Gemariah גְּמַרְיָ֫הוּ

Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, is mentioned in Jer.29.3 as one of the messengers sent by King Zedekiah of Judah to deliver a letter to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter was written by the prophet Jeremiah and contained a message to the exiles in Babylon, urging them to settle down, build houses, plant gardens, and seek the peace and prosperity of the city where they were living (Jer.29.4-7). Gemariah, along with Elasah the son of Shaphan, was entrusted with delivering this important message. The fact that Zedekiah sent messengers to Nebuchadnezzar suggests that Judah was under Babylonian rule at the time and that the king was attempting to maintain diplomatic relations with the Babylonian empire. Gemariah's role as a messenger indicates that he was a trusted official in Zedekiah's court.