עזרא, פרק ב׳, פסוק ו׳

The return to Zion from the Babylonian exile was marked by a careful accounting of the families making the journey. Among these groups, one of the largest and most prominent numbered two thousand, eight hundred and twelve people. Curiously, this massive family carried a unique title connecting them to a foreign land. The name expresses a position of rule and authority, similar to a governor or deputy [רס״ג]. The primary approach among commentators is that this title belonged to a minister who ruled the land of Moab while it was under the control of the Kingdom of Judah. Alternatively, it may simply have functioned as the accepted name of this large and important family [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A fascinating historical identification links this group directly to King David's army commander, Joab the son of Zeruiah. According to this view, the family's Moabite title was given to Joab either because he decisively defeated Ammon and Moab in battle, or because of his royal lineage stemming from Ruth the Moabite, who was the daughter of Eglon, the King of Moab [רס״ג].

The family's identity is further defined by a connection to two specific figures, Jeshua and Joab. Most commentators agree that the governor of Moab was the patriarch of the family, and the thousands of people returning to the Land of Israel were the descendants of his two sons, Jeshua and Joab [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Offering a different perspective on this dynamic, another approach suggests that the governor of Moab was not their father, but rather the minister appointed over Jeshua and Joab. Another possibility is that Jeshua and Joab actually lived in an earlier historical era and predated the governor of Moab entirely [אבן עזרא].