Teaching Team
Archaeological Find Names Zedekiah's Official
(Image: Fancesco Hayez - La distruzione del Tempio di Gerusalemme.)
The Jerusalem Post is reporting a new archaeological find: a small clay seal that bears the name of Gedaliah the son of Pashhur (Gedalyahu ben Pashchur, גדליהו בן פשחור).
This name is found in the book of Jeremiah:
Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people, "Thus says the LORD: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. Thus says the LORD: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken." Then the officials said to the king, "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm." (Jeremiah 38:1-4)
We should not confuse this Gedaliah (son of Pashhur) with the other, more prominent Gedaliah (son of Ahikam), who was the governor whom Nebuchanezzar appointed over Judah and who saved Jeremiah's life.
Rather, as we see in the text above, the Gedaliah in this seal despised Jeremiah's message and sought to put an end to his life.
Since 2005, Dr. Eilat Mazar has been leading an excavation of the City of David, where this seal was found. She has unearthed numerous other significant findings, including what she believes to be the remains of King David's palace.
I find the timing of the announcement of this find significant, since we are within a period on the Jewish calendar known as the "Three Weeks" or "Between the Straits" (Bein HaMetzarim, בין המצרים). This is a period of mourning leading up to the day when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
The warning about the destruction of Jerusalem is precisely what bothered Gedaliah son of Pashhur. If only he and others had heeded Jeremiah's message of repentance, then this tragedy could have been averted.
Archaeological finds often do more than simply confirm the historical record of the Bible. I find that they are often reminders of humanity's successes and failures. Perhaps this is a subtle clue from HaShem that we should stay focused on the task of repentance--the message of both Jeremiah and our master Yeshua. May we soon see the end of exile and the ultimate redemption.
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