Lives of Scripture

Delaiah, son of Shemaiah, was one of the officials serving in King Jehoiakim's court in Jerusalem. When Baruch, at Jeremiah's direction, read aloud the scroll of the prophet's warnings against Judah in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, Delaiah was among the officials present (Jeremiah 36:12). Struck by what they heard, the officials went to report the words to the king, first telling Baruch to hide, along with Jeremiah (36:16-19). When the scroll was brought before Jehoiakim and read to him, the king grew increasingly hostile, cutting each section off with a scribe's knife and throwing it into a brazier as it was read, until the whole scroll was consumed (36:21-23). Unlike the king and his attendants, who showed no fear or torn garments at what they heard, Delaiah joined Elnathan and Gemariah in specifically urging Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll -- but the king would not listen to them (36:24-25). Delaiah's brief appearance shows a minority voice of conscience within a corrupt court: he recognized the seriousness of God's word even as his king treated it with contempt, though his intervention could not stop the burning. God's response was to have Jeremiah dictate the scroll again, with additional words of judgment against Jehoiakim (36:27-32).