Lexical Definition

‎דְּלָיָה‎ Dᵉlâyâh (del-aw-yaw') Delaiah ^N:N-M-P
or (prolonged) דְּלָיָהוּ Dᵉlâyâhûw (del-aw-yaw'-hoo); from ‎דָּלָה‎ and ‎יָהּ‎; Jah has delivered

Dalaiah, Delaiah.

• § Dalaiah or Delaiah = "Jehovah has drawn"
• Delajah, the name of five Israelites

1) a priest in the time of David, leader of the 23rd course
2) a son of Shemaiah, a ruler of Judah in the time of Jeremiah in the court of Jehoiakim
3) the head of an exilic family, of uncertain pedigree, claiming to be Israelites in the time of Zerubbabel
4) a descendant of Zerubbabel
5) the son of Mehetabeel and the father of Shemaiah, a contemporary of Nehemiah

Extended Information

• A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.12
• son of: Shemaiah (שְׁמַעְיָה)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎דְּלָיָ֫הוּ‎, ‎דְּלָיָה‎ proper name, masculine (Yah(u) hath drawn) —

1. ‎דְּלָיָהוּ‎,
a. a priest, contemporary of David, 1Chr 24:18.
b. a prince of Judah, contemporary of Jeremiah Jer 36:12; Jer 36:25.

2. ‎דְּלָיָה‎,
a. head of a family contemporary with Zerubbabel Ezra 2:60 = Neh 7:62.
b. descendant of Zerubbabel. 1Chr 3:24.
c. father of contemporary of Nehemiah Neh 6:10.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Male • Son of Shemaiah • Official during King Jehoiakim's reign

Man living at the time of Divided Monarchy

Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, was an official during King Jehoiakim's reign who heard Baruch read Jeremiah's scroll. (Jer.36.12,25)

• A man living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at Jer.36.12;
• only referred to as Delaiah דְּלָיָה;
• a son of Shemaiah שְׁמַעְיָה.

Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, is mentioned in Jeremiah 36 as one of the officials present when Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, read the prophet's scroll in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. This event took place during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah.

After hearing the words of Jeremiah's scroll, Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, went to the king's house and reported the message to all the officials, including Delaiah (Jeremiah 36:11-13). The officials then sent for Baruch and had him read the scroll to them. Alarmed by the message, they decided to report it to the king (Jeremiah 36:14-16).

King Jehoiakim, after hearing a portion of the scroll, cut it with a scribe's knife and burned it in the fire, despite the pleas of some officials, including Delaiah, not to do so (Jeremiah 36:25). This action demonstrated the king's rejection of God's word and his defiance against the prophetic message.

Delaiah's presence among the officials and his attempt to prevent the king from burning the scroll suggest that he had some level of influence in the royal court and that he recognized the significance of Jeremiah's message. However, his efforts, along with those of other officials, were unsuccessful in changing the king's response.

All entries for Delaiah: דְּלָיָה

Related Profiles:

• Shemaiah (father)