Ebed-Melech

Who is Ebed-Melech?

Ebed-Melech is mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah as an official at the palace of king Zedekiah of Judah during the Siege of Jerusalem. The name is translated as Servant of the King, and as such may not be his proper name but a hereditary title. The text relates that he was an Ethiopian and a eunuch.

Ebed-Melech is notable for rescuing the prophet Jeremiah from the cistern where he was imprisoned.. Later, Jeremiah informed him that he would be spared after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. Ebed-Melech can be seen a precursor to the faith of the New Testament believers, since he is saved because he trusted in God. According to Derekh Eretz Zutta Ebed-Melech is one of the ten righteous people that entered paradise alive.