Who is…
Shemaiah
Hebrew: שְׁמַעְיָה —transliteration: Shemaiah, Shemayah or Shemayahu —meaning: “Yah hears” or “Jehovah heard”
This is the name of 19 biblical men.
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Shemaiah, a prophet
He was a prophet during the reign of King Rehoboam of the Kingdom of Judah.
…the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
“Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You shall not go up nor fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return, every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me.”’”
So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned to go their way in accordance with the word of the Lord. —1 Kings 12:22-24 NASB excerpt
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Shemaiah, son of Shecaniah
He is mentioned in Nehemiah 3:29 as having been responsible for repairs to a specific section of Jerusalem’s broken wall after the Captivity. His father was keeper of the East Gate.
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Shemaiah, father of Shimri
He is a Simeonite (1 Chronicles 4:37).
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Shemaiah, a priest who stood with Nehemiah
In the house of the Lord, he stood with Nehemiah, the choirs and the officials (Nehemiah 12:40-42).
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Shemaiah, son of Galal
He is a Levite with a son named Obadiah (1 Chronicles 9:16).
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Shemaiah, son of Hasshub
He is another Levite involved in the building of The Second Temple (1 Chronicles 9:14; Neh. 11:15).
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Shemaiah, a chief Levite in David’s time
He, along with 200 other Levites in the time of David, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-edom to Hebron (1 Chronicles 15:8).
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Shemaiah, son of Nethanel the scribe
He is a Levite who wrote a record of events and the people involved (1 Chronicles 24:6).
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Shemaiah, son of Obed-edom
He is Obed-edom (Obededom) eldest son (1 Chronicles 26:4-8).
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Shemaiah, a father and Levite
He is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 29:14 along with other fathers.
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Shemaiah, a false prophet
This false prophet hindered the rebuilding of Jerusalem af the Captivity (Nehemiah 6:10).
Afterward I [Governor Nehemiah] came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.
And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.
And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. —Nehemiah 6:10-12 KJV
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Prince Shemaiah
He is a prince of Judah who assisted at the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem after the Captivity (Nehemiah 12:34-36).
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Shemaiah, a rebel false prophet who oppposed God and His true prophet Jeremiah
This false prophet who deceitfully opposed God’s plans for the Jews after the Captivity is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah.
To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and neck irons. Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’
…‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam:
Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’” —Jeremiah 29:24-32 ESV excerpt
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Shemaiah, a Levite teacher
He is another of the Levites whom Jehoshaphat appointed to teach the law to the people (2 Chronicles 17:8).
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Shemaiah, a Levite under the authority of Kore
He was one of the men appointed to faithfully distribute offerings given to support the Levites (2 Chronicles 31:15).
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Shemaiah, an officer of the Levites
He “contributed to the Levites for the Passover offerings” (2 Chronicles 35:9).
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Shemaiah, father of Urijah
He is the father of the prophet Urijah mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:20).
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Shemaiah, father of Prince Delaiah
He and his son are mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:12).
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Shemaiah, son Adonikam
He and his brothers Eliphelet and Jeiel returned with 60 other males to Jerusalem with Ezra following the Babylonian Captivity (Ezra 8:13).