Kareah
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Topical Encyclopedia
Kareah is a biblical figure mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically in the context of the events following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. He is identified as the father of Johanan, a prominent leader among the remnant of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

Biblical References:

Kareah is primarily mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. His name appears in connection with his son Johanan, who plays a significant role in the narrative concerning the remnant of Judah. The key passages that mention Kareah are found in Jeremiah 40-43.

1. Jeremiah 40:8 · "So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—along with Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men."

2. Jeremiah 40:13-14 · Johanan, the son of Kareah, warns Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonians, about a plot against his life by Ishmael son of Nethaniah. Johanan's concern for Gedaliah's safety highlights his loyalty and leadership among the people left in Judah.

3. Jeremiah 41:11-16 · After Ishmael assassinates Gedaliah, Johanan son of Kareah leads a group to confront Ishmael and rescue the captives he had taken. This act further establishes Johanan's role as a protector and leader of the remnant.

4. Jeremiah 42:1-3 · Johanan and the people seek guidance from the prophet Jeremiah, asking him to pray to the LORD for direction. This indicates a desire to follow God's will, reflecting the influence of Kareah's household in seeking divine guidance.

5. Jeremiah 43:2 · Despite initially seeking Jeremiah's counsel, Johanan and the leaders, including those associated with Kareah, ultimately disobey God's command to remain in Judah, choosing instead to flee to Egypt for safety.

Historical and Theological Context:

Kareah's mention in the biblical narrative is brief, yet his significance is tied to his son Johanan's actions and decisions during a tumultuous period in Judah's history. The name "Kareah" itself means "bald," though the text does not provide further details about his life or character beyond his paternal connection to Johanan.

Theologically, the account of Kareah and his son Johanan underscores themes of leadership, loyalty, and the struggle to remain faithful to God's commands amidst political and social upheaval. Johanan's initial desire to protect Gedaliah and later to seek Jeremiah's counsel reflects a tension between human initiative and divine instruction, a recurring theme in the prophetic literature.

Kareah's legacy, as seen through Johanan, serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by the remnant of Judah in maintaining their identity and faithfulness to God during exile and foreign domination. The narrative invites reflection on the importance of seeking and adhering to divine guidance, even when circumstances seem dire.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Kareah

bald; ice

Smith's Bible Dictionary
Kareah

(bald), the father of Johanan and Jonathan, who supported Gedaliah's authority and avenged his murder. (Jeremiah 40:8,13,15,16; 41:11,13,14,16; 42:1,8; 43:2,4,5) (B.C. before 588.)

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Bald, the father of Johanan and Jonathan, who for a time were loyal to Gedaliah, the Babylonian governor of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 40:8, 13, 15, 16).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
KAREAH

ka-re'-a (qareach, "bald head"): The father of Johanan and Jonathan, who after the fall of Jerusalem joined Gedaliah at Mizpah (2 Kings 25:23 Jeremiah 40:8).

Strong's Hebrew
7143. Qareach -- "bald one," a man of Judah
... 7142, 7143. Qareach. 7144 . "bald one," a man of Judah. Transliteration: Qareach
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-ray'-akh) Short Definition: Kareah. ... Careah, Kareah. ...
/hebrew/7143.htm - 6k
Library

How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over the Jews that were Left in Judea ...
... Mispah. Now the rulers that were over them were Johanan, the son of Kareah,
and Jezaniah, and Seraiah, and others beside them. Now ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 how nebuzaradan set.htm

Index of Names and Subjects.
... Job, Book of, 49. Johanan-ben-Kareah, 308. Josiah, 75, 162, etc. Knox,
John, 266, 272. Koenig, 145. "Kurzer Hand-Commentar," 38. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/index of names and subjects.htm

And After. (xxx, xxxi, xxxix-Xliv. )
... to remove the little remnant at Mispah to the other side of Jordan but was overtaken
by a force under Gedaliah's lieutenant, Johanan-ben-Kareah, and his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/4 and after xxx xxxi.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8. <. ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Thesaurus
Kareah (14 Occurrences)
... 13, 15, 16). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. KAREAH. ka-re'-a ... Jeremiah 40:8).
Multi-Version Concordance Kareah (14 Occurrences). 2 Kings 25 ...
/k/kareah.htm - 12k

Kare'ah (14 Occurrences)
Kare'ah. Kareah, Kare'ah. Kariathiarius . Multi-Version Concordance
Kare'ah (14 Occurrences). 2 Kings 25:23 Now when all the captains ...
/k/kare'ah.htm - 10k

Joha'nan (25 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/j/joha'nan.htm - 13k

Johanan (31 Occurrences)
... jo-ha'-nan (yochanan, "Yahweh has been gracious"; Ioanan; compare JEHOHANAN): (1)
Son of Kareah, and one of "the captains of the forces who were in the fields ...
/j/johanan.htm - 21k

Ish'mael (40 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/i/ish'mael.htm - 18k

Nethani'ah (20 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/n/nethani'ah.htm - 13k

Gedali'ah (28 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/g/gedali'ah.htm - 15k

Nethaniah (20 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/n/nethaniah.htm - 15k

Gedaliah (31 Occurrences)
... the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah ...
/g/gedaliah.htm - 26k

Mizpah (42 Occurrences)
... including the king's daughters, and attempted to convey them away to the Ammonites,
an attempt that was frustrated by Johanan, son of Kareah (Jeremiah 40 ...
/m/mizpah.htm - 31k

Resources
Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Kareah (14 Occurrences)

2 Kings 25:23
Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 40:8
then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, to wit, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 40:13
Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 40:15
Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 40:16
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Ishmael.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 41:11
But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 41:13
Now it happened that, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 41:14
So all the people who Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 41:16
Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to wit, the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 42:1
Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 42:8
Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 43:2
then spoke Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying to Jeremiah, You speak falsely: Yahweh our God has not sent you to say, You shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 43:4
So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, didn't obey the voice of Yahweh, to dwell in the land of Judah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 43:5
But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, who were returned from all the nations where they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Subtopics

Kareah

Kareah: Father of Johanan

Related Terms

Kareah (14 Occurrences)

Kariathiarius

Kar
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