Jehoash of Israel

Jehoash (Template:Langx Yəhō’āš or<ref>I Kings 22:26</ref> Template:Script/Hebr Yō’āš; Israelian Hebrew: Template:Script/Phoenician *’Āšīyāw;<ref>Puech, Émile. “LES INSCRIPTIONS HÉBRAÏQUES DE KUNTILLET ‘AJRUD (SINAÏ).” Revue Biblique (1946-), vol. 121, no. 2, Peeters Publishers, 2014, pp. 161–94, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44092490.</ref> Template:Langx Yaʾsu [ia-'-su]; Template:Langx; fl. Template:Circa 790 BC), whose name means "Yahweh has given,"<ref name=nbd>"Joash, Jehoash;" New Bible Dictionary. Douglas, J.D., ed. 1982 (second edition). Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL, USA. Template:ISBN, pp. 597–598</ref> was the twelfth king of the ancient northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the son of Jehoahaz.<ref>2 Kings 14:1; compare 12:1; 13:10</ref> He was the 12th king of Israel and reigned for 16 years. William F. Albright has dated his reign to 801–786 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 798–782 BC.<ref>Edwin Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, (1st ed.; New York: Macmillan, 1951; 2d ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965; 3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan/Kregel, 1983). Template:ISBN, 9780825438257</ref> When he ascended the throne, the Kingdom of Israel was suffering from the predations of the Arameans, whose king Hazael was conquering land controlled by Israel.

Biblical account of his reign

According to the second book of Kings, Jehoash was sinful and did evil in the eyes of Yahweh for tolerating the worship of the golden calves, yet outwardly at least he worshiped Yahweh.<ref name=nbd/> He reigned as king of Israel for 16 years and led the Israelites through some decisive battles, including a war with the kingdom of Judah.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>

Death of Elisha

Jehoash went to visit the prophet Elisha, who was sick with the illness that would eventually lead to his death. He held the prophet Elisha in honor, and wept by his bedside while he was dying. Jehoash pleased Elisha, addressing him in the words Elisha himself had used when Elijah was carried up into heaven: "O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof."<ref>2 Kings 13:14; 2 Kings 14, Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Holy Bible. Clarke, Adam. 1967. Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, KS, USA. pp. 372–373</ref> When Jehoash failed to completely obey Elisha's instructions, Elisha predicted that Jehoash would only defeat the Arameans three times rather than five or six times, which may have been enough to end the Syrian threat.<ref name=abd /> In three signal and successive victories Jehoash overcame the Syrians, and retook from them the towns which Hazael had captured from Israel.<ref name=je>"Jehoash", Jewish Encyclopedia</ref>

War with Judah

Later in his reign, Jehoash led the men of the Kingdom of Israel in the defeat of king Amaziah of Judah.<ref name=nbd /> Amaziah had begun to worship some of the idols he had taken from the Edomites, which the author of Chronicles believes led to his ruin and his defeat by Jehoash, whom he had challenged to battle.

Jehoash had warned Amaziah, saying:

A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, 'Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?<ref name=abd>2 Kings 14:9–10; "Joash var. Jehoash." The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol III, 1992. Freedman, David Noel., ed., New York: Doubleday. Template:ISBN pp. 857–858</ref>

Jehoash utterly defeated Amaziah at Beth-shemesh, on the borders of Dan and Philistia. Jehoash then advanced on Jerusalem, broke down a portion of the wall, and carried away the treasures of the Temple and the palace. Jehoash took Amaziah as a prisoner. Amaziah's defeat was followed by a conspiracy that took his life.<ref>2 Kings 14:8–14, 19</ref> Jehoash also took hostages to assure good conduct.<ref name=nbd />

After the battle he soon died and was buried in Samaria.<ref>2 Kings 13:13; "Joash, Jehoash." Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible. Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed., 1986. G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House Ltd. Template:ISBN</ref>

Archaeology

File:Stele of Adad-nirari III.jpg

Stele of Adad-nirari III from Tell al-Rimah, now in the Iraq Museum, mentions the name of Jehoash the Samarian

The excavation at Tell al-Rimah yields a stele of Adad-nirari III which mentioned "Jehoash the Samarian"<ref>William H. Shea, Adad-Nirari III and Jehoash of Israel, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 101–113, 1978</ref><ref>Tell al-Rimah Stela (797 BCE): inscription by Assyrian king Adad-Nirari III, in which he describes his successes in the west. Livius.org. Quote: "...[4] I received 2,000 talents of silver, 1,000 talents of copper, 2,000 talents of iron, 3,000 linen garments with multicolored trim - the tribute of Mari' - of the land of Damascus. I received the tribute of Jehoash the Samarian, of the Tyrian ruler and of the Sidonian ruler."</ref> and contains the first cuneiform mention of Samaria by that name.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A postulated image of Jehoash is reconstructed from plaster remains recovered at Kuntillet Ajrud.<ref name=beck>Pirhiya Beck (1982) The Drawings from Horvat Teiman (Kuntillet 'Ajrud), Tel Aviv, 9:1, 3–68, DOI: 10.1179/033443582788440827</ref><ref name=ornan>Tallay Ornan (2016) Sketches and Final Works of Art: The Drawings and Wall Paintings of Kuntillet 'Ajrud Revisited, Tel Aviv, 43:1, 3–26, DOI: 10.1080/03344355.2016.1161374</ref> The ruins were from a temple built by the northern Israel kingdom when Jehoash of Israel gained control over the kingdom of Judah during the reign of Amaziah of Judah.<ref>Nir Hasson. A strange drawing found in Sinai could undermine our entire idea of Judaism: Is that a 3,000-year-old picture of god, his penis and his wife depicted by early Jews at Kuntillet Ajrud?. Haaretz. April 4, 2018</ref>

See also

• List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources