Keraia
Glossary

Seraiah

  1. The royal secretary of King David (2 Samuel 8:17). He is also called Sheva in 2 Samuel 20:25, Shisha in 1 Kings 4:3, and Shavsha in 1 Chronicles 18:16.

  2. The chief priest in Jerusalem when the Babylonians destroyed the city in 586 BC. Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard, took Seraiah to King Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. There, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Seraiah to be put to death (2 Kings 25:18; Jeremiah 52:24). According to 1 Chronicles 6:14, Seraiah was the son of Azariah and the father of Jehozadak. He belonged to the tribe of Levi, coming from the family line of Aaron, Israel’s first chief priest.

  3. The son of Tanhumeth from Netophah. He was one of the leaders of the Judean army. After Babylon defeated Judah, Seraiah and other army leaders came to Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed governor. They asked Gedaliah to help them make peace with Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25:23; Jeremiah 40:8).

  4. A man from the tribe of Judah. He was the son of Kenaz, the brother of Othniel, and the father of Joab (1 Chronicles 4:13–14).

  5. A Simeonite, the son of Asiel. He was the father of Joshibiah (1 Chronicles 4:35).

  6. One of the men who returned with Zerubbabel to Judah following the Israelite exile (Ezra 2:2). Nehemiah 7:7 calls him Azariah.

    See Azariah #23.

  7. The father of Ezra the scribe. Ezra returned to Jerusalem during the rule of King Artaxerxes I of Persia (464–424 BC; Ezra 7:1). He may be the same man as #2 above. This would make Jehozadak the brother of Ezra.

  8. One of the priests who set his seal on the covenant of Ezra (Nehemiah 10:2).

  9. The son of Hilkiah and a priest living in Jerusalem during the era after the Israelite return from exile (Nehemiah 11:11). 1 Chronicles 9:11 calls him Azariah.

    See Azariah #10.

  10. One of the leaders of the priests who returned with Zerubbabel and Jeshua to Judah after the Israelite exile (Nehemiah 12:1). Meraiah was leader of his house in the next generation. He may be the same man as #6 above.

  11. The son of Azriel. King Jehoiakim of Judah (who ruled from 609 to 598 BC) ordered him to capture Baruch and Jeremiah. He was sent along with two other men, Jerahmeel and Shelemiah, but they did not succeed (Jeremiah 36:26).

  12. The son of Neriah. He was an official who traveled with King Zedekiah of Judah (who ruled from 597 to 586 BC) to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah gave Seraiah a message against Babylon, which Seraiah was to deliver there (Jeremiah 51:59–61).

People and places

Seraiah: High priest during the reign of Zedekiah Seraiah: David's scribe, also known as Shavsha, Sheva, Sheya, or Shisha Seraiah: Priest who returned from Babylonian exile Seraiah: Neriah's son, Baruch's brother, accompanied Zedekiah to Babylon Seraiah: Officer under Gedaliah, son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite Seraiah: Son of Kenaz; father of Joab Seraiah: Son of Azriel, sent to capture Jeremiah and Baruch Seraiah: Son of Asiel, descendant of Simeon