Elnathan
Who he was
Elnathan, the son of Achbor, was a prominent royal official during the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah. He is first mentioned in Jeremiah 26:22, where King Jehoiakim sent him, along with other officials, to Egypt to capture the prophet Uriah, who had prophesied against Judah. Elnathan and the other officials brought Uriah back to Jehoiakim, who had him executed. Later, in Jeremiah 36, Elnathan is present when the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies is read before the king. When Jehoiakim cuts up the scroll and burns it, Elnathan and two other officials plead with the king not to do so, showing their respect for the prophetic word (Jer.36.12,25). Despite their efforts, Jehoiakim refuses to listen and continues to reject Jeremiah's warnings. Elnathan's actions reveal his role as a trusted advisor to the king and his involvement in significant events during Jehoiakim's reign. However, his ultimate loyalty appears to be to the king rather than to the prophetic message.
Family
Every mention
Jeremiah 3 mentions
What the dictionary says
Whom God has given.
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain