a -hı̄´kam ( אחיקם , 'aḥı̄ḳām , "my brother has risen up"): A prominent man of the time of King Josiah and the following decades (2 Kings 22:12 , 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Kings 25:22; 2 Chronicles 34:20; Jeremiah 26:24; Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:5; Jeremiah 41:1; Jeremiah 43:6 ). He was the son of Shaphan, who very likely is to be identified with Shaphan the scribe, who was at that time so prominent. Ahikam was the father of Gedaliah, whom, on the capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar made governor of the land. Ahikam was a member of the deputation sent by Josiah to the prophetess Huldah to consult her concerning the contents of the Book of the Law which had been found. Under Jehoiakim he had sufficient influence to protect Jeremiah from being put to death. On the capture of Jerusalem Nebuchadnezzar committed Jeremiah into the care of Gedaliah. It is clear that both Shaphan and his son, like Jeremiah, belonged to the party which held that the men of Judah were under obligation to keep the oath which they had sworn to the tang of Babylon.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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