Gedaliah (Hebrew, meaning "made great by God") is any one of several Biblical persons: For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ...

(1.) The son of Jeduthum (1 Chr. 25:3, 9). Jeduthun - lauder; praising - the name of one or two men in the Bible. ...

(2.) The grandfather of the prophet Zephaniah, and the father of Cushi (Zeph. 1:1). In religion, a prophet is a person who has directly encountered God, of whose intentions he can then speak. ... Zephaniah or Tzfanya (צְפַנְיָה Concealed of/is the LORD, Standard Hebrew Ẓəfanya, Tiberian Hebrew Ṣəp̄anyāh) is the name of several people in the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. ...

(3.) One of the nobles who conspired against Jeremiah (Jer. 38:1). This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ...

(4.) The son of Ahikam, and grandson of Shaphan, secretary of king Josiah (Jer. 26:24). After the destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar left him to govern the country as tributary to him (2 Kings 25:22; Jer. 40:5; 52:16). Gedaliah was a wise man, gentle and modest. He zealously began to encourage the people to cultivate the fields and vineyards, and thus lay the foundation of security. Many who had fled to places of safety in neighboring lands during the war of destruction, were attracted by the news of the revival of the community. They came to Gedaliah in Mizpah and were warmly welcomed by him. Among the refugees who had joined Gedaliah in Mizpah was Ishmael, the son of Nataniah, a descendant of the royal house of Zedekiah, the last king. Ishmael was an ambitious man who would stop at nothing to attain his goal. Ishmael began to plot against Gedaliah. He found an ally in the king of Ammon, who had been following with apprehension the growth of the new colony. This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Josiah or Yoshiyahu (יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ supported of the LORD, Standard Hebrew YoÅ¡iyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew Yôšiyyāhû) was king of Judah, and son of Amon and Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. ... Jerusalem (Hebrew:  , Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic:  , al-Quds (the Holy); official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names) is the capital and largest city[1] of the State of Israel with a population of 724,000 (as of May 24, 2006[2... Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebudchadrezzar) II (ca. ... Mizpah - or Mizpeh, watch-tower; the look-out. ... Zedekiah or Tzidkiyáhu (צִדְקִיָּהוּ Righteous of/is the LORD, Standard Hebrew Ẓidqiyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew á¹¢iḏqiyyāhû; BoM Arabic صدقيا á¹¢idqiyyā) was the last king of Judah. ... Ammon or Ammonites (עַמּוֹן People, Standard Hebrew Ê»Ammon, Tiberian Hebrew Ê»Ammôn), also referred to in the Bible as the children of Ammon, were a people living east of the Jordan river, who along with the Moabites traced their origin to Lot, the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, and who were...

Ishmael rose against Gedaliah, and killed him and those who were around him (Jer. 41:2, 3) at Mizpah. This happened about three months after the destruction of Jerusalem. He was, however, overtaken by Johanan and routed. He fled with such of his followers as escaped to the Ammonites (41:15). The little remnant of the Jews now fled to Egypt.

In memory of the assassination of Gedaliah and the tragedy that it brought upon the people in those days so soon after the destruction of the Temple, Jews fast on the third day of Tishrei -- the Fast of Gedaliah. Tishrei or Tishri (תִּשְׁרִי, תִּשְׁרֵי, Standard Hebrew Tišri, Tišre, Tiberian Hebrew Tišrî, Tišrê: from Akkadian tašrītu Beginning, from šurrû To begin... The Fast of Gedalia (or Gedaliah) is a Jewish fast from dawn till dusk to commemorate the death of a Jew of that name. ...