Irijah

Irijah was an officer at the gate of Benjamin in Jerusalem who arrested the prophet Jeremiah on the charge of deserting to the Babylonians as he attempted to leave the city (Jeremiah 37:13–14). Jeremiah denied the accusation, but Irijah refused to listen and brought him before the officials, who then had the prophet beaten and imprisoned in a cistern. Irijah is identified as the son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, placing him in a family perhaps hostile to Jeremiah's message. He stands as an example of the opposition the prophet faced from Jerusalem's military and civil establishment.