Jehoash of Judah
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Jehoash (יהואש המלך) ("Jehovah-given"), sometimes written Joash, was the king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, and sole surviving son of Ahaziah.
William F. Albright has dated his reign to 837 BC-800 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 835 BC-796 BC.
While yet an infant, he was saved from the general massacre commanded by Athaliah of the family by his aunt Jehosheba, and was apparently the only surviving descendant of David (2 Chronicles 21:4, 17). His uncle, the high priest Jehoiada, brought him forth to public notice when he was seven years of age, and had Jehoash crowned and anointed king. Athaliah was taken by surprise when she heard the shout of the people, "Long live the king"; and when she appeared in the temple to challenge this coup, Jehoiada commanded her to be led forth to death (2 Kings 11:13-20).
While the High Priest lived, Jehoash favored the worship of God and observed the Law; but on his death Jehoash was led into supporting other gods; Zechariah, the son and successor of the High Priest, was put to death. For these deeds, the author of the Books of Kings believed Jehoash brought down on the land the judgement of God, and it was oppressed by the Aramean invaders. He was buried in the City of David (2 Kings 12:21).
He is one of the three kings omitted by Matthew (1:8) in the genealogy of Jesus, the other two being Ahaziah and Amaziah.
In 2001, an unprovenanced inscription was published, known as the Temple Inscription, which appears to be a record of repairs made to Solomon's Temple during Jehoash's reign. The majority of scholars have condemned this inscription as a forgery based on the language and script of the inscription, although a number of scholars vigorously defended its authenticity. The Israeli archaeological authorities have now officially proved it to be a fake and are prosecuting the perpetrator.
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| House of David Cadet Branch of the Tribe of Judah |
||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Athaliah |
King of Judah Albright: 837 BC – 800 BC Thiele: 835 BC – 796 BC Galil: 842 BC – 802 BC |
Succeeded by Amaziah |
