Bible Dictionary
Zattu
Zattu was the head of a large Israelite family whose descendants returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel. Some of his descendants had married foreign wives, and he later appears among those associated with Nehemiah’s covenant.
Definition
Zattu was the head of a large Israelite family whose descendants returned from Babylon to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. Some of his descendants had married foreign wives, and Zattu was later named among the chiefs who signed Nehemiah’s covenant.
Biblical Usage
The family is listed among the returning exiles. Some sons were required to address their foreign marriages, and Zattu appears among those associated with the covenant.
Historical Background
The name is also written Zatthu. A related reading identifies Shecaniah in Ezra as one of the sons of Zattu.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Id., one whose descendants returned from the Captivity with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:8; Neh. 7:13); probably the same as Zatthu.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The sons of Zattu were a family of laymen of Israel who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:8; Nehemiah 7:13)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>zat'-u (zattu', meaning unknown): Head of a large family that returned with Zerubbabel to Jerusalem from Babylon (Ezr 2:8; 10:27; Ne 7:13; 10:14 (15)). According to Ezr 10:27, some of his sons had married foreign wives, and Zattu is named in Ne 10:14 as one of the chiefs who signed Nehemiah's covenant. Septuagint A also adds the name before that of Shecaniah in Ezr 8:5, and so we should read, "And of the sons of Zattu, Shecaniah .... "; so 1 Esdras 8:32 has Zathoes. the King James Version has "Zatthu" in Neb 10:14.</p>