Shephatiah

Shephatiah (meaning: judged of the Lord or Jehovah is judge) is the name of several individuals across several centuries of Israelite history. The most prominent was the fifth son of David, born to Abital in Hebron during the early years of his reign (2 Samuel 3:4; 1 Chronicles 3:3). He does not play a major role in the subsequent Davidic narratives, though his inclusion in the royal family list is significant.

Other notable bearers of the name include: a Benjamite warrior who joined David at Ziklag (1 Chronicles 12:5); a Simeonite officer under David (1 Chronicles 27:16); a son of King Jehoshaphat who was killed when his brother Jehoram seized power (2 Chronicles 21:2, 4); an ancestor of returnees from Babylon (Ezra 2:4; Nehemiah 7:9); and crucially, a prince in Jerusalem during Jeremiah's ministry who was among those who had the prophet thrown into a muddy cistern for his message that resistance to Babylon was futile (Jeremiah 38:1–6). This last Shephatiah represents the hostile establishment that sought to silence the prophet.