Shemaiah

Shemaiah (meaning: whom Jehovah heard) is one of the most common names in the Old Testament, borne by numerous individuals across several centuries. The most historically significant was the prophet Shemaiah who spoke in the reign of Rehoboam, forbidding the king to make war against the northern tribes after the division of the kingdom: Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren (1 Kings 12:22–24). The same prophet later explained the Shishak invasion of Judah as divine judgment, yet recorded the people's repentance and Rehoboam's partial deliverance (2 Chronicles 12:5–8).

Other notable Shemaiahss include: the false prophet who opposed Jeremiah's counsel during the exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:24–32); a Levite involved in bringing the ark to Jerusalem in David's time (1 Chronicles 15:8, 11); a scribe who recorded the priestly divisions under David (1 Chronicles 24:6); several who participated in the wall rebuilding under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:29; 12:34–42); and men who had married foreign wives (Ezra 10:21, 31). The name's extraordinary frequency reflects its pious expression of answered prayer.