Seraiah

Serai'ah (Heb. Serayah', שׂרָיָה [once in the prolonged form, Seraya'hu, שׂרָיָהוּ, Jer 36:26], warrior of Jehovah; Sept. Σαραίας or Σεραϊvα, but with many v.r.), the proper name of eight men.

1. Second named son of Kenaz, and father of a Joab who was head of a family of the tribe of Judah in the valley of the Charashim (1Ch 4:13-14). B.C. cir. 1560.

2. The scribe or secretary of David (2Sa 8:17). B.C. cir. 1015. This person's name is in other places corrupted into Sheya', שׁיָא; A.V. "Sheva" (2Sa 20:25), "Shisha," שֵׁישִׁא (1Ki 4:3), and "Shavsha,", שִׁושָׁא (1Ch 18:16).

⇒Bible concordance for SERAIAH.

3. Son of Asiel and father of Josibiah of the tribe of Simeon (1Ch 4:35). B.C. ante 720.

4. The son of Azriel, and one of the persons charged with the apprehension of Jeremiah and Baruch (Jer 36:26). B.C. 606.

5. The son of Neriah and brother of Baruch (Jer 51:59,61). He held a high office in the court of king Zedekiah, the nature of which is somewhat uncertain. In the A.V. we have, "This Seraiah was a quiet prince," שִׂר מנוּחָה, which, according to Kimchi, means a chamberlain, or one who attended the king when he retired to rest (i.e. prince of rest); but better, perhaps, according to Gesenius, "chief of the quarters" for the king and his army, that is, quartermaster-general, after the meaning of menuchah as a halting place of an army (Nu 10:33). The suggestion of Maurer, adopted by Hitzig, has more to commend it, that he was an officer who took charge of the royal caravan on its march, and fixed the place where it should halt. Hiller (Onomast.) says Seraiah was prince of Menuchah, a place on the borders of Judah and Dan, elsewhere called Manahath. This Seraiah was sent by Zedekiah on an embassy to Babylon, probably to render his submission to that monarch, about four years before the fall of Jerusalem. B.C. 594. He was charged by Jeremiah to communicate to the Jews already in exile a book in which the prophet had written out his prediction of all the evil that should come upon Babylon (Jer 51:60-64). It is not stated how Seraiah acquitted himself of his task; but that he accepted it at all shows such respect for the. prophet as may allow us to conclude that he would not neglect the duty which it imposed.

6. The high priest at the time that Jerusalem was taken by the Chaldaeans. B.C. 588. He was sent prisoner, to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, who put him to death (2Ki 25:18; 1Ch 6:14; Jer 52:24; Ezr 7:1).

7. The son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and one of those to whom Gedaliah promised security (2Ki 25:23; Jer 40:8). B.C. 587.

8. A priest, the son of Hilkiah, who returned from exile (Ezr 2:2; Ne 10:2; Ne 11:11; Ne 12:1,12). He is called Azariah (q.v.) in Ne 7:7. B.C. 536.