According to the
Hebrew Bible,
Gedaliah ( or ; G'dalyyâh or G'dalyyâhû, meaning
Jah has become great) was appointed by
Nebuchadnezzar II of
Babylon as governor of
Yehud province, which was formed after the defeat of the
Kingdom of Judah and the destruction of
Jerusalem, in a part of the territory that previously formed the kingdom. He was supported by a
Chaldean guard stationed at
Mizpah. On hearing of the appointment, the Jews that had taken refuge in surrounding countries returned to Judah.