Bible Dictionary

Redemption of the Lord. (1.) The father of Zebudah, who was the wife of Josiah and mother of king Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:36). (2.) The father of Zerubbabel (1 Chr. 3:17-19). (3.). The father of Joel, ruler of the half-tribe of Manasseh (1 Chr. 27:20). (4.) Neh. 3:25. (5.) A Levite (8:4). (6.) A Benjamite (11:7). (7.) A Levite (13:13).

Favoured by Jehovah, one of the sons of Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3:20), of the royal line of David.

Famous. (1.) A son of Gershon, and grandson of Levi (Num. 3:18; 1 Chr. 6:17, 29); called Shimi in Ex. 6:17. (2.) A Benjamite of the house of Saul, who stoned and cursed David when he reached Bahurim in his flight from Jerusalem on the occasion of the rebellion of Absalom (2 Sam. 16:5-13). After the defeat of Absalom he "came cringing to the king, humbly suing for pardon, bringing with him a thousand of his Benjamite tribesmen, and representing that he was heartily sorry for his crime, and had hurried the first of all the house of Israel to offer homage to the king" (19:16-23). David forgave him; but on his death-bed he gave Solomon special instructions regarding Shimei, of whose fidelity he seems to have been in doubt (1 Kings 2:8, 9). He was put to death at the command of Solomon, because he had violated his word by leaving Jerusalem and going to Gath to recover two of his servants who had escaped (36-46). (3.) One of David's mighty men who refused to acknowledge Adonijah as David's successor (1 Kings 1:8). He is probably the same person who is called elsewhere (4:18) "the son of Elah." (4.) A son of Pedaiah, the brother of Zerubbabel (1 Chr. 3:19). (5.) A Simeonite (1 Chr. 4:26, 27). (6.) A Reubenite (1 Chr. 5:4). (7.) A Levite of the family of Gershon (1 Chr. 6:42). (8.) A Ramathite who was "over the vineyards" of David (1 Chr. 27:27). (9.) One of the sons of Heman, who assisted in the purification of the temple (2 Chr. 29:14). (10.) A Levite (2 Chr. 31:12, 13). (11.) Another Levite (Ezra 10:23). "The family of Shimei" (Zech. 12:13; R.V., "the family of the Shimeites") were the descendants of Shimei (1).

The seed of Babylon, the son of Salathiel or Shealtiel (Hag. 1:1; Zorobabel, Matt. 1:12); called also the son of Pedaiah (1 Chr. 3:17-19), i.e., according to a frequent usage of the word "son;" the grandson or the nephew of Salathiel. He is also known by the Persian name of Sheshbazzar (Ezra 1:8, 11). In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, he led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360 (Ezra 2:64), exclusive of a large number of servants, who returned from captivity at the close of the seventy years. In the second year after the Return, he erected an altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of that which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (3:8-13; ch. 4-6). All through the work he occupied a prominent place, inasmuch as he was a descendant of the royal line of David.