Who was Shelemiah in the Bible?

Shelemiah was a royal official in the court of King Jehoiakim of Judah. He is mentioned as being sent, along with another official named Jerahmeel, to arrest the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch (Jeremiah 36:26).

What did Shelemiah do in the Bible?

Shelemiah's key action was being part of a delegation ordered by King Jehoiakim to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch after the king burned Jeremiah's scroll of prophecies. This event highlights the conflict between the prophet and the king's court (Jeremiah 36:20-26).

Why is Shelemiah significant in the Bible?

Shelemiah's significance lies in his role during a pivotal moment of persecution against the prophet Jeremiah. His mission to arrest God's prophet illustrates the hostility of the royal establishment toward Jeremiah's message of judgment and repentance for Judah.

Shelemiah

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleSon of abdeel

Shelemiah was sent with Jerahmeel to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch.

Shelemiah

Biography

Shelemiah son of Abdeel was a royal official dispatched by King Jehoiakim along with Jerahmeel and Seraiah to arrest the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch after the king had burned Jeremiah's scroll (Jeremiah 36:26). This mission represented a direct attempt by the king to silence the prophetic word of God. The arrest order proved futile: the text pointedly records that 'the LORD had hidden them.' Shelemiah thus appears in Scripture as an instrument of royal opposition to divine revelation, a loyal servant of a king who set himself against the word delivered through Jeremiah, even as that word was being fulfilled in the approaching Babylonian catastrophe.

Significance

Shelemiah son of Abdeel embodies the tragic dynamic of those who serve earthly power in opposition to divine authority. His unsuccessful mission to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch illustrates a recurring biblical pattern: human attempts to suppress God's prophetic word ultimately fail. The notice that 'the LORD had hidden them' (Jeremiah 36:26) asserts divine sovereignty over even the most dangerous moments of prophetic ministry. Shelemiah's role also highlights the cost borne by faithful prophets, Jeremiah's life was genuinely threatened. This episode reinforces the Deuteronomic conviction that rejecting the prophetic word carries consequences, as Jerusalem's subsequent fall to Babylon would tragically confirm.

Verse Appearances (1)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 36:26

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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