Jeroboam II

Biblical Record

Jeroboam II was the son of Joash (Jehoash), king of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the fourth king of the Jehu dynasty. The Bible calls him simply "Jeroboam the son of Joash." The designation "II" was added later to distinguish him from Jeroboam, who reigned at the time of the division of the kingdom.

According to 2 Kings 14:23-29, he became king in Samaria in the fifteenth year of Amaziah king of Judah and reigned forty-one years. Scripture judges that he did evil in the sight of the LORD, because he did not depart from the sins begun by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, namely the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. At the same time, in accordance with the word spoken by the prophet Jonah, he restored the border of Israel "from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain," and he recovered Damascus and Hamath (2 Kings 14:25, 28). After his death his son Zechariah succeeded him but was assassinated by Shallum after only six months (2 Kings 15:8-10).

In addition, 1 Chronicles 5:17 records that genealogies were reckoned in his days. Hosea 1:1 and Amos 1:1 name him alongside Uzziah king of Judah to date the ministries of these prophets.

Significance Within Scripture

Second Kings does not attribute the prosperity of this period to the king's merit but explains it as an act of God's compassion: the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter and, because he would not blot out the name of Israel, saved them by the hand of Jeroboam (2 Kings 14:26-27). Second Kings 15:12 also notes that the promise that Jehu's descendants would sit on the throne to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30) was fulfilled in the time of his son Zechariah.

His contemporaries Amos and Hosea sharply rebuked the luxury, the oppression of the poor, and the empty formalism in worship that lay hidden behind this prosperity (Amos 2:6-7; 6:4-6). His reign is therefore read both as the last golden age of the northern kingdom and as the period leading up to the fall of the northern kingdom. Historians regard the international situation of the time, in which Assyria had weakened the power of Aram, as the background to his territorial expansion.

The New Testament does not mention Jeroboam II directly. However, Jonah, who prophesied in his day, appears in the words of Jesus (Matthew 12:41).

Interpretation and Debate

• Second Kings 14:25 is frequently cited as evidence that Jonah was a prophet who actually ministered in this period. Those who read the Book of Jonah as historical narrative treat this verse as important support for that view. By contrast, scholars who regard the Book of Jonah as a later didactic story distinguish between the Jonah of Kings and the time when the book was written.
• Amos prophesied that God would "rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword" (Amos 7:9). Yet Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, reported to the king, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword" (Amos 7:10-11). In fact, Jeroboam himself died in peace, and it was his son Zechariah who died by the sword. Many commentaries explain that Amaziah misrepresented Amos's words and that the prophecy was fulfilled in the end of Jeroboam's dynasty.
• Some scholars hold that the forty-one-year reign includes a period of coregency with his father. Proposed dates for his reign also vary by several years among scholars.

In the Korean Church

Jeroboam II is rarely the central figure of sermons or Sunday school lessons. He is usually introduced as historical background when preaching on or studying the books of Amos, Hosea, and Jonah. In that context his reign serves as an example showing that economic prosperity is not in itself a sign of God's approval, and as an illustration of the warning given to a society that has lost justice and true worship in the midst of prosperity.