Topical Bible: Shaphan

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Topical Encyclopedia

Shaphan is a significant biblical figure mentioned in the Old Testament, primarily in the context of the reign of King Josiah of Judah. He is recognized for his role as a scribe and a key participant in the religious reforms that took place during Josiah's reign. Shaphan's account is primarily found in the books of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

Role and Responsibilities

Shaphan served as a scribe, a position of considerable importance in the royal court. As a scribe, he was responsible for recording and managing official documents, a role that required literacy and trustworthiness. His duties would have included the transcription of royal decrees, the management of state correspondence, and the maintenance of records.

Discovery of the Book of the Law

One of the most notable events involving Shaphan is the discovery of the Book of the Law during the renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is recorded in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34. Under King Josiah's orders, the Temple was being repaired, and during this process, Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law. Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who then read it and brought it to King Josiah.

2 Kings 22:10-11 states: "Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes."

This discovery was pivotal, as it led to a religious awakening and significant reforms in Judah. The reading of the Book of the Law prompted King Josiah to renew the covenant with the LORD and to initiate a nationwide religious reform, purging idolatry and restoring proper worship practices.

Family and Legacy

Shaphan's influence extended beyond his own lifetime through his family. His sons and grandsons continued to play important roles in the history of Judah. Ahikam, one of Shaphan's sons, is noted for protecting the prophet Jeremiah from execution (Jeremiah 26:24). Another son, Gemariah, is mentioned in the context of Jeremiah's ministry (Jeremiah 36:10-12). Shaphan's family is often associated with loyalty to the LORD and support for the prophetic ministry.

Historical and Theological Significance

Shaphan's involvement in the discovery of the Book of the Law underscores the importance of Scripture in guiding the spiritual and moral direction of the nation. His actions contributed to one of the most significant religious reforms in the history of Judah, emphasizing the centrality of God's Word in the life of the community. Shaphan's legacy is a testament to the impact that faithful service and adherence to God's commands can have on a nation.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Shaphan

(coney), the scribe or secretary of King Josiah. (2 Kings 22:3,14; 2 Chronicles 34:8,20) (B.C. 628.) He appears on an equality with the governor of the city and the royal recorder. (2 Kings 22:4; 2 Chronicles 34:9)

ATS Bible Dictionary

Shaphan

1. A scribe or secretary under King Josiah, to whom he read from the newly found autograph roll of the book of the law, 2 Kings 22:12; Jeremiah 29:3; 36:10; Ezekiel 8:11.

2. The father of Ahikam, 2 Kings 22:12; 25:22; Jeremiah 26:24.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

A coney, a scribe or secretary of king Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-7). He consulted Huldah concerning the newly-discovered copy of the law which was delivered to him by Hilkiah the priest (8-14). His grandson Gedaliah was governor of Judea (25:22).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SHAPHAN

sha'-fan (shaphan, "rockbadger," English Versions of the Bible "coney"; Saphphan): An old totem clan name (so W.R. Smith; compare, however, the article TOTEMISM; Gray, Gray, Studies in Hebrew Proper Names, 103;, and Jacob's Studies in Biblical Archaeology, 84;).

(1) Son of Azaliah and scribe of King Josiah. He received from Hilkiah the Book of the Law which had been found in the Temple (2 Kings 22:3 2 Chronicles 34:8-28). It was from Shaphan's lips that Josiah heard the Law read. Shaphan was also one of those sent by the king to the prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22 2 Chronicles 34). He was undoubtedly one of the staunchest supporters of Josiah in his work of reform. He was the father of Ahikam (2 Kings 22:12 2 Chronicles 34:20 Jeremiah 26:24), who befriended and protected the prophet Jeremiah. Another son, Elasah, was one of the two men entrusted by Jeremiah with his letter to the captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:3). A third son, Gemariah, vainly tried to prevent King Jehoiakim from burning "the roll" (Jeremiah 36:10, 11, 12, 25). The Micaiah of Jeremiah 36:11, 12, and Gedaliah, the governor of Judea after the captivity of 586 B.C., were his grandsons (Jeremiah 39:14).

(2) Perhaps the father of Jaazaniah, one of the 70 men whom Ezekiel saw, in his vision of the Temple, sacrificing to idols (Ezekiel 8:11).

Horace J. Wolf

Strong's Hebrew

8227b. Shaphan -- the name of several Israelites
... 8227a, 8227b. Shaphan. 8228 . the name of several Israelites. Transliteration:
Shaphan Short Definition: shaphan. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/8227b.htm - 5k

8227a. shaphan -- hyrax
... 8227, 8227a. shaphan. 8227b . hyrax. Transliteration: shaphan Short
Definition: shaphan. Word Origin from an unused word Definition ...
/hebrew/8227a.htm - 5k

8227. shaphan -- hyrax
... 8226, 8227. shaphan. 8227a . hyrax. Transliteration: shaphan Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-fawn') Short Definition: coney. ... 8226, 8227. shaphan. 8227a . ...
/hebrew/8227.htm - 5k

3473. Yishpan -- a Benjamite
... Word Origin from the same as shaphan Definition a Benjamite NASB Word Usage Ishpan
(1). Ishpan. ... see HEBREW shaphan. 3472, 3473. Yishpan. 3474 . ...
/hebrew/3473.htm - 6k

Library

The Young Josiah and the Book of the Law
... In the eighteenth year of his rule he sent Shaphan, the scribe, to the temple of
Jehovah with the command, "Go up to Hilkiah, the chief priest, and see that ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the young josiah and the.htm

The Rediscovered Law and Its Effects
... THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS THE REDISCOVERED LAW AND ITS EFFECTS. 'And Hilkiah the
high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the rediscovered law and its.htm

Josiah and the Newly Found Law
... And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book
of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/josiah and the newly found.htm

How Amon Reigned Instead of Manasseh; and after Amon Reigned ...
... And when the money was brought in, he made one Maaseiah the governor of the city,
and Shaphan the scribe, and Joab the recorder, and Eliakim the high priest ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how amon reigned.htm

The Book of the Law
... The high priest handed the precious volume to Shaphan, a learned scribe, who read
it and then took it to the king with the story of its discovery. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 33 the book of.htm

The Growth of the Old Testament Prophetic Histories
... prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadrezzar had carried away captive from
Jerusalem to Babylon; by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah ...
/.../the origin and permanent value of the old testament/vi the growth of the.htm

Synagogues: their Origin, Structure and Outward Arrangements
... For when in 2 Kings 22:8 we read that "the book of the law" was discovered by Shaphan
the scribe in "the house of the Lord," this implies that during the reign ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 16 synagogues their origin.htm

Josiah
... the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.8. Now in the eighteenth year of his
reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/josiah.htm

The Writing of an Ancient Book
... When Micaiah, the grandson of Shaphan, had heard all the words of Jehovah, he went
down to the palace, where all the court officials were sitting, and told ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/the writing of an ancient.htm

The Sad Fate of a Guilty Nation
... homeland. Nebuchadrezzar made Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, governor
over the people he had left in the land of Judah. Now ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the sad fate of a.htm

Thesaurus

Shaphan (26 Occurrences)
... His grandson Gedaliah was governor of Judea (25:22). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
SHAPHAN. ... It was from Shaphan's lips that Josiah heard the Law read. ...
/s/shaphan.htm - 18k

Ahi'kam (19 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan,
and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the ...
/a/ahi'kam.htm - 12k

Secretary (34 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:3 It happened in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent
Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house ...
/s/secretary.htm - 18k

Ahikam (20 Occurrences)
... He was the son of Shaphan, the royal secretary, and the father of Gedaliah, governor
of Judea after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25 ...
/a/ahikam.htm - 16k

Gemariah (5 Occurrences)
... Jehovah has made perfect. (1.) The son of Shaphan, and one of the Levites of the
temple in the time of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:10; 2 Kings 22:12). ...
/g/gemariah.htm - 9k

Readeth (19 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:8 And Hilkiah the high priest saith unto Shaphan the scribe, 'A book
of the law I have found in the house of Jehovah;' and Hilkiah giveth the book ...
/r/readeth.htm - 12k

Asaiah (8 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:12 The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan,
and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the ...
/a/asaiah.htm - 10k

Asai'ah (8 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan,
and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the ...
/a/asai'ah.htm - 8k

Gedali'ah (28 Occurrences)
... were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even
over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor. ...
/g/gedali'ah.htm - 15k

Scribe (55 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 22:3 It happened in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent
Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house ...
/s/scribe.htm - 27k

Resources

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Shaphan (26 Occurrences)

Leviticus 11:5
The coney, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you.
(See NAS)

Deuteronomy 14:7
Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rock-badger, because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you;
(See NAS)

2 Kings 22:3
It happened in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Yahweh, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 22:8
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh." Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 22:9
Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, "Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of Yahweh."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 22:10
Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has delivered a book to me." Shaphan read it before the king.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 22:12
The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 22:14
So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they talked with her.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 25:22
As for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:8
Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Yahweh his God.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:15
Hilkiah answered Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh. Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:16
Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to your servants, they are doing.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:18
Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book. Shaphan read therein before the king.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 34:20
The king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 26:24
But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 29:3
by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 36:10
Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan, the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the new gate of Yahweh's house, in the ears of all the people.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 36:11
When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of Yahweh,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 36:12
he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and behold, all the princes were sitting there, to wit, Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 39:14
they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he lived among the people.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 40:5
Now while he was not yet gone back, Go back then, said he, to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wherever it seems right to you to go. So the captain of the guard gave him food and a present, and let him go.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 40:9
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 40:11
Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 41:2
Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 43:6
the men, and the women, and the children, and the king's daughters, and every person who Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan; and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 8:11
There stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Shaphan

Shaphan: A Scribe of King Josiah

Shaphan: A Scribe of King Josiah: Father of Gemariah

Shaphan: Father of Elasah

Shaphan: Father of Jaazaniah

Shaphan: The Father of Ahikam and the Grandfather of Gedaliah

Related Terms

Ahi'kam (19 Occurrences)

Secretary (34 Occurrences)

Ahikam (20 Occurrences)

Gemariah (5 Occurrences)