Shemaiah

Overview

• Testament: Old
• Role: Man of God in the days of Rehoboam
• Family: Unknown (several men bear this name in Scripture)
• Key Books: 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles

Biography

Shemaiah the man of God received the word of the LORD when Rehoboam gathered Judah and Benjamin to fight against Israel and recover the kingdom torn away under Jeroboam. He forbade them to go up against their brethren, declaring that the division was from the LORD, and the people obeyed and returned home. Later, when Shishak of Egypt invaded because Judah had forsaken the LORD, Shemaiah again brought God’s word, and when the princes humbled themselves the LORD granted them deliverance.

Key Events

• Word forbidding civil war — Shemaiah stops Rehoboam from fighting Israel (1 Kings 12:22-24; 2 Chronicles 11:2-4).
• Word during Shishak’s invasion — Judah humbles itself and is spared destruction (2 Chronicles 12:5-8).

Relationships

• Rehoboam — king of Judah he warned and counseled
• Solomon — Rehoboam’s father, in whose reign the kingdom was promised division

Important Verses

• 1 Kings 12:24 — “Ye shall not… fight against your brethren… for this thing is from me.”
• 2 Chronicles 12:7 — “They have humbled themselves… I will grant them some deliverance.”

Cross-References

• Mentioned in: 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles

Notes

A different Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, was a false prophet among the captives who opposed Jeremiah and was condemned by the LORD for teaching rebellion (Jeremiah 29:24-32).