name of two persons in the Old Testament. One was a son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria; the other was associated with a delegation in the time of Zechariah.
Biblical Usage
Sennacherib’s son Sharezer joined Adrammelech in murdering his father. The other Sharezer was connected with an inquiry about continuing the fasts.
Historical Background
The name corresponds to an Assyrian expression meaning “protect the king.” The identity and rendering of the second Sharezer present difficulties in the supplied textual discussion.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(god) protect the king!, a son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria. He and his brother Adrammelech murdered their father, and then fled into the land of Armenia (2 Kings 19:37).
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(prince of fire) was a son of Sennacherib, whom, In conjunction with his brother Adrammelech, he murdered. (2 Kings 19:37) (B.C. after 711.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sha-re'zer (sar'etser, shar'etser): Corresponds to the Assyrian Shar-ucur, "protect the king"; found otherwise, not as a complete name, but as elements in personal names, e.g. Bel-shar-ucur, "may Bel protect the king," which is the equivalent of Belshazzar (Da 5:1). The name is borne by two persons in the Old Testament:</p><p>(1) The son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who with ADRAMMELECH (which see) murdered his father (2Ki 19:37; Isa 37:38). The Babylonian Chronicle says concerning Sennacherib's death: "On the 20th day of Tebet Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was slain by his son in a revolt." This differs from the Old Testament account in that it speaks of only one murderer, and does not give his name. How the two accounts can be harmonized is still uncertain. Hitzig, (Kritik, 194 ff), following Abydenus, as quoted by Eusebius, completed the name of Sennacherib's son, so as to read Nergal-sharezer = Nergal-shar-ucur (Jer 39:3,13), and this is accepted by many modern scholars. Johns thinks that Sharezer (shar'etser or sar'etser) may be a corruption from Shar-etir-Ashur, the name of a son of Sennacherib (1-vol HDB, under the word). The question cannot be definitely settled.</p><p>(2) A contemporary of the prophet Zechariah, mentioned in connection with the sending of a delegation to the spiritual heads of the community to inquire concerning the propriety of continuing the fasts: "They of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech" (Zec 7:2). This translation creates a difficulty in connection with the succeeding words, literally, "and his men." The Revisers place in the margin as an alternative rendering, "They of Beth-el, even Sharezer .... had sent." Sharezer sounds peculiar in apposition to "they of Beth-el"; hence, some have thought, especially since Sharezer seems incomplete, that in the two words Beth-el and Sharezer we have a corruption of what was originally a single proper name, perhaps Bel-sharezer = Bel-shar-ucur = Bel-shazzar. The present text, no matter how translated, presents difficulties.</p><p>See REGEM-MELECH.</p><p>F. C. Eiselen</p>