Jeremiah 37:3
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to the LORD our God for us.”
Jehucal (also Jucal) is the son of Shelemiah and a member of a priestly family. Jehucal is one of the messengers sent by Zedekiah (the king who had been placed in power by the Babylonians) to seek the counsel of Jeremiah before the destruction of the city (which occurred in 586 BC). He appears later with another high-ranking figure, Gedaliah ben Pashur, and instigates a terrible crime: having Jeremiah tossed into a pit without food or water (Jeremiah 38).
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to the LORD our God for us.”
Jehucal (also Jucal) is the son of Shelemiah and a member of a priestly family. Jehucal is one of the messengers sent by Zedekiah (the king who had been placed in power by the Babylonians) to seek the counsel of Jeremiah before the destruction of the city (which occurred in 586 BC). He appears later with another high-ranking figure, Gedaliah ben Pashur, and instigates a terrible crime: having Jeremiah tossed into a pit without food or water (Jeremiah 38).
A bulla was uncovered and is from Jehucal the son of Shelemiah. The inscription reads: “Yehuchal ben Shelemyahu” (translation from Biblical Archaeology Review, Mar/Apr 2009, p. 29). It has been dated to the time of the Babylonian conquest and was uncovered in the City of David under the authority of the archaeologist Eilat Mazar.
Further Reading:
Jerucal ben Shelemiah Seal (Center for Online Judaic Studies; accessed Sept. 2012)
Did I Find King David’s Palace? (Eilat Mazar, BAR (Jan/Feb 2006); accessed Sept. 2012)
