Urijah (prophet)

Biblical Account

Urijah appears only in Jeremiah 26. This chapter recounts how, early in the reign of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah prophesied judgment in the temple (Jeremiah 26:1-6) and was consequently placed in mortal danger. Certain elders spoke in Jeremiah's defense, citing the precedent of Hezekiah, who heard the prophecy of the prophet Micah and did not put him to death (Jeremiah 26:17-19). The account of Urijah immediately follows this passage.

According to the text, Urijah was the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim. He "prophesied in the name of the LORD," and his message, like Jeremiah's, was directed against the city of Jerusalem and the land of Judah: he "prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah" (Jeremiah 26:20). Kirjath-jearim is known as the town where the ark of the covenant remained for a time (1 Samuel 7:1-2).

When King Jehoiakim, with all his mighty men and all the princes (high officials), heard the prophecy, the king sought to put him to death. When Urijah heard of it, he was afraid and fled into Egypt (Jeremiah 26:21). The king sent Elnathan the son of Achbor, together with certain men, into Egypt to bring him back (Jeremiah 26:22). Urijah was ultimately brought before the king and slain with the sword, and his dead body was cast "into the graves of the common people" (Jeremiah 26:23). The very next verse reports that Ahikam the son of Shaphan protected Jeremiah so that he was not given into the hand of the people to be put to death (Jeremiah 26:24).

Significance Within Scripture

The fates of two prophets who delivered the same message are set side by side. Jeremiah survived under Ahikam's protection, while Urijah was put to death. Through this contrast the text shows how perilous a prophet's situation was in the days of Jehoiakim. The account also sets Jehoiakim's response in contrast with the attitude Hezekiah displayed toward Micah's prophecy.

The New Testament does not mention Urijah by name. Hebrews 11 refers, without naming them, to people of faith who "were slain with the sword" (Hebrews 11:33-38). Some commentators see the cases of prophets such as Urijah in the background of this passage, but the text does not refer to Urijah directly.

Interpretation and Issues

• The speaker of the account: Interpreters differ over who relates the story of Urijah. Some regard it as words spoken by Jeremiah's opponents, who cited a precedent unfavorable to him; others regard it as an explanatory note added by the writer of the text.
• Assessment of his flight: The text states only that Urijah fled because he was "afraid"; it makes no judgment as to whether his action was right or wrong. Some sermons interpret his flight as a sign of weak faith, but this is an assessment that goes beyond the text.
• Relation to the Lachish Letters: The Lachish Letters, discovered in archaeological excavations, mention a military commander who went down to Egypt and a "prophet." Some scholars have attempted to connect these references with the Urijah episode. However, for reasons that include a mismatch in the letters' dating, this connection is regarded as unconfirmed conjecture.
• Others with the same name: In the Korean Revised Version, the name "Urijah" (우리야) is used for several individuals: Urijah the priest in the time of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:10-16; Isaiah 8:2), the father of Meremoth in the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:21), and a man who stood beside Ezra (Nehemiah 8:4). "The wife of Urias" in Matthew 1:6 refers to Uriah the Hittite of David's time. All of these are distinct from the prophet treated in this article.

In the Korean Church

Urijah appears only once in Scripture. For this reason, he seems rarely to be made the sole subject of a sermon or included in Sunday school lessons. He is usually discussed in expositions of Jeremiah 26 as a case contrasting with the protection Jeremiah received.