GODOLIAS (Hebrew Gédhaljâh[â] « Greatness of Jahweh »). - A member of the party favorable to an agreement with the Babylonians and the first governor of Judea after the unfortunate war of 588-86 B.C., which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the imprisonment of King Zedekiah. G. was the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan (Jer. 39:14).
Ahikam was a friend of the prophet Jeremiah, and at a critical moment he took up his defense (Jer. 26:24). Probably G. during the siege had gone over to the Babylonians, like so many others opposed to the pro-Egyptian party (cf. Jer. 38:19). Elected governor, G. established himself in Mizpah (v.), already a religious center of great importance in the times of Samuel (cf. Jer. 40:3; 1 Sam. 7:5 ff.; 10:1 ff.). Jeremiah, toward whom the Babylonians showed every consideration, joined G. to reestablish order in the region, half devastated and still in ferment. As long as there was fear of the Babylonian army, G. was able to control the situation, instilling confidence and calm in those who had escaped the slaughter and the deportation (cf. Jer. 40:12). Once the Babylonians had withdrawn, a group of fanatical nationalists, aided by the king of the Ammonites, hatched a conspiracy against G. Although warned in time, he refused to take rigorous precautions and therefore fell victim to the assassination carried out by a certain Ishmael, son of Nethaniah (Jer. 41:2; 2 Kings 25:25).
Angelo Penna