Lives of Scripture

Sherebiah appears in Ezra 8 as Ezra assembled the group of exiles who would travel with him from Babylon back to Jerusalem. Reviewing the caravan before departure, Ezra found no Levites among them -- a serious gap, since Levites were needed for temple service -- and sent a delegation of leading men to Iddo at Casiphia asking for ministers for the house of God (8:15-17). "By the good hand of our God upon us," they brought back Sherebiah, described as "a man of insight," along with eighteen of his sons and brothers (8:18). Because of this trustworthy reputation, Ezra later selected Sherebiah as one of twelve leading priests and Levites to whom he weighed out the silver, gold, and sacred vessels donated by the king, his counselors, and the people for the temple in Jerusalem -- a considerable treasure entrusted for the journey (8:24-30). Ezra explicitly instructed them to guard these gifts carefully until they could be weighed out again before the priests and leaders in Jerusalem (8:28-29), and upon arrival, the treasure was found to match exactly, item for item, what had been recorded (8:33-34). Sherebiah's brief but pointed appearance -- singled out by name for insight and given real responsibility over the temple's wealth -- models the kind of trustworthy service Ezra needed to complete the return safely.