“After the deportation to Babylon,
Jechoniah was
The father of Salathiel.
Salathiel was
The father of Zerubbabel.”
Μετὰ δὲ τὴν μετοικεσίαν Βαβυλῶνος Ἰεχονίας ἐγέννησεν τὸν Σαλαθιήλ, Σαλαθιὴλ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ζοροβαβέλ,
Based on the text in 1 Chronicles, chapter 3, after the Israelites from Judah and Jerusalem were deported to Babylon (Μετὰ δὲ τὴν μετοικεσίαν Βαβυλῶνος), Jechoniah (Ἰεχονίας) became the father of Salathiel (Σαλαθιήλ). Jechoniah was the son of King Jehoiakim and grandson of King Josiah who had ruled Judah in 598 BCE. Jechoniah was exiled for 37 years as indicated in 2 Kings, chapter 25. Salathiel or Shealtiel was his oldest son, but he had at least 5 other brothers. According to 1 Chronicles, Salathiel had no children, so that his brother Pedaiah was the father of Zerubbabel (Ζοροβαβέλ), not him. Zerubbabel was the leader of the tribe of Judah at the time of their return from captivity, as his name appears over 25 times in the scriptural writings. The Persian king appointed Zerubbabel the governor of Judah, where he rebuilt the Jerusalem Temple. He also had a Persian name of Sheshbazzar as described in 1 Esdras, chapters 1-3. This Greek text used the term “begat” (ἐγέννησεν) to represent the relationships between these men. However, it seems perfectly acceptable to simply call them the father instead of saying “fathered them.”