Category:Gedaliah

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Gedaliah - Made great by Jehovah. (1.) The son of Jeduthum (1 Chronicles 25:3, 1 Chronicles 25:9). (2.) The grandfather of the prophet Zephaniah, and the father of Cushi (Zephaniah 1:1). (3.) One of the Jewish nobles who conspired against Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:1). (4.) The son of Ahikam, and grandson of Shaphan, secretary of king Josiah (Jeremiah 26:24). After the destruction of Jerusalem (see ZEDEKIAH), Nebuchadnezzar left him to govern the country as tributary to him (2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 40:5; Jeremiah 52:16). Ishmael, however, at the head of a party of the royal family, "Jewish irreconcilable", rose against him, and slew him and "all the Jews that were with him" (Jeremiah 41:2, Jeremiah 41:3) at Mizpah about three months after the destruction of Jerusalem. He and his band also plundered the town of Mizpah, and carried off many captives. He was, however, overtaken by Johanan and routed. He fled with such of his followers as escaped to the Ammonites (Jeremiah 41:15). The little remnant of the Jews now fled to Egypt.