Hanamel

Overview

• Testament: Old
• Role: Jeremiah’s cousin and seller of the field at Anathoth
• Family: Son of Shallum, Jeremiah’s uncle
• Key Books: Jeremiah

Biography

Hanamel was the son of Jeremiah’s uncle Shallum. As the LORD had foretold, he came to Jeremiah in the court of the prison and offered to sell him a field in Anathoth, since the right of redemption belonged to Jeremiah as next of kin. Jeremiah bought the field, weighed out seventeen shekels of silver, signed and sealed the deed before witnesses, and committed the evidences to Baruch. The purchase stood as a prophetic sign in the face of the Babylonian siege.

Key Events

• Purchase of the field at Anathoth — Hanamel sells Jeremiah his field as a sign of restoration (Jeremiah 32:6-12).

Relationships

• Jeremiah — his cousin and kinsman-redeemer who bought the field
• Baruch — to whom the deed of purchase was entrusted

Important Verses

• Jeremiah 32:8 — Hanamel comes as the LORD said: “Buy my field… for the right of redemption is thine.”
• Jeremiah 32:15 — “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.”

Cross-References

• Mentioned in: Jeremiah

Notes

The transaction over a field in Anathoth embodied hope: though Judah faced exile, God promised that ordinary life and property would one day return to the land.