Bible Strands
Jeremiah 29:3
The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Zedekiah king of Judah commissions two envoys to carry a letter to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, following the deportation of Jerusalem's leadership, craftsmen, and officials. The delivery occurs just before the prophetic message shifts from royal correspondence to divine instruction.
The words — The text specifies the delivery mechanism with בְּ/יַד (be./Yad), literally "by the hand of," to mark official custody. It identifies the bearers as Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah.
The thread — Shaphan and Hilkiah appear in 2 Kings 22:8 and 2 Kings 22:12 as court officials who handled the recovery of the Book of the Law, and Hilkiah is listed in 1 Chronicles 6:13 as a link in a priestly genealogy.
Why it lands — The verse records the concrete chain of human messengers before introducing the content of the letter. It demands attention to the specific names and political context that frame the subsequent divine address.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 22:8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
- 2 Kings 22:12 and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
- 1 Chronicles 6:13 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah, Hilkiah was the father of Azariah,
- 2 Chronicles 34:20 and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
- Jeremiah 26:24 Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
- Jeremiah 36:25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.
- Jeremiah 39:14 had Jeremiah brought from the courtyard of the guard, and they turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So Jeremiah remained among his own people.
- Ezekiel 8:11 Before them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.