Seal of Truth: Archaeological Evidence for the Historical Shaphan and Gemariah in the Time of King Jehoiakim

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Introduction: The Significance of Biblical Seals in Verifying Scripture

Among the most significant archaeological finds relating to biblical figures are clay bullae—seal impressions once used to mark official documents. When found in well-documented excavation contexts and bearing names consistent with the biblical record, such artifacts serve as invaluable external verification of the historical accuracy of the biblical text. One such seal, discovered in the City of David excavations in Jerusalem, reads, “Belonging to Gemaryahu [son of] Shaphan.” This single inscription provides compelling evidence for the historicity of two prominent biblical officials: Shaphan the scribe, active in the days of King Josiah (r. 640–609 B.C.E.), and his son Gemariah, an official in the administration of King Jehoiakim (r. 609–598 B.C.E.). In this article, we will explore the biblical references to these two figures, the archaeological find itself, and the broader implications of such evidence for confirming the Bible’s historical reliability.

Seal impression of Gemariah son of Shaphan

I. Shaphan the Scribe: Court Secretary in the Days of Josiah

Shaphan (Hebrew: שָׁפָן, “rock badger”) is first introduced in the account of King Josiah’s temple reforms. According to 2 Kings 22:3-14 and 2 Chronicles 34:8-28, Shaphan was a royal scribe, or secretary, who served in Josiah’s court around 628 B.C.E. During renovations of the temple, High Priest Hilkiah discovered “the book of the law of Jehovah by the hand of Moses” (2 Chron. 34:14). This scroll was given to Shaphan, who read it before the king. Josiah was so deeply moved by the rediscovered Word of God that he tore his garments and sought prophetic guidance from Huldah. Shaphan’s role in this episode underscores his significance not only administratively but spiritually, as a man trusted with the law of Jehovah.

It is likely that this “book of the law” was a nearly complete or complete copy of the Torah, possibly the original handwritten by Moses or a close early copy preserved in the temple. This critical rediscovery led to the widespread national reforms described in 2 Kings 23, including the renewal of the Passover celebration, the elimination of idolatry, and the centralization of worship in Jerusalem.

II. The Sons of Shaphan: A Family Legacy of Faithfulness (and Failure)

Shaphan’s legacy did not end with his service under Josiah. His sons are repeatedly mentioned in the prophetic texts, especially in Jeremiah, as important figures during the final days of Judah’s kingdom.

Ahikam, son of Shaphan, is noted for protecting the prophet Jeremiah from execution (Jeremiah 26:24). He later became an influential supporter of Gedaliah, Shaphan’s grandson, who was appointed governor of Judah by the Babylonians after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. (2 Kings 25:22; Jeremiah 39:14; 40:5-6).

Elasah, another of Shaphan’s sons, is mentioned in Jeremiah 29:3 as one of two men sent by King Zedekiah to Babylon with a letter from Jeremiah to the exiles.

Gemariah, a third son of Shaphan, plays a key role in Jeremiah 36, which we will examine below in detail.

Interestingly, not all of Shaphan’s descendants were faithful to Jehovah. Ezekiel 8:10-11 depicts Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan, participating in idolatrous worship within the temple, suggesting that even within the same family line, apostasy could arise.

III. Gemariah Son of Shaphan: Advocate for the Prophet Jeremiah

In the narrative of Jeremiah 36, we find Gemariah as one of the princes in the court of King Jehoiakim. The events occur in the fifth year of Jehoiakim’s reign, which corresponds to 604 B.C.E. (Jeremiah 36:9). At that time, Jeremiah dictated a scroll to Baruch, containing prophecies concerning the coming judgment on Judah. Baruch read the scroll aloud in the temple, specifically from “the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entrance of the New Gate of the house of Jehovah” (Jeremiah 36:10).

This location within the temple complex shows that Gemariah held a significant position—his chamber was within the administrative structures of the temple, likely used for official and legal business.

After Micaiah, Gemariah’s son, heard Baruch reading the scroll, he reported the contents to the officials. They then summoned Baruch to read it again before them. Recognizing the gravity of Jeremiah’s words, they instructed Baruch and Jeremiah to hide (Jeremiah 36:19). When the scroll was brought before King Jehoiakim, and read by Jehudi, the king defiantly cut each portion and threw it into the fire (Jeremiah 36:23). Notably, Gemariah, along with Elnathan and Delaiah, pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, but their words were ignored (Jeremiah 36:25).

This record testifies to Gemariah’s reverence for Jehovah’s Word and his desire to preserve it, even when opposed by the king. It further aligns him with his father Shaphan, who decades earlier had helped bring the Word of God before Josiah. The continuity of spiritual fidelity is unmistakable.

IV. The Bulla of Gemariah Son of Shaphan: Archaeological Evidence

In 1982, a major excavation in the City of David—Jerusalem’s oldest settled area—led by archaeologist Yigal Shiloh uncovered 51 clay bullae in an administrative structure destroyed during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. Among these was a bulla that read: “(Belonging) to Gemaryahu, son of Shaphan” (Hebrew: לגמריהו בן שפן, leGemaryahu ben Shaphan).

This seal impression, now catalogued in Nahman Avigad’s Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals (No. 191), directly matches the biblical name and patronymic of Gemariah son of Shaphan in Jeremiah 36. The archaeological context is robust. The stratum in which the seal was discovered dates to the end of the seventh or beginning of the sixth century B.C.E., precisely the period in which Jeremiah was active and Gemariah would have lived.

The discovery site lies within approximately 250 meters of the temple mount, the administrative heart of Judah during this time. It is entirely plausible that this bulla originated from a document sealed in Gemariah’s chamber, the very one mentioned in Jeremiah 36:10.

V. Significance and Scholarly Affirmation

While “Gemariah” and “Shaphan” are both attested as names in extra-biblical Hebrew inscriptions, the appearance of the two names together, in a father-son configuration, discovered in a controlled, stratified excavation corresponding to the correct biblical period, makes coincidence unlikely. Biblical historian Lawrence Mykytiuk, in his work Identifications of Biblical Persons in Northwest Semitic Inscriptions of 1200–539 B.C.E., identifies this seal as a reliable confirmation of the historicity of Gemariah and Shaphan. His criteria include proper name match, correct patronymic, correct geographic and stratigraphic location, and chronological consistency.

This finding adds Gemariah and Shaphan to the growing list of biblical figures for whom there exists archaeological corroboration, including individuals such as Baruch son of Neriah, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and others. Such confirmations not only reinforce the reliability of specific biblical accounts but demonstrate the coherence and factual nature of biblical history as a whole.

VI. Concluding Observations: A Faithful Scribe’s Lasting Legacy

The bulla bearing the name “Gemariah son of Shaphan” is more than a clay artifact—it is a mute testimony to the truthfulness of the biblical account and the historical faithfulness of Jehovah’s servants. Shaphan, the royal scribe, helped spark a national revival in the days of Josiah through his stewardship of God’s law. Gemariah, decades later, attempted to preserve another prophetic scroll under Jehoiakim, even as the nation drifted toward judgment. These men represent the enduring call to uphold and proclaim the Word of God regardless of political pressures or cultural decline.

The seal of Gemariah stands as archaeological affirmation of Scripture, anchoring the prophetic and historical narratives of the Bible in the physical evidence of ancient Jerusalem.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).