Study Megillah folio 15A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
בשלמא אינהו — מיפרשי, אלא אבהתייהו מנלן?
The Talmud asks in reference to the 8 prophets descended from Rahab: Granted, with regard to them, it is explicit, i.e., the 4 sons recorded in the list were certainly prophets, as the Bible states this explicitly: Jeremiah was a prophet, his student Baruch was one of the sons of the prophets, his cousin Hanamel came to him at the word of God (see Jeremiah, chapter 32), and Seraiah was his student. But as for their fathers, Hilkiah, Neriah, Shallum, and Mahseiah, from where do we derive that they were prophets?
כדעולא. דאמר עולא: כל מקום ששמו ושם אביו בנביאות — בידוע שהוא נביא בן נביא. שמו ולא שם אביו — בידוע שהוא נביא ולא בן נביא, שמו ושם עירו מפורש — בידוע שהוא מאותה העיר, שמו ולא שם עירו — בידוע שהוא מירושלים.
The Talmud answers: As taught by Ulla, as Ulla said: Wherever one’s name and his father’s name are mentioned with regard to prophecy, it is known that he was a prophet the son of a prophet, and therefore his father’s name is also mentioned. And wherever his name is mentioned but not his father’s name, it is known that he was a prophet but not the son of a prophet. Similarly, wherever his name and the name of his city are specified, it is known that he was from that particular city, and wherever his name is mentioned but not the name of his city, it is known that he was from Jerusalem.
במתניתא תנא: כל שמעשיו ומעשה אבותיו סתומין, ופרט לך הכתוב באחד מהן לשבח, כגון: ״דבר ה׳ אשר היה אל צפניה בן כושי בן גדליה״ — בידוע שהוא צדיק בן צדיק. וכל שפרט לך הכתוב באחד מהן לגנאי, כגון: ״ויהי בחדש השביעי בא ישמעאל בן נתניה בן אלישמע״ — בידוע שהוא רשע בן רשע.
It was taught in a baraita: With regard to anyone whose actions and the actions of his ancestors are obscured and not explained, and the verse mentioned one of them favorably, For example: the way in which Zephaniah the prophet is introduced: “The word of YHWH which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah” (Zephaniah 1:1), it is known that not only was he a righteous man, he was also the son of a righteous man. And conversely, whenever the verse mentioned one of them unfavorably, For example: in the verse that introduces Ishmael as the one who killed Gedaliah, which states: “And it came to pass in the 7th month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama” (Jeremiah 41:1), it is known that not only was he a wicked man, he was also the son of a wicked man.