Topical Encyclopedia
Seraiah is a name that appears multiple times in the Old Testament, associated with various individuals who played significant roles in the history of Israel. The name Seraiah means "Yahweh is ruler" or "Prince of the Lord," reflecting the theocentric culture of ancient Israel.
1.
Seraiah, the Father of Joab: In
1 Chronicles 4:13-14, Seraiah is mentioned as the father of Joab, who is the founder of the "Valley of Craftsmen." This Seraiah is part of the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah, highlighting the importance of lineage and heritage in Israelite society.
2.
Seraiah, the High Priest: One of the most notable individuals named Seraiah was the high priest during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. He is mentioned in
2 Kings 25:18 and
Jeremiah 52:24. Seraiah was taken captive by the Babylonians during the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and was executed at Riblah by the order of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. His death marked a significant moment in the history of the priesthood and the nation of Judah, as it symbolized the end of an era and the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
3.
Seraiah, the Son of Azriel: In
Jeremiah 36:26, Seraiah, the son of Azriel, is mentioned as one of the officials sent by King Jehoiakim to arrest the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch. This Seraiah was part of the royal administration, illustrating the tension between the prophetic voices and the ruling authorities of the time.
4.
Seraiah, the Son of Neriah: Another Seraiah, the son of Neriah, is found in
Jeremiah 51:59-64. He was a brother of Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, and served as a quartermaster. Seraiah was entrusted with a prophetic message against Babylon, which he was to read aloud upon arriving in Babylon and then throw the scroll into the Euphrates River, symbolizing the eventual sinking of Babylon. This act demonstrated the sovereignty of God over the nations and His ultimate judgment against Babylon.
5.
Seraiah, the Ancestor of Ezra: In the book of Ezra, Seraiah is listed as an ancestor of Ezra the scribe (
Ezra 7:1). This genealogy underscores the continuity of the priestly line and the restoration of the Jewish community after the Babylonian exile. Ezra's lineage through Seraiah highlights the importance of maintaining religious and cultural identity through the priestly heritage.
6.
Seraiah, the Leader in the Return from Exile: In
Nehemiah 12:1, Seraiah is mentioned as one of the priests who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua during the first wave of exiles returning to Jerusalem. This Seraiah played a role in the reestablishment of the temple worship and the rebuilding of the community, emphasizing the theme of restoration and renewal in post-exilic Israel.
The various individuals named Seraiah in the Old Testament reflect the diverse roles and responsibilities within the Israelite community, from priestly duties to administrative functions. Each Seraiah, in his own context, contributed to the unfolding narrative of God's covenant people, demonstrating faithfulness, leadership, and, at times, the consequences of national disobedience.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Seraiahprince of the Lord
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Seraiah- The king's scribe or secretary in the reign of David. (2 Samuel 8:17) (B.C. 1043.)
- The high priest in the reign of Zedekiah. (2 Kings 25:18;1 Chronicles 6:14;Jeremiah 52:24) (B.C. 594.)
- The son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite. (2 Kings 25:23;Jeremiah 40:8)
- The son of Kenaz and brother of Othniel. (1 Chronicles 4:13,14)
- Ancestor of Jehu a Simeonite chieftain. (1 Chronicles 4:35)
- One of the children of the province who returned with Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:2) (B.C. 536.)
- One of the ancestors of Ezra the scribe. (Ezra 7:1)
- A priest, or priestly family, who signed the covenant with Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 10:2)
- A priest, the son of Hilkiah. (Nehemiah 11:11)
- The head of a priestly house which went up from Babylon with Zerubbabel. (Nehemiah 12:12)
- The son of Neriah and brother of Baruch. (Jeremiah 51:59,61) He went with Zedekiah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (B.C. 594.) Perhaps he was an officer who took charge of the royal caravan on its march, and fixed the places where it should halt.
ATS Bible Dictionary
SeraiahThe name of six persons, alluded to in the following passages:2 Samuel 8:17;2 Kings 25:18;Ezra 7:1;Jeremiah 36:26; 40:8; 51:59. The last is termed "a quiet prince" or "chief chamberlain." He bore to the Jews in Babylon a message from the prophet Jeremiah.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Soldier of Jehovah.
(1.) The father of Joab (1 Chronicles 4:13, 14).
(2.) The grandfather of Jehu (1 Chronicles 4:35).
(3.) One of David's scribes or secretaries (2 Samuel 8:17).
(4.) A Netophathite (Jeremiah 40:8), a chief priest of the time of Zedekiah. He was carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon, and there put to death (2 Kings 25:18, 23).
(5.)Ezra 2:2.
(6.) Father of Ezra the scribe (7:1).
(7.) A ruler of the temple (Nehemiah 11:11).
(8.) A priest of the days of Jehoiakim (Nehemiah 12:1, 12).
(9.) The son of Neriah. When Zedekiah made a journey to Babylon to do homage to Nebuchadnezzar, Seraiah had charge of the royal gifts to be presented on that occasion. Jeremiah took advantage of the occasion, and sent with Seraiah a word of cheer to the exiles in Babylon, and an announcement of the doom in store for that guilty city. The roll containing this message (Jeremiah 50:1-8) Seraiah was to read to the exiles, and then, after fixing a stone to it, was to throw it into the Euphrates, uttering, as it sank, the prayer recorded inJeremiah 51:59-64. Babylon was at this time in the height of its glory, the greatest and most powerful monarchy in the world. Scarcely seventy years elapsed when the words of the prophet were all fulfilled.Jeremiah 51:59 is rendered in the Revised Version, "Now Seraiah was chief chamberlain," instead of "was a quiet prince," as in the Authorized Version.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SERAIAHse-ra'-ya, se-ri'-a (serayahu, "Yah hath prevailed"; Septuagint Saraias, or Saraia):
(1) Secretary of David (2 Samuel 8:17); in2 Samuel 20:25 he is called Sheva; in1 Kings 4:3 the name appears as Shisha. This last or Shasha would be restored elsewhere by some critics; others prefer the form Shavsha, which is found in1 Chronicles 18:16.
(2) A high priest in the reign of Zedekiah; executed with other prominent captives at Riblah by order of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:18, 21Jeremiah 52:24, 27). Mentioned in the list of high priests (1 Chronicles 6:14). Ezra claims descent from him (Ezra 7:1 (3)).
SeeAZARAIAS;SARAIAS.
(3) The son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and one of the heroic band of men who saved themselves from the fury of Nebuchadnezzar when he stormed Jerusalem. They repaired to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, but killed him on account of his allegiance to the Chaldeans (2 Kings 25:23, 25).
(4) Son of Kenaz, and younger brother of Othniel, and father of Joab, the chief of Ge-harashim (1 Chronicles 4:13, 14).
(5) Grandfather of Jehu, of the tribe of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:35).
(6) A priest, the third in the list of those who returned from Babylon to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2Nehemiah 7:7, here called Azariah; 12:1), and third also (if the same person is meant) in the record of those who sealed the covenant binding all Jews not to take foreign wives (Nehemiah 10:2). As the son of Hilkiah, and consequently a direct descendant of the priestly family, he became governor of the temple when it was rebuilt (Nehemiah 11:11). He is mentioned (under the name Azariah) also in1 Chronicles 9:11.Nehemiah 12:2 adds that "in the days of Joiakim" the head of Seraiah's house was Meraiah.
(7) Son of Azriel, one of those whom Jehoiakim commanded to imprison Jeremiah and Baruch, the son of Neriah (Jeremiah 36:26).
(8) The son of Neriah, who went into exile with Zedekiah. He was also called Sar Menuchah ("prince of repose"). The Targum renders Sar Menuchah by Rabh Tiqrabhta, "prince of battle, and Septuagint by archon doron, "prince of gifts," reading Minchah for Menuchah. At the request of Jeremiah he carried with him in his exile the passages containing the prophet's warning of the fall of Babylon, written in a book which he was bidden to bind to a stone and cast into the Euphrates, to symbolize the fall of Babylon (Jeremiah 51:59-64).
Horace J. Wolf
Strong's Hebrew
8576. Tanchumeth -- father ofSeraiah... 8575, 8576. Tanchumeth. 8577 . father of
Seraiah. Transliteration: Tanchumeth
Phonetic Spelling: (tan-khoo'-meth) Short Definition: Tanhumeth.
...8304. Serayah -- "Yah persists," the name of a number of Isr.
... Transliteration: Serayah or Serayahu Phonetic Spelling: (ser-aw-yaw') Short
Definition:Seraiah.... NASB Word UsageSeraiah (20).Seraiah....
Library
The Fulfilment
... It was a tall commanding form, clothed in garments that glittered for whiteness.
By the step, by the poise of the head, the Christian recognizedSeraiah....
The False Prophet
... Through it, walking swiftly, his head up, his mystic eyes ignited, came
Seraiah, soldier of Jehovah.... Ahead of them,Seraiah moved....
How the King of Babylon Took Jerusalem and Burnt the Temple and...
... the Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very foundations, and removed
all the people, and took for prisoners the high priestSeraiah, and Zephaniah...
The Pride of Amaryllis
... "Who was that?" she asked of the Gischalan, who was gazing at the color of his wine,
sitting in a shaft of sunlight. "Seraiah!... She turned again toSeraiah....
The Image of Jealousy
... Laodice was looking at him with awed, but understanding eyes. "It wasSeraiah,"
she said in a low voice.... Spare meSeraiah! He has too much influence!"....
As the Foam Upon Water
... By the strange inscrutable spread of rumor, sweeping with the air, the tidings of
the miracle and the rise ofSeraiah poured in upon the restive hundreds that...
The Sacred Officers and Sacred Occasions.
... (Gen.20:7) and Aaron next. (Ex.7:1). 3. The Scribes. The word means a writer
andSeraiah is the first one mentioned, 2 Sam.8;17....
The Writing of an Ancient Book
... He also ordered Jerahmeel, his son, andSeraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah,
the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch, the scribe, and Jeremiah, the prophet...
The Sad Fate of a Guilty Nation
... The commander of the body-guard carried awaySeraiah, the chief priest and Zephaniah,
the second priest, and the three doorkeepers and brought them to the king...
How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over the Jews that were Left in Judea...
... Mispah. Now the rulers that were over them were Johanan, the son of Kareah,
and Jezaniah, andSeraiah, and others beside them. Now...
Thesaurus
Seraiah (18 Occurrences)... When Zedekiah made a journey to Babylon to do homage to Nebuchadnezzar,
Seraiah had charge of the royal gifts to be presented on that occasion.
...Seraiah's (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version ConcordanceSeraiah's (1 Occurrence). Nehemiah 12:12 And in
the days of Joiakim were priests, heads of fathers' houses...
Serai'ah (18 Occurrences)
...Seraiah, Serai'ah.Seraiah's .... 2 Samuel 8:17 and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and
Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; andSeraiah was scribe; (See RSV)...
Neriah (10 Occurrences)
... ne-ri'-a (neriyah, "whose lamp is Yah"): The father ofSeraiah and of Baruch,
Jeremiah's friend and secretary (Jeremiah 32:12, 16; Jeremiah 36:4, 8, 32; 43:3...
Jehozadak (8 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Jehovah-justified, the son of the high priestSeraiah
at the time of the Babylonian exile (1 Chronicles 6:14, 15)....
Mahseiah (2 Occurrences)
... ma-se'-ya, ma-si'-a (machceyah, "Yah a refuge"): Grandfather of Baruch (Jeremiah
32:12) and ofSeraiah (Jeremiah 51:59).... NowSeraiah was chief quartermaster....
Azari'ah (46 Occurrences)
... 1 Chronicles 6:14 and Azariah begotSeraiah, andSeraiah begot Jehozadak; (See RSV)....
(See RSV). Nehemiah 10:2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah; (See RSV)....
Ezra (28 Occurrences)
... He was the son, or perhaps grandson, ofSeraiah (2 Kings 25:18-21), and a lineal
descendant of Phinehas, the son of Aaron (Ezra 7:1-5). All we know of his...
Quartermaster (1 Occurrence)
... Jeremiah 51:59 The word which Jeremiah the prophet commandedSeraiah the son of
Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to...
Zerub'babel (23 Occurrences)
... RSV). Ezra 2:2 who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah,Seraiah, Reelaiah,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, Baanah. The...
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