Illustration created for this project.
Eliakim son of Hilkiah
A faithful steward set over Hezekiah's household, given 'the key of the house of David'.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Ancient writers — non-biblical testimony · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Origin & birthplace
Family & lineage
![Silwan Royal Steward inscription; N. Avigad, 'The Epitaph of a Royal Steward from Siloam Village,' IEJ 3 (1953), restoring the name as [Shebna]yahu.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Siloam_Inscription_2.jpg/1280px-Siloam_Inscription_2.jpg)
Wikikati — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyThe 'Royal Steward' rock-cut tomb inscription from Silwan (discovered 1870, now in the British Museum) attests the very office Eliakim was appointed to, 'the one who is over the house' (asher al-habbayit), naming a steward '...yahu.' Scholars connect it not to Eliakim himself but to Shebna, the incumbent Eliakim replaced, so the find corroborates the institution and its context rather than Eliakim personally.
Silwan Royal Steward inscription; N. Avigad, 'The Epitaph of a Royal Steward from Siloam Village,' IEJ 3 (1953), restoring the name as [Shebna]yahu.
Life, role & deeds
Scan by NYPL — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient writersJosephus retells the Sennacherib crisis in his Antiquities of the Jews, naming Eliakim among Hezekiah's officials who confronted the Assyrian Rabshakeh at the wall of Jerusalem. The account is essentially a paraphrase of 2 Kings 18-19 rather than an independent source.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 10.1.1–2 (Whiston numbering); Loeb Classical Library vol. VI (Antiquities 9–11), trans. Ralph Marcus, 1937; a paraphrase of 2 Kings 18–19.
Name & titles
ScholarlyThe name Elyaqim, 'God will establish/raise up,' plays directly on Isaiah's oracle about him, where God promises to 'fasten him as a peg in a sure place' and set the key of the house of David on his shoulder (Isaiah 22:22-23). The pun between the name and the theme of being firmly established is likely deliberate.
Onomastic reading of El + qum against the Isaiah 22 oracle; noted in critical commentaries (e.g. Blenkinsopp, Isaiah, Anchor Yale).
Where in scripture
IsaiahPlaces in their life
Photo: Godot13 — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)