Shaphan

Biblical Record

Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, was the scribe of King Josiah (2 Kings 22:3). Here "scribe" refers less to a teacher of the Law than to a high-ranking official responsible for the king's records and finances.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah sent Shaphan to the Temple in Jerusalem to have the money for the Temple repairs delivered to the workmen. At that time the high priest Hilkiah told Shaphan that he had found the Book of the Law in the Temple and handed it to him. Shaphan read the book, reported to the king, and read it aloud before him. When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes and sent Shaphan, together with Hilkiah, Shaphan's son Ahikam, and others, to inquire of the LORD. They went to the prophetess Huldah and brought back her word (2 Kings 22:3–14). The same event is recorded in 2 Chronicles 34:8–21.

Significance in the Bible

In Josiah's reform, Shaphan appears as the official who links the king, the Temple, and the Word. Members of his family later appear frequently in accounts connected with Jeremiah.

• His son Ahikam protected Jeremiah so that he was not put to death (Jeremiah 26:24).
• His son Elasah delivered Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:3).
• In the chamber of his son Gemariah, Baruch read Jeremiah's scroll, and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll (Jeremiah 36:10–12, 25).
• His grandson Gedaliah was appointed by Babylon as governor over the land of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:22).

Shaphan is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• The Book of the Law that was found: Scripture does not identify the book Shaphan read. A widely known traditional view holds that it was all or part of Deuteronomy. Conservative scholars regard it as an existing book that was rediscovered, whereas some critical scholars hold that the core of Deuteronomy was written around this time.
• Others of the same name: Ezekiel 8:11 mentions "Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan" among the elders who offered incense to idols, but whether this Shaphan is the same person as Josiah's scribe is uncertain.
• The outlook of Shaphan's family: Some interpret Shaphan's family as a reform-minded circle of officials who supported Jeremiah, but this is a scholarly inference drawn from the text.
• Name: The Hebrew name Shaphan is identical to the word for the rock hyrax, and the Korean Revised Version (Revised Edition) also renders this animal as "saban" (Leviticus 11:5; Proverbs 30:26).

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches Shaphan is rarely the central figure of a sermon. He is usually mentioned in sermons on Josiah's reform or on the "rediscovery of the Word" as the man who read the Book of the Law before the king.