Joash (Father of Gideon)

Biblical Account

Joash appears only in Judges 6–8 and is the father of the judge Gideon. He belonged to the Abiezrite clan of the tribe of Manasseh and lived in Ophrah (Judges 6:11). The exact location of Ophrah is not known with certainty.

While Midian was oppressing Israel, the angel of the LORD appeared under an oak in "Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite," and called Gideon (Judges 6:11). That night God commanded Gideon to take his father's bullock, throw down the altar of Baal that belonged to his father, and cut down the Asherah image (KJV "grove") beside it (Judges 6:25). The text presents this altar as belonging to Joash. Because Gideon feared his father's household and the men of the city, he carried out the command by night (Judges 6:27).

The next day the men of the city demanded that Gideon be brought out and put to death. Joash asked those standing around him whether they would plead for Baal, and then declared that whoever pleaded for Baal would be put to death while it was yet morning. He added that if Baal were truly a god, he would plead for himself against the one who had cast down his altar. In this way Joash protected his son (Judges 6:30–31). As a result, Gideon received the name Jerubbaal, meaning "Let Baal plead against him" (Judges 6:32).

Thereafter, Joash's name appears mainly in the phrase "Gideon the son of Joash" (Judges 7:14; 8:13; 8:29). When Gideon died in a good old age, he was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father in Ophrah (Judges 8:32). Neither Joash's age nor his death is recorded.

Significance Within the Bible

The account of Joash illustrates the reality of the idolatry that recurs throughout Judges. Even the household of Gideon, who was called to deliver Israel, maintained an altar of Baal. Joash's words, "if he be a god, let him plead for himself," are commonly read as exposing Baal's powerlessness.

The New Testament does not mention Joash. Hebrews 11:32 names Gideon among the people of faith but does not mention his father. Several people in the Bible bear the same name. Joash king of Judah (2 Kings 11–12), Joash king of Israel, and Joash the king's son in the time of Ahab (1 Kings 22:26) are all distinct from this figure.

Interpretive Issues

• Reason for his change of stance: The text does not explain why Joash, the owner of the Baal altar, took his son's side. Some interpreters hold that his son's action made him realize the futility of Baal; others attribute it to a father's instinct to protect his son or to concern for the family's honor. There is no record that he later turned to faith in the LORD. Accordingly, explanations such as "he repented and became a faithful believer" are additions from outside the text.
• The name Jerubbaal: Judges 6:32 does not state clearly who gave this name. Some interpreters understand Joash to have given it. Some scholars hold that the name originally had a different meaning and that the text reinterpreted it as a taunt against Baal. In 2 Samuel 11:21 the same person is called Jerubbesheth, a form understood to substitute a word meaning "shame" for "Baal."
• The bullock of seven years: Some interpreters connect the "second bullock of seven years old" in Judges 6:25 with Midian's seven years of oppression (Judges 6:1).
• Date: Joash belongs to the period of the judges, but scholars differ on the precise dating.

In the Korean Church

Sermons focused solely on Joash are rare. He is usually treated alongside Gideon in sermons or Sunday school lessons on Gideon's call and the destruction of the Baal altar in Judges 6. Some sermons apply this scene to a faith that begins by tearing down the idols within one's own home, or to the influence a child's obedience had on the household. These, however, are applications of the text; no biblical record describes Joash's later faith.