Jerahmeel
“May God have compassion, or beloved by God”
Summary
A name meaning 'may God have compassion,' borne by three men in the Old Testament: a son of Hezron whose descendants formed a clan in southern Judah; a Merarite Levite; and a royal officer sent to arrest Jeremiah.
☩Son of Hezron
The most prominent Jerahmeel was the firstborn son of Hezron, brother of Caleb, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:9, 25-27, 33, 42). His descendants, called the Jerahmeelites, occupied the southern part of Judah's territory (1 Samuel 27:10; 30:29). When David was fleeing from Saul and living among the Philistines, he pretended to raid the Jerahmeelites to deceive King Achish (1 Samuel 27:10). After David's victory over the Amalekites, he sent gifts to the cities of the Jerahmeelites (1 Samuel 30:29). The region known as the Negeb of Jerahmeel lay southwest of Arad.
☩Other Bearers of This Name
A second Jerahmeel was the son of Kish, a Merarite Levite (1 Chronicles 24:29). A third was the son of Hammelech (meaning 'the king' or possibly 'a king's son'), who was one of those commanded by King Jehoiakim to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch, though the Lord hid them from capture (Jeremiah 36:26).
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jerahmeel," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Jerahmeel; Jerahmeelites," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Jerahmeel," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Jerahmeel," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).