Shenazzar was a son of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the last king of Judah who was taken into exile in Babylon. He is mentioned in the royal genealogy of Judah in 1 Chronicles and is part of the messianic lineage. Some scholars have attempted to identify him with Sheshbazzar, the prince who led the first group of returning Jews from Babylon, but this remains debated.
Shenazzar is listed among the sons of King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) who were born during the Babylonian exile. This places him within the royal Davidic lineage.
15He deported Jehoiachin to Babylon, along with the king's mother, the king's wives, his court attendants, and the leading men of the land; he led them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
16The king of Babylon also brought into exile in Babylon all seven thousand fighting men and a thousand craftsmen and metalworkers—all of them strong and fit for war.
Despite the Davidic royal family being in exile, the lineage was maintained through Jeconiah's sons, including Shenazzar, which was vital for messianic hope.
King Evil-Merodach of Babylon released Jeconiah from prison and gave him a place of honor. This improved conditions for the entire royal family, including Shenazzar.
27In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.
Some scholars identify Shenazzar with Sheshbazzar, the prince commissioned by the Persian king Cyrus to bring the temple vessels back to Jerusalem and lead the first return.
11In all there were five thousand four hundred articles of gold and silver. Sheshbazzar brought all of these up with the exiles when they came from Babylon to Jerusalem.
14Moreover, the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to the temple in Babylon—these King Cyrus took out of the temple in Babylon and handed over to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor.
16So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, and it is not yet finished."