Gemariah

Biblical Account

Gemariah was an official of Judah who appears in Jeremiah 36. He was the son of Shaphan the scribe and the father of Michaiah (Jeremiah 36:10–12).

In the ninth month of the fifth year of King Jehoiakim, a fast was proclaimed to the people (36:9). On that occasion Baruch read before the people the scroll on which he had written the words dictated by Jeremiah. The reading took place "in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house" (36:10).

Gemariah's son Michaiah, having heard the reading, went down to the king's house. There he reported what he had heard to the princes (the king's high officials) who were assembled in the scribe's chamber, and Gemariah was among those seated there (36:11–13). The princes summoned Baruch and heard the contents of the scroll for themselves. Struck with fear, they said that the matter must be reported to the king, and they advised Baruch and Jeremiah to go into hiding (36:16–19).

King Jehoiakim had the scroll read aloud in his winter house. As it was read, he cut it with a knife and cast it into the fire on the hearth (36:22–23). At that time Gemariah, together with Elnathan and Delaiah, "made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them" (36:25). Afterward Jeremiah had Baruch write down the same words again (36:27–32).

Another Person of the Same Name

Jeremiah 29:3 also mentions "Gemariah the son of Hilkiah," an envoy sent by King Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar. Because his father is different, he is regarded as a different person from the Gemariah of this article. Many hold that "Elasah the son of Shaphan," who appears in the same verse, was a brother of the Gemariah discussed here.

Significance Within Scripture

Gemariah's father Shaphan is commonly identified with Shaphan the scribe in the time of King Josiah, who read to the king the book of the law found in the temple (2 Kings 22:8–10). Members of Shaphan's family appear several times in the Book of Jeremiah taking Jeremiah's side.

• Ahikam the son of Shaphan protected Jeremiah so that he was not put to death (Jeremiah 26:24).
• Gedaliah, Shaphan's grandson, was entrusted with Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:14; 40:5).

In Jeremiah 36, Gemariah and the other officials were afraid when they heard the word. Their response stands in contrast to that of the king and his servants, who "were not afraid, nor rent their garments" (36:24). Gemariah is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Gemariah's stance: The text does not state directly whether Gemariah deliberately made his chamber available for the reading or whether he sympathized with Jeremiah. Some interpreters read him as an official favorable to the prophet; others see his conduct as that of a cautious official seeking to follow royal procedure.
• Generalizations about the house of Shaphan: Shaphan's family is often read as a faction supportive of Jeremiah. However, Ezekiel 8:11 mentions "Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan" in a scene of idolatry. It is uncertain whether this Shaphan is the same person, and some point out that it is difficult to attribute a single disposition to the entire family.
• Archaeological evidence: Excavations in the City of David in Jerusalem during the 1980s are reported to have yielded a clay seal impression (bulla) bearing the name "Gemaryahu son of Shaphan." Some scholars connect it with the biblical Gemariah, but it cannot be established with certainty that they are the same person.

In the Korean Church

Gemariah is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is mentioned mainly in sermons or Bible studies on the scroll episode of Jeremiah 36, where he appears alongside Baruch, Elnathan, and Delaiah as their attitude toward the word is compared with that of King Jehoiakim.