1587. Gemaryah or Gemaryahu

Lexical Summary

Gemaryah or Gemaryahu: Gemariah or Gemariahu

Original Word: גְּמַרְיָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Gmaryah
Pronunciation: gheh-mar-YAH or gheh-mar-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling: (ghem-ar-yaw')
KJV: Gemariah
NASB: Gemariah
Word Origin: [from H1584 (גָּמַר - come to an end) and H3050 (יָהּ - LORD)]

1. Jah has perfected
2. Gemarjah, the name of two Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Gemariah

Or Gmaryahuw {ghem-ar-yaw'-hoo}; from gamar and Yahh; Jah has perfected; Gemarjah, the name of two Israelites -- Gemariah.

see HEBREW gamar

see HEBREW Yahh

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from gamar and Yah
Definition
"Yah has accomplished," two Isr.
NASB Translation
Gemariah (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

גְּמַרְיָ֫הוּ, גְּמַרְיָה proper name, masculine (׳י hath accomplished) —

1 גמריהו son of Shaphan Jeremiah 36:10,11,12,25.

2 גמריה son of Hilkiah Jeremiah 29:3.

גַּן, גַּנָּה see below גנן.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 1587 designates two distinct individuals named Gemariah who ministered during the last decades of the kingdom of Judah. Both appear exclusively in the Book of Jeremiah (five total occurrences, Jeremiah 29:3; 36:10-12, 25) and are associated with the faithful transmission of the prophetic word at a time of national crisis.

Family Connections and Offices

1. Gemariah son of Shaphan (Jeremiah 36) was a member of an influential scribal family. His father Shaphan had served King Josiah during the reforms that followed the discovery of the Law. Gemariah’s brother Ahikam protected Jeremiah earlier (Jeremiah 26:24), and his son Micaiah will relay Jeremiah’s words to the royal court (Jeremiah 36:11-12).
2. Gemariah son of Hilkiah (Jeremiah 29:3) served on a diplomatic mission from King Zedekiah to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The name Hilkiah recalls the high priest who found the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22), and the narrative suggests Gemariah likewise upheld the written word.

Gemariah Son of Shaphan: Guardian of the Scroll

• Setting: Jehoiakim’s fourth or fifth regnal year (circa 605–604 B.C.). Babylon has just achieved dominance; Jerusalem’s political atmosphere is tense.
• Ministry Venue: “Baruch read from the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe” (Jeremiah 36:10). The chamber’s location at the New Gate implies Gemariah’s privileged status and his willingness to open personal space for prophetic proclamation.
• Response to the Word: Upon hearing the reading, Micaiah (Gemariah’s son) informs the officials, who summon Baruch and subsequently read the scroll to King Jehoiakim. When the king defiantly cuts and burns it, Gemariah joins Elnathan and Delaiah in protest: “Even though Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them” (Jeremiah 36:25). His appeal exemplifies courage and respect for divine revelation.
• Outcome: God commands Jeremiah to dictate a second, expanded scroll (Jeremiah 36:32), underscoring that human opposition cannot silence Scripture. Gemariah’s role highlights how humble intercession and stewardship of sacred space help preserve God’s message.

Gemariah Son of Hilkiah: Courier of the Exilic Letter

• Setting: Early in Zedekiah’s reign (circa 597–593 B.C.) during the first wave of captives already exiled to Babylon.
• Mission: “The letter was entrusted to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon” (Jeremiah 29:3).
• Significance: Jeremiah’s letter instructs the exiles to seek the welfare of Babylon, build families, and await seventy years for promised restoration (Jeremiah 29:4-14). By hand-delivering the letter, Gemariah becomes an agent through whom divine counsel reaches the displaced community, guiding them toward hope and obedience far from the temple.

Historical and Theological Significance

1. Preservation of Prophecy: Both men serve as conduits—one providing a venue and personal advocacy for Jeremiah’s scroll, the other physically conveying prophetic correspondence across international borders.
2. Scribes in Salvation History: The Shaphan family’s multi-generational devotion illustrates how faithful civil servants can influence national destiny by protecting the Word.
3. Courage under Royal Pressure: Gemariah son of Shaphan models how godly officials may confront unrighteous decrees while maintaining respect for established authority (cf. Acts 5:29).
4. Hope for the Exiles: Gemariah son of Hilkiah’s mission underscores that God’s promises extend beyond geographic Jerusalem, anticipating the new covenant that reaches “to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6; Acts 13:47).

Lessons for Today

• Steward sacred spaces—homes, workplaces, and platforms—to amplify Scripture.
• Intercede when God’s Word is opposed, trusting that divine truth endures.
• Embrace roles of delivery and support; even behind-the-scenes service advances God’s redemptive plan.

Forms and Transliterations

גְּמַרְיָ֧הוּ גְּמַרְיָהוּ֩ גמריהו וּגְמַרְיָ֖ה וּגְמַרְיָ֙הוּ֙ וּגְמַרְיָ֧הוּ וגמריה וגמריהו gə·mar·yā·hū gemaryaHu gəmaryāhū ū·ḡə·mar·yā·hū ū·ḡə·mar·yāh ugemarYah ūḡəmaryāh ugemarYahu ūḡəmaryāhū

Englishman's Concordance

Jeremiah 29:3
HEB: בֶן־ שָׁפָ֔ן וּגְמַרְיָ֖ה בֶּן־ חִלְקִיָּ֑ה
NAS: of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son
KJV: of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son
INT: the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah

Jeremiah 36:10
HEB: יְהוָ֑ה בְּלִשְׁכַּ֡ת גְּמַרְיָהוּ֩ בֶן־ שָׁפָ֨ן
NAS: in the chamber of Gemariah the son
KJV: in the chamber of Gemariah the son
INT: of the LORD the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan

Jeremiah 36:11
HEB: מִכָ֨יְהוּ בֶן־ גְּמַרְיָ֧הוּ בֶן־ שָׁפָ֛ן
NAS: the son of Gemariah, the son
KJV: the son of Gemariah, the son
INT: Micaiah the son of Gemariah the son of Shaphan

Jeremiah 36:12
HEB: בֶּן־ עַכְבּ֜וֹר וּגְמַרְיָ֧הוּ בֶן־ שָׁפָ֛ן
NAS: of Achbor, and Gemariah the son
KJV: of Achbor, and Gemariah the son
INT: the son of Achbor and Gemariah the son of Shaphan

Jeremiah 36:25
HEB: אֶלְנָתָ֨ן וּדְלָיָ֤הוּ וּגְמַרְיָ֙הוּ֙ הִפְגִּ֣עוּ בַמֶּ֔לֶךְ
NAS: and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded
KJV: and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession
INT: Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded the king

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1587
5 Occurrences

gə·mar·yā·hū — 2 Occ.
ū·ḡə·mar·yāh — 1 Occ.
ū·ḡə·mar·yā·hū — 2 Occ.