False prophet during the Babylonian exile
Shemaiah
Named in 3 verses of Jeremiah, first in Jeremiah 29:24.
שְׁמַעְיָ֫הוּShemaiah
The name means “that hears or obeys the Lord.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Shemaiah Written by AI
Shemaiah, also known as Shemaiah the Nehelamite, was a false prophet who lived among the exiles in Babylon during the time of Jeremiah. According to Jeremiah 29:24 to 32, Shemaiah sent letters to the people and priests in Jerusalem, contradicting Jeremiah's prophetic messages and accusing him of being a false prophet. Shemaiah urged the priest Zephaniah to rebuke and imprison Jeremiah for his prophecies. However, the Lord revealed to Jeremiah that Shemaiah was a false prophet who was leading the people astray. As a result, Jeremiah prophesied that Shemaiah and his descendants would be punished, and none of them would see the good that God would do for His people. This incident underscores the conflict between true and false prophets during the Babylonian exile and the importance of discerning genuine prophetic messages.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
This entry is on the name Shemaiah, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.
Whom Jehovah heard. (1.) A prophet in the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:22-24).
(2.) Neh. 3:29.
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(3.) A Simeonite (1 Chr. 4:37).
(4.) A priest (Neh. 12:42).
(5.) A Levite (1 Chr. 9:16).
(6.) 1 Chr. 9:14; Neh. 11:15.
(7.) A Levite in the time of David, who with 200 of his brethren took part in the bringing up of the ark from Obed-edom to Hebron (1 Chr. 15:8).
(8.) A Levite (1 Chr. 24:6).
(9.) The eldest son of Obed-edom (1 Chr. 26:4-8).
(10.) A Levite (2 Chr. 29:14).
(11.) A false prophet who hindered the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 6:10).
(12.) A prince of Judah who assisted at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. 12:34-36).
(13.) A false prophet who opposed Jeremiah (Jer. 29:24-32).
(14.) One of the Levites whom Jehoshaphat appointed to teach the law (2 Chr. 17:8).
(15.) A Levite appointed to “distribute the oblations of the Lord” (2 Chr. 31:15).
(16.) A Levite (2 Chr. 35:9).
(17.) The father of Urijah the prophet (Jer. 26:20).
(18.) The father of a prince in the reign of Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:12).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
Where the Bible names him
- Jeremiah 29:24
You are to tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite that
- Jeremiah 29:31
“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,
- Jeremiah 29:32
this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’”
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.