Who was Shallum in the Bible?

Shallum was the father of Maaseiah, who served as a keeper of the threshold (a temple gatekeeper) during the time of the prophet Jeremiah. He is mentioned briefly in the Old Testament in connection with his son's role.

Where is Shallum mentioned in the Bible?

Shallum is mentioned in the book of Jeremiah, specifically in Jeremiah 35:4. The verse identifies him as the father of Maaseiah, a temple official.

Why is Shallum significant in the Bible?

Shallum's significance comes from his son's important role as a temple gatekeeper during a critical period in Judah's history. His mention helps establish the lineage and social context of a minor official serving just before the Babylonian exile.

Shallum

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleFather

Shallum was the father of Maaseiah, who was a keeper of the threshold during the time of Jeremiah the prophet.

Shallum

Biography

Shallum was the father of Maaseiah, who served as a keeper of the threshold, one of the senior temple officials, during the time of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 35:4). His son Maaseiah held a significant gatekeeping role in the Jerusalem Temple, positioning him near the inner chambers where the Rechabites were brought by Jeremiah as part of a prophetic object lesson in covenant faithfulness. Though Shallum himself is mentioned only in terms of his paternal relationship to Maaseiah, his connection to the temple hierarchy places his family within the institutional religious leadership of late pre-exilic Judah. The keepers of the threshold ranked among the senior clergy of the temple establishment, making Shallum's son a figure of recognized religious standing in Jerusalem before the Babylonian conquest.

Significance

Shallum's significance lies primarily in his role as progenitor of Maaseiah, a keeper of the threshold whose chambers within the Jerusalem Temple served as the setting for Jeremiah's powerful demonstration involving the Rechabites (Jeremiah 35:4). This episode contrasts the Rechabites' unwavering fidelity to their ancestral vow with Judah's persistent failure to heed God's covenant demands. That this contrast was enacted within temple precincts, the dwelling place of God's presence, heightens the irony and the indictment. Shallum's family, by providing the geographic context for this prophetic confrontation, became indirectly associated with one of Scripture's most memorable lessons on faithfulness, obedience, and the consequences of covenant neglect.

Verse Appearances (1)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 32:7

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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