Biblical Hebrew Blog by ClassicalHebrew.com

Photo: Gabi Laron, Institute of Archeology, The Hebrew University. Courtesy of Dr. Eilat Mazar

Another biblical personality was unearthed this month in the City of David’s on-going excavation in Jerusalem. This time, it was a Minister by the name of Gedaliah Ben Pashur. His name appears along with three other Ministers in Jeremiah 38:1 (Shephatiah, Pashhur and Yehuchal). Amazingly enough, Gedaliah’s name is not the first to be confirmed through the archaeological record from this verse. Already in 2005, the bulla for Minister Yehuchal Ben Shelemayahu (Jer 38:1) was found, confirming him also as a flesh and blood personality in the first quarter of the sixth Century BCE.

The Ministers

These four men were officials in the court of Zedekiah (597-586 BCE) and are mentioned specifically due to their request that Jeremiah the prophet be put to death. It was as a consequence of their intrusion that Jeremiah was cast into a deep miry pit and left to die (Jer 38:5).

A Brave Eunuch

And thus the story of Jeremiah’s prophetic activity would have ended had it not been for the intervention of the king’s eunuch, an Ethiopian by the name of Eved-Melech. He went before Zedekiah and said, “My Lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city”. (Jer 38:9)

Jeremiah Continues

Jeremiah’s life was spared, but he lived in constant danger from these four Ministers (Jer 38:1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 27). Shortly after he was rescued from their evil machinations, he was able to deliver to Zedekiah a clear message from God concerning the present woe that beset the besieged city- “Go over to the Babylonians and save yourself and the city; fight them and your family will be lost and this city will be burnt”.

The Last remaining Ministers

It will be interesting to see whether two more bullae will be found in the burnt remains of Zedekiah’s Jerusalem, with the names “Shephatiah ben Mattan” and “Phashur ben Malkiah” (Jer 38:1) - the officials who failed to kill the voice of God.

The Reign of Kings and a Prophet

In the years prior to the Babylonian destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem, the Judahites had enjoyed a religious revival and cleansing that had been implemented by the hands of King Josiah (641-609 BCE) and had been encouraged by the voices of the kingdom’s prophets. This period of revival occurred in the lull between the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Neo-Babylonians of whom Nebuchadnezzar is perhaps the most memorable figure. From the time of Josiah until the end of the nation we see three of his sons (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah) and one grandson (Jehoiachin) sit on the throne of Judah and throughout all this time we have one prominent prophet, Jeremiah, speaking to the kings and the people.

How Jeremiah became Public Enemy Number One

Jeremiah had not been satisfied with King Josiah’s reforms nor the heartening knowledge that the Assyrian Empire had come to an end. His mouth was full of prophecies of doom directed at the Israelites. These messages astounded the people who reacted with fists and imprisonment to his threats (Jer 19:14-20:3; 26). His message went completely against the trust they had, that God would save them as he had done in the days of Sennacherib and Hezekiah. Furthermore his message was a paradox they did not understand- surrender to a heathen king to save yourselves. The call to surrender had nothing to do with sin and repentance, but rather accepting that it was God’s will that every nation should put on the yoke of the Babylonians, and thus survive (Jer 27-28). However the notion of surrendering to the Judeans meant not trusting in God for their salvation and so they ignored and despised him as a raving lunatic. When the Babylonians finally besieged Jerusalem Jeremiah was being half-staved in a miry pit for inciting insurrection amongst the people and army.

Jeremiah’s Unknown End

The hard-necked people of Judea did not surrender and for their insolence, (as seen by the Babylonians), they were dealt with decisively. The age-old temple established by their forefathers was razed to the ground and the population, in a series of waves, was exiled into the east for work-projects. For thirty-eight years Jeremiah had cried a message that had fallen on unhearing ears, his logic being inconceivable to them. In the end he was forced against his will into exile in Egypt where he died in an unknown place.

His life was one of deep service not only to those in Jerusalem- his last recorded prophesy deals with the idolatry he found when he arrived in Egypt. Jeremiah should be remembered as a man whose heart was broken for his people. For he deeply believed in the sanctity of this nation and its covenant with God, and through this conviction was cut by the continuing blindness of the people. However Jeremiah should be remembered for the promise from God he imparted to them, that if they return to God with “all their heart” then God “will give them a heart” to know and fear him (Jer 24:7, 32:39).