Shebna (Hebrew:שֶׁבְנָא,Modern: Ševnaʾ,Tiberian: Šeḇnāʾ, "tender youth") was the royal steward (ʾasher ʿal ha-bayith, "he who is over the house"; the chief or prime minister of state)[1] in the reign of kingHezekiah ofJudah, according to theHebrew Bible.[2]
Because of hispride he was ejected from his office, and replaced byEliakim the son ofHilkiah as recorded inBook of Isaiah (Isaiah 22:15–25). Shebna also appears to have been the leader of the party who favored an alliance withEgypt against Assyria.[2]
Shebna may have been the same "Shebna the scribe" who was sent by Hezekiah to confer with theAssyrian ambassador recorded in theBooks of Kings (2 Kings 18:18, 26, 37;2 Kings 19:2; parallel accounts inIsaiah 36:3,11,22;37:2), althoughEaston's Bible Dictionary refers to them as being different people.[2]
A royal steward'srock-cut tomb discovered inSilwan is conjectured to be Shebna's,[3] although only the term "-yahu" remains legible on the lintel from the tomb that is now kept in theBritish Museum.[4] The partially preserved inscription was deciphered to read "...yahu who is over the house".[4] The assumption is that Shebna's name may have been pronounced 'Shebna-yahu', the missing name fitting onto the damaged portion of the inscription.[5]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). "Shebna".Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.
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