Elnathan

Biblical Record

Elnathan (Hebrew Elnatan, interpreted as "God has given") was a man of Jerusalem in the final years of the kingdom of Judah. 2 Kings 24:8 introduces Nehushta, the mother of King Jehoiachin, as "the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem." Because Jehoiachin was the son of King Jehoiakim, Elnathan was Jehoiachin's maternal grandfather and Jehoiakim's father-in-law. This single verse is all that 2 Kings records about him.

The Book of Jeremiah mentions "Elnathan the son of Achbor" as an official of King Jehoiakim.

• Jeremiah 26:20–23: When the prophet Urijah fled from the king to Egypt, Jehoiakim sent Elnathan and several other men to Egypt to bring Urijah back, and the king slew him with the sword.
• Jeremiah 36: In the fifth year of Jehoiakim, when Baruch read the scroll containing the words of Jeremiah, Elnathan was among the princes (high-ranking royal officials) gathered in the scribe's chamber (Jeremiah 36:12). When the king burned the scroll, "Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them" (Jeremiah 36:25).

The name Elnathan also appears three times in Ezra 8:16, but these were men summoned by Ezra during the return from the Babylonian exile and are distinct from the subject of this article.

Significance Within the Bible

Elnathan is presented as a man who became related by marriage to the royal house of David through his daughter. His daughter Nehushta was carried away to Babylon together with her son Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:15). The New Testament does not mention him.

Interpretations and Debated Points

• Identity: The biblical text does not state that the Elnathan of 2 Kings and "Elnathan the son of Achbor" in Jeremiah are the same person. Because they lived at the same time and held comparable positions, many commentators consider it likely that they are the same individual, but the possibility that they are two different men with the same name cannot be ruled out.
• His father Achbor: Some identify Achbor with "Achbor the son of Michaiah" (2 Kings 22:12–14), one of the men sent to the prophetess Huldah concerning the Book of the Law in the reign of King Josiah.
• Archaeological evidence: One of the ancient letters discovered at Lachish is reported to record that a military commander named "Coniah son of Elnathan" went down to Egypt. Some connect this figure with Elnathan's family, but the connection has not been confirmed.
• Some interpreters link his part in bringing back Urijah with his attempt to save the scroll and draw conclusions about his character or a change in his faith. Since the text does not reveal his inner thoughts, however, such readings remain a matter of interpretation.

In the Korean Church

Elnathan is rarely treated in his own right as the subject of a sermon or a Sunday school lesson. He is mainly mentioned in sermons or Bible studies on the scroll episode of Jeremiah 36, as one of the princes who pleaded with the king.