Shaphan [Shā'phan]—prudent, shy, rock badger or wild rat.
A scribe, son of Azaliah, father of Gemariah. It was this Shaphan who laid before King Josiah the law book discovered by Hilkiah in the temple (2 Kings 22:3-14; 2 Chron. 34:8-20; Jer. 36:10-12) and who was the chief lay leader in the outworking of Josiah’s reforms. For two generations his family played a worthy part as servants of Jehovah and as friends of Jeremiah.