Eliakim

Biblical Account

Eliakim was the son of Hilkiah. He served as the official over the household under Hezekiah, king of Judah. This high official oversaw the affairs and administration of the royal palace.

In Isaiah 22:15–25, God declares that He will remove Shebna, who was over the treasury, from his position and call "my servant Eliakim" (Isaiah 22:20). The passage continues:

• God will clothe Eliakim with Shebna's robe and girdle.
• Eliakim will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
• God will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: "so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open" (Isaiah 22:22).
• He will be fastened "as a nail in a sure place" and will be "for a glorious throne to his father's house."

When the army of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, threatened Jerusalem, Eliakim went out with Shebna the scribe and Joah the recorder to meet the Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:3). The three asked him to speak in Aramaic rather than in the language of Judah, so that the people on the wall would not understand, but the Rabshakeh refused (Isaiah 36:11). They tore their clothes and reported the Rabshakeh's words to the king (Isaiah 36:22). Afterward, clothed in sackcloth, they went as the king's messengers to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 37:2). The same events are recorded in nearly identical form in 2 Kings 18–19.

Significance Within Scripture

The expression "the key of David" reappears in Revelation 3:7. In this verse, Jesus Christ, addressing the church in Philadelphia, one of the seven churches of Asia Minor, identifies Himself as "he that hath the key of David." Many interpreters read this as an application of the language of Isaiah 22:22 to Christ.

Interpretations and Debates

• Relationship to Shebna: In Isaiah 22, Shebna appears as the one over the treasury, while in chapter 36 he appears as scribe and Eliakim as the official over the household. Many interpreters therefore see this as the exchange of positions that the prophecy foretold. There is disagreement, however, over whether the two Shebnas are the same person.
• The "nail" of Isaiah 22:25: This verse states that the nail fastened in a sure place will be removed and fall. Some take this to mean that Eliakim, too, eventually fell from power as a consequence of his family's excessive dependence on him (Isaiah 22:24). Others understand the verse as referring to Shebna.
• The key and the office: Some Catholic interpreters are known to connect the key of Isaiah 22:22 with the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" given to Peter in Matthew 16:19, presenting it as a basis for an office passed on in succession. Protestants, following Revelation 3:7, generally read the key as signifying the authority of Christ.

Others Named Eliakim

Several people in the Bible bear the name Eliakim.

• A son of Josiah, king of Judah. When Pharaoh Necho of Egypt made him king, he changed his name to Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34; 2 Chronicles 36:4).
• A priest mentioned in Nehemiah 12:41, who held a trumpet at the dedication of the wall.
• Figures in the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1:13 and Luke 3:30. The Eliakims of the two genealogies are different persons.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, Eliakim is rarely the sole subject of a sermon or Sunday school lesson. He is usually introduced as a background figure when the story of Hezekiah and the Assyrian invasion is discussed, or when "the key of David" in Revelation 3:7 is explained.