Gemariah גְּמַרְיָ֫הוּ

Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, was an official during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as recorded in Jeremiah 36. He is first mentioned as the owner of the chamber in the upper court of the temple where Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, read the prophet's scroll to the people (Jer.36.10). When the officials heard about the scroll, they sent for Baruch to read it to them, and they were alarmed by its content (Jer.36.11-16). The officials, including Gemariah, advised Baruch and Jeremiah to hide while they reported the matter to the king (Jer.36.19). When King Jehoiakim heard the words of the scroll, he cut it with a scribe's knife and burned it in the fire, despite the pleas of Gemariah and some other officials (Jer.36.23-25). Gemariah's opposition to the king's actions demonstrates his respect for the prophetic word and his concern for the consequences of rejecting God's message. However, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the destruction of the scroll.