JEHOSHAPHAT jĭ hŏsh’ ə fət (יְהﯴשָׁפָ֥ט, Jehovah judges, LXX ̓Ιωσαφάτ, G2734). Sixth king of the Davidic kingdom, fourth of Judah after secession of the northern tribes, reigned twenty-five years 873-849 b.c., contemporary to reigns (in whole or part) of Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram, kings of Israel—the entire Omride dynasty and contemporary to the prophets Elijah and Elisha.
One of the oddities of the Biblical narrative is that his notable reign is almost passed over in the Kings narrative, except as it impinges on the affairs of the northern kingdom (viz. 1 Kings 15:24; 22:1ff.; 2 Kings 1:17; 3:1, 7-27; 8:16, 24, 25; 12:18), while in the Chronicles account there are four long chs. (2 Chron 17-20) devoted to his story, scarcely equalled in extent by any other king’s history in the Chronicles, plus notices in 1 Chronicles 3:10 and 2 Chronicles 22:9. The reason seems to be that important matters leading to the ultimate demise of the northern kingdom are the center of interest in the Kings account, the disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant and the efforts of Elijah and Elisha to correct matters being more central to the author’s interest. In Chronicles the famous piety of the great king and his succession, both reviving and preserving the institutions and standards of the Mosaic Covenant, are being cited at length to the postexilic Restoration community to produce both guidance and inspiration for that dispirited generation. The colorful career of Elijah is emphasized in the one, while the marvels of Jehoshaphat’s faith and his revivals of religion are detailed in the other.
This article will follow the literary order of the main section wherein Jehoshaphat’s story appears in 2 Chronicles 17-20.
1. His military policy (2 Chron 17:1, 2). The Heb. text of v. 2 indicates a policy of strong defense against expected inroads from the N. Omri, founder of the current dynasty at Samaria had been a military commander-in-chief (1 Kings 16:16); his son Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s opposite number in Samaria, while not courageous, was strong. The reign of Asa, Jehoshaphat’s father, had been one of uninterrupted warfare with the kings of Israel (2 Chron 16:1ff.; 1 Kings 15:32). As a patriotic and foresighted head of state, Jehoshaphat placed armed men in all the “cut off” (i.e. protected by heights, walls, moats, towers, gates, etc.), cities of Judah and garrisons of soldiers in lesser towns. The warfare of the time offered small protection to rural village folk. At the approach of enemy forces they simply drove their livestock ahead of them to the fortified cities and moved in. Under such circumstances warfare tended to be siege warfare unless there was professional military organization and soldiery to drive invading forces from the field. Jehoshaphat believed: “In time of peace prepare war.”
2. His general religious policy (2 Chron 17:3-6). The Mosaic commonwealth of Israel was no democracy in matters of religion. Obedience to the law of Moses was not optional for anyone. It was the duty of magistrates and priests to practice the Mosaic faith and to see that all citizens at least outwardly and publicly did the same. Jehoshaphat was outstanding in the way in which as head of state he put the religious laws into effect. He heartily embraced the ancestral religion (17:3), following the example of David. Two striking expressions underscore this fact: “His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord” (17:6) and the comment of Jehu the seer: “You...have set your heart to seek God” (19:3). The success of the public measures taken to restore the practice of Mosaic faith to the entire nation is summarized viz: “And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers” (19:4).
3. Special measures employed for restoring Mosaic religion (17:7-9). In his religious reforms Jehoshaphat built upon the effective measures taken by Asa, his pious and energetic father. The backslidings of Solomon’s last years, Rehoboam’s juvenile policies and Abijah’s carelessness in religion had brought matters, moral and religious, sadly downward. It was Asa’s praiseworthy accomplishment to rid the land of foreign altars and the cult objects of Canaanite Baalism (2 Chron 14:3-5). He also reviewed the physical instruments of Jehovah worship, and compelled outward conformity to the Mosaic observances (15:8-11) even threatening death (as provided by the Law, Deut 13) for apostates. Yet the need for public instruction pointed out plainly by a certain prophet, Azariah (15:1-7) evidently remained unmet. It was Jehoshaphat’s mission to correct their omission. This he cared for early in his reign, for, “in the third year of his reign he sent his princes [five are named]...to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites [nine named]...and with them the priests Elishama and Jehoram” (17:7, 8). These men carrying copy (s?) of the law with them “went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people” (17:9). Evidently the Pentateuchal provisions for acquainting the people with the content and meaning of the law had been long neglected (viz. Deut 31:9-13; cf. 4:10; 6:1-9).
4. Prosperity of his reign (2 Chron 17:5b, 10-19; 19:4). His military and religious measures were successful: “The fear of the Lord fell upon all...and they made no war against Jehoshaphat” (17:10). He brought the nation back, at least formally, to “the God of their fathers” (19:4).
5. The new policy of conciliation with Israel (2 Chron 18:1-19:3; cf. 1 Kings 22). Whereas the policy of his three predecessors, beginning with Rehoboam, had been one of unremitting enmity, frequently warfare toward Israel (1 Kings 14:30; 15:6), some time fairly early in his reign Jehoshaphat and Ahab of Samaria put an end to the old feud. After the custom of the time the two reigning families were united by marriage—in this case Athaliah daughter of Ahab and Jezebel with Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat. The poisonous effect of that is traced in articles herein on Jehoram, Athaliah, Ahaziah, and Joash. The arrangement became expensive to Judah by reason of the treasure and manhood contributed to Ahab’s wars (viz. 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chron 18), and to the wars of Jehoram, son of Ahab (2 Kings 3), for Jehoshaphat assisted in at least two fruitless campaigns of the kings of Israel. This was not without personal physical peril to Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 18:28-32; 1 Kings 22:29-33) and spiritual loss to himself and his kingdom (2 Chron 19:1-3). Nevertheless, the reduction in armament possible upon the cessation of the military feud with Israel produced material prosperity—“less guns; more butter”—though it scarcely lasted beyond the lifetime of the pious king. Since the conciliatory policy led in the three following reigns (Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Queen Grandmother Athaliah) to the near extinction of the dynasty, it was an illconceived policy.
6. His judicial reforms (2 Chron 19:5-11). Judicial laws and procedures prescribed by Pentateuchal laws provided mainly for courts at the local level. There was really no distinction between civil laws and courts on the one hand and religious on the other. To the present day in the Near East, including the new secular-religious state of Israel the distinctions are frequently obscure. But with the institution of the monarchy with its claims of taxes and services as well as manpower upon the population there was need to expand the judicial system. Hence the “chief priest” was made head of the system of religious courts (“Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the Lord,” 2 Chron 19:11) while a separate non-Levite became head of a court dealing strictly with secular matter (“Zebadiah...the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king’s matters”). These national courts were not courts of appeal for plaintiffs dissatisfied with rulings of local courts, but rather as courts of referral for local judges who ruled themselves incompetent for some reason (Deut 17:8). Equity was a matter, in the main, for courts of local elders and appears not to have been involved in Jehoshaphat’s reforms.
7. Foreign invasion from the East and its miraculous repulse in the wilderness of Tekoa (2 Chron 20:1-30). There appears to be only one reference to this quite amazing incident in the Book of Kings and that a very oblique statement to the effect that Jehoshaphat successfully conducted certain undescribed wars (1 Kings 22:43). 2 Chronicles 20:11 represents the invaders (Moabites, Ammonites and Meunim, 20:1, cf. 26:7 and ASVmg. note) as seeking actually to dispossess the Jews of their land rather than mere conquest. Precisely because the invaders expected to stay and brought along families, flocks, and goods, the Jews reaped the large and valuable booty reported. The locale is the desert border area SE of Bethlehem and NE of Hebron. The present road between these two cities skirts the western edge of the territory involved in this incident.
8. Assessment of his reign. Although he attained a moderately advanced age (sixty years) and enjoyed twenty-five years of prosperous reign, and although personally loyal to the ancestral faith and pure of life and motive, Jehoshaphat’s greatest failures lay in the precise areas of his greatest success—international relations and religious reformation (2 Chron 20:31-37). He could not root out the unlawful (viz. Deut 12, esp. vv. 5-7) and prob. clandestine high place worship, for the people had not “yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers” (2 Chron 20:33). His diplomacy by intermarriage of his own house with that of Ahab brought all his gains to ruin within a few years of his death. Already in his lifetime it was bearing unwanted and bitter fruit (1 Kings 22:48, 49; cf. 2 Chron 20:35-37) in a futile joint naval venture with Ahaziah of Israel.
9. His death and succession (2 Chron 21:1). To the laconic statement of Scripture, Josephus adds: “He was buried in a magnificent manner in Jerusalem, for he had imitated the actions of David” (Antiquities. IX. iii. 2).
2. “The son of Ahilud was recorder [chronicler or analyst]” (2 Sam 8:16). The fact that such an officer functioned officially in David’s court is of greater interest than the man, himself, about whom nothing else is known (cf. Esth 6:1).
3. One of seven who blew trumpets in connection with worship at the central sanctuary in transfer of the Ark from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David (1 Chron 15:24).
4. One of twelve officers in charge of collection of foodstuffs for Solomon’s court, each in charge of a certain area and presenting his collections in rotations during one of the twelve months of the year. Presumably these collections were agricultural payment in kind—chiefly grain, oil and wine. Archeology has produced many examples of containers designated with Israelitish kings’ distinctive mark in several parts of Pal. This man’s district was the tribe of Issachar (1 Kings 4:17).
5. Father of King Jehu of Samaria (2 Kings 9:2, 14).