Shebna was "treasurer over the house" (meaning comptroller

Comptroller

A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...

 or governor of the palace) in the reign of king Hezekiah

Hezekiah

Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz and the 14th king of Judah. Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible....

 of Judah

Kingdom of Judah

The Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....

, according to the Old Testament

Old Testament

The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...

.

Because of his pride

Pride

Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one's personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris...

 he was ejected from his office, and replaced by Eliakim

Eliakim

Eliakim , son of Hilkiah, succeeded Shebna to become finance minister for King Hezekiah.-Old Testament mentions of Eliakim:* Isaiah 22:20* Isaiah 36:3* Isaiah 36:11* Isaiah 36:22* Isaiah 37:2* 2 Kings 18:18* 2 Kings 18:26* 2 Kings 18:37* 2 Kings 19:2...

 the son of Hilkiah

Hilkiah

Hilkiah was a Hebrew Priest at the time of King Josiah. His name is mentioned in II Kings. He was the High Priest and is known for finding a lost copy of the Book of the law at the Temple in Jerusalem at the time that King Josiah commanded that the Holy Temple be refurbished . His preaching may...

 as recorded in Isaiah

Book of Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...

 22:15-25. Shebna also appears to have been the leader of the party who favored an alliance with Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 against Assyria.

Shebna may or may not have been "Shebna the scribe", who was sent by the king to confer with the Assyria

Assyria

Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...

n ambassador recorded in the (2 Kings

Books of Kings

The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...

 18:18, 26, 37; 19:2; Isa. 36:3, 11, 22; 37:2).

Tomb and inscription

A royal steward's rock-cut tomb discovered in Siloam

Siloam

Siloam is an ancient Greek name derived from the more ancient Hebrew Shiloah. The Arabic, Silwan, was derived form the Greek, Siloam. It is an ancient site in Jerusalem, south of the Old City.-Antiquity:...

is believed to be his, although only the last three letters of the name remain legible on the lintel from the tomb (now in the British Museum), and they don't fully match Shebna's name. The assumption is that Shebna's name may have also been pronounced 'Shevanyahu', which fits the inscription perfectly .