Bible Figure
Shealtiel
Biblical character, Son of Jeconiah or Neri
Shealtiel was a descendant of King Jeconiah associated with the postexilic Davidic line and named as the father of Zerubbabel in several biblical books.
Biography
First Chronicles 3 names Shealtiel among Jeconiah's descendants. Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Matthew call Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, while 1 Chronicles 3:19 associates Zerubbabel with Pedaiah, creating a genealogical relationship that has received several explanations. Luke also includes a Shealtiel in Jesus' genealogy but gives his father as Neri.
Biblical Significance
Shealtiel is an important link carrying the Davidic royal line through the Babylonian exile into the restoration period and the New Testament genealogies. The differing genealogical formulations should be preserved rather than harmonized by assumption.