The Message of the Prophets: A Survey of the Prophetic and Apocalyptic Books of the Old Testament by J. Daniel Hays & Tremper Longman III

Author:J. Daniel Hays & Tremper Longman III
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2017-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

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Who Was Ebedmelech?

The portrayal of a Cushite mercenary from a Greek vase (550 – 525 BC).

Ebedmelech the Cushite is an interesting character. First of all, note that he is called “the Cushite” four different times (38:7, 10, 12; 39:16), apparently indicating that this identification is important. The kingdom of Cush was located along the Nile just to the south of Egypt. It was an African kingdom; Jeremiah refers to the black skin of the Cushites when he cites a proverb about them in 13:23.

Throughout its history, Cush was closely connected to Egypt. Although Cush had ruled over Egypt for part of the eighth and seventh centuries BC, by the time of Jeremiah neither country controlled the other. On the other hand, Cush and Egypt were still closely interrelated economically, culturally, and militarily. Cushites had a reputation for being good soldiers, and they often served as mercenaries in armies throughout the Ancient Near East. This was true especially in Egypt, where Cushites regularly served in Egyptian armies. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that Egypt was the major military ally of Judah in Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylonia. Thus the most likely explanation for what a Cushite is doing in Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege of Jeremiah’s day is that he is there in a military capacity and is perhaps connected to the Egyptian army.1

The meaning of Ebedmelech’s name (“servant of a king”) has generated interesting discussions. Older commentators often assumed that “servant of a king” implied that Ebedmelech was a slave, but this conclusion is highly unlikely. Slave status does not fit well with the details of the story. If he were a slave, would he have been able to approach King Zedekiah and severely criticize the king’s actions? And would Zedekiah have agreed with a slave and acquiesced to his request? Unlikely. Furthermore, it is doubtful that the name Ebedmelech actually has anything to do with the notion of a slave or personal servant. Although the term “servant” (‘ebed) by itself carried the nuance of servant or slave-like status, the specific phrase “servant of a king” is used in quite different contexts and carried no implications of slavery. On the contrary, the phrase “servant of the king” or “servant of such-and-such king” appears numerous times on Israelite and Judahite seals from this era in reference to high-ranking officials.

Thus the most plausible explanation for Ebedmelech’s name, nationality, and presence in Jerusalem is that he is some type of military officer. He may have been leading a contingent of Cushite soldiers. His connection with Zedekiah suggests that perhaps he was in charge of the palace bodyguards. He may also have been an important representative of the Egyptian army, like a modern-day military attaché. If he held this position, it would explain how he could have ready access to the king and why Zedekiah gave in to his requests so easily. Jerusalem was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar and the powerful Babylonian army; Zedekiah could hardly afford to offend the Egyptians and the Cushites, his only significant remaining military allies.

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