Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum, was the son of Josiah, one of the most revered kings of Judah, and Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. His reign over Judah was brief, lasting only three months in 609 BC. Jehoahaz's ascension to the throne followed the death of his father, King Josiah, who was killed at Megiddo while attempting to intercept Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt.

Reign and Political Context

Jehoahaz was chosen by the people of the land to succeed his father, despite not being the eldest son. This choice may reflect the popular support he had among the people, possibly due to his alignment with his father's reforms or his perceived ability to lead the nation during a time of crisis. His reign, however, was marked by the political turmoil that characterized the late seventh century BC, as Judah found itself caught between the powerful empires of Egypt and Babylon.

Religious and Moral Evaluation

The biblical account of Jehoahaz's reign is brief and largely negative. In 2 Kings 23:32 , it is recorded, "And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done." This evaluation suggests that Jehoahaz did not continue the religious reforms of his father Josiah, who had sought to restore the worship of Yahweh and eliminate idolatry from Judah. Instead, Jehoahaz is portrayed as following in the footsteps of earlier kings who led the nation into practices that were contrary to the covenantal laws given to Israel.

Deposition and Exile

Jehoahaz's reign came to an abrupt end when Pharaoh Neco II, returning from his campaign in the north, deposed him. The Egyptian Pharaoh placed Jehoahaz in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath, as recorded in 2 Kings 23:33 : "Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah in the land of Hamath to prevent him from reigning in Jerusalem." Neco then imposed a tribute on Judah and installed Jehoahaz's brother, Eliakim (renamed Jehoiakim), as a puppet king.

Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt, where he died in captivity, fulfilling the prophecy that he would never return to the land of his birth. Jeremiah 22:11-12 speaks of his fate: "For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: 'He will never return, but he will die in the place to which they have exiled him; he will never see this land again.'"

Legacy

Jehoahaz's short reign and subsequent exile serve as a poignant reminder of the political instability and spiritual decline that plagued Judah in its final years. His failure to uphold the religious reforms of his father Josiah contributed to the nation's downward spiral, ultimately leading to the Babylonian exile. Despite his brief and troubled rule, Jehoahaz remains a significant figure in the history of Judah, illustrating the challenges faced by the Davidic line in maintaining faithfulness to God's covenant amidst external pressures and internal failings.2 Kings 23:31-33
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Chronicles 36:1-4
Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Fall of the House of Ahab
... the child remained hidden, while "Athaliah reigned over the land ... of this time, "the
Levites and all Judah" (2 Chronicles ... said, God save the king." 2 Kings 11:12 ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 16 the fall of.htm

The Divided Kingdom.
... Reigned IS years and died. ... During this time the kings of Judah cherished the
hope that they would regain their control over the ten tribes. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xiii the divided kingdom.htm

Hazael Makes an Expedition against the People of Israel and the ...
... the laws, and died when he had reigned over the Israelites ... the treasures of God and
of the kings [before him ... should kill his master, and reign over the Syrians ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 8 hazael makes an.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... Wife Became More Wicked Than All The Kings That Had ... How Jotham, The Son Of Uzziah
Reigned Over The Tribe ... Instead Of Manasseh; And After Amon Reigned Josiah; He ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/

Questions.
... 14. Who reigned over the rest of Israel? 15. ... 29. Who reigned after Hezekiah? 30. ... 7.
What prophecy did Josiah exactly fulfil?"1 Kings, xiii.2.31, 32,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/questions.htm

Jeremiah
... the vassalage of Babylonia, whose supremacy over Western Asia ... weak and vacillating
Zedekiah, who reigned from 597 ... faithful to their high office than the kings. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/jeremiah.htm

Appendices
... and not rather one of the unknown kings of the ... Assyrians 732 Hezekiah 727 Invasion
of Judah by Sennacherib ... 2. My father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/appendices.htm

Book 9 Footnotes
... or Aradus, and with Damascus, 2 Kings 18:34 ... prophetic times which were to pass over
Nebuchadnezzar [Daniel ... well as by Josephus presently, that he reigned in all ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 9 footnotes.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... the labours of the attacking force were not yet over. ... The petty kings who shared
with Assyria the possession ... Barzur, son of Panammu I., had reigned there since ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... and his sculptures he seems to gloat over the tortures ... he was a descendant of the
legendary kings of Assyria ... For twelve years he reigned there, with the help of ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

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