Who was Delaiah in the Bible?

Delaiah was a royal official during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. He was the son of Shemaiah and was present when Baruch read the prophet Jeremiah's scroll of judgment aloud (Jeremiah 36:12).

What did Delaiah do when he heard Jeremiah's scroll?

After hearing the scroll, Delaiah, along with other officials, advised the princes to have Baruch and Jeremiah hide themselves. He then witnessed King Jehoiakim burn the scroll, demonstrating the king's rejection of God's warning (Jeremiah 36:12, 25).

Why is Delaiah significant in the Book of Jeremiah?

Delaiah's presence marks a key moment of confrontation between God's prophetic word and royal authority. His role underscores that some in the court recognized the gravity of Jeremiah's message, even as the king defiantly rejected it.

Delaiah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleKing

Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, was an official during King Jehoiakim's reign who heard Baruch read Jeremiah's scroll. (Jer.36.12,25)

Delaiah

Biography

Delaiah son of Shemaiah was a royal official serving during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. He is mentioned in Jeremiah 36:12 and 36:25 in connection with the dramatic episode of Baruch's public reading of Jeremiah's scroll. When the scroll's content reached the palace officials, Delaiah was among those who gathered in the chamber of Elishama the secretary to hear it read. Significantly, he was one of only three officials, along with Elnathan son of Achbor and Gemariah son of Shaphan, who urged the king not to burn the scroll when Jehoiakim contemptuously cut and incinerated it piece by piece (Jeremiah 36:25). His protest went unheeded, but it stands as a notable act of moral courage within the court.

Significance

Delaiah son of Shemaiah occupies a morally significant moment in prophetic history. His intercession on behalf of Jeremiah's scroll (Jeremiah 36:25) places him among those officials whose consciences were stirred by the word of God even within the corrupt court of Jehoiakim. His failed protest foreshadows the judgment Jeremiah subsequently announced: because the king refused the word, a new and expanded scroll would be written, and Jehoiakim's line would suffer divine punishment (Jeremiah 36:27–32). Delaiah thus illustrates that the word of God is never simply destroyed by those who oppose it, human rejection accelerates rather than prevents its ultimate fulfillment.

Authority Records

Wikidata

Verse Appearances (2)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 36:12 Jeremiah 36:25

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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