Gedaliah

Biblical Account

Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan. His name is commonly interpreted to mean "the LORD is great." His grandfather Shaphan was a scribe in the days of King Josiah, and his father Ahikam protected Jeremiah when the prophet was in danger of being put to death (Jeremiah 26:24).

After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured Jerusalem, he appointed Gedaliah ruler over the people who remained in the land of Judah (2 Kings 25:22). In the Korean church he is commonly referred to as "governor." The Babylonians entrusted Jeremiah, who had been confined in the court of the prison, to his care, and Jeremiah went to Gedaliah at Mizpah and stayed with him (Jeremiah 39:14; 40:1–6).

Gedaliah swore to the scattered military commanders and the people that it would go well with them if they served Babylon. He also urged them to dwell in the land and to gather wine, summer fruits, and oil (Jeremiah 40:9–10). Afterward, Judeans who had fled to the surrounding nations returned and gathered the harvest.

Johanan the son of Kareah warned Gedaliah that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, had sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to kill him, but Gedaliah did not believe the report (Jeremiah 40:13–16). In the seventh month, Ishmael, who was of royal descent, came to Mizpah and killed Gedaliah, along with the Judeans who were with him and the Chaldean soldiers (Jeremiah 41:1–3). When Johanan pursued him, Ishmael fled to the Ammonites. The remaining people, fearing Babylonian reprisal, disregarded Jeremiah's warning and went down to Egypt, taking him with them (Jeremiah 42–43). The text does not state how long Gedaliah ruled, so some hold that his rule lasted only a few months, while others hold that it lasted several years.

Scripture also mentions other men by the same name: Gedaliah the son of Pashur, who accused Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:1); a son of Jeduthun who was responsible for temple music (1 Chronicles 25:3); a priest who had married a foreign wife (Ezra 10:18); and the grandfather of the prophet Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:1).

Significance Within Scripture

Gedaliah's brief rule reflects the hope that a remnant remained in the land even after the fall of Judah, while also showing how that hope collapsed. His counsel to serve Babylon accords with Jeremiah's message: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live" (Jeremiah 27:12). The people's descent into Egypt after Gedaliah's death brings one part of the narrative of the Babylonian exile to a close. The New Testament does not mention Gedaliah directly.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpreters differ over his refusal to believe Johanan's warning. Some read it as the generosity of a man unwilling to suspect others, while others see it as a lack of prudence on the part of a leader. The question does not divide clearly along denominational lines.

Jewish tradition connects the "fast of the seventh month" mentioned in Zechariah 7:5 and 8:19 with Gedaliah's death, and the Fast of Gedaliah is still observed today. The biblical text itself, however, does not state that this fast commemorates his death; that connection is the understanding of later tradition. Archaeologists have discovered seal impressions bearing the name Gedaliah, but scholars disagree as to whether they refer to the biblical figure.

In the Korean Church

Relatively few sermons or Sunday school lessons focus on Gedaliah alone. He is usually treated in expository preaching that works sequentially through the book of Jeremiah or 2 Kings 25, in the course of explaining the situation immediately after the fall of Judah.