Jehoahaz (King of Judah)

Biblical Record

Jehoahaz was a son of Josiah, king of Judah. Josiah died at Megiddo confronting Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, after which Jehoahaz came to the throne (2 Kings 23:29–30). The text records that "the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead" (2 Kings 23:30). He was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah (2 Kings 23:31). Scripture judges that he did evil in the sight of the LORD, "according to all that his fathers had done" (2 Kings 23:32).

Pharaoh Necho put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he could not reign in Jerusalem. He also imposed on Judah a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. He then made Eliakim, another son of Josiah, king and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt and died there (2 Kings 23:33–34). The same events are briefly recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:1–4.

Jeremiah calls him Shallum. Jeremiah 22:10–12 contains the prophecy that he would die in the place to which he had been carried captive and would never see this land again. 1 Chronicles 3:15 likewise lists Shallum as the fourth son of Josiah.

Significance in Scripture

The deposition of Jehoahaz is the opening scene in Judah's rapid decline after the end of Josiah's reforms. As a result of this event, Judah came under Egyptian domination. The throne then passed to Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, culminating in the Babylonian exile. Jeremiah 22:10 calls for mourning not so much for the dead Josiah as for the one carried away who would never return: "Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."

His name does not appear in the New Testament. The genealogy in Matthew 1 lists Jechonias (Jehoiachin) and his brethren after Josiah.

Interpretations and Debated Points

• Name: The name Jehoahaz is commonly interpreted to mean "the LORD has taken hold." Many hold that one of the two names, Shallum and Jehoahaz, was his personal name and the other a name received at his accession. Scripture, however, does not explain the relationship between the two names.
• Accession over an older brother: Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign (2 Kings 23:36), which made him older than Jehoahaz. Jehoahaz therefore became king in preference to his elder brother. Some scholars conjecture that the people chose him as someone who would continue Josiah's policy of resisting Egypt, but the text does not state the reason. Scholars have also discussed the fact that the order of the brothers in 1 Chronicles 3:15 does not correspond to their order of age.
• Ezekiel 19: Ezekiel 19:1–4 describes a young lion that was captured and brought with hooks (KJV "chains") into the land of Egypt. Many interpreters identify this lion with Jehoahaz, though because the passage is symbolic, other interpretations exist.
• Others of the same name: He is not to be confused with Jehoahaz, king of Israel and son of Jehu (2 Kings 13). In 2 Chronicles 21:17, King Ahaziah of Judah is also called by this name.
• Chronology: His reign is generally dated to about 609 BC, although scholars differ slightly on the precise dates.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, because his reign was short and the record of it sparse, sermons and hymns devoted to him are rare. His name comes up mainly in reading through the Bible or in Bible study when the last kings of Judah are surveyed in sequence. He is also mentioned in sermons on Judah's decline after Josiah.