Jehoi'ada (Hebrew Yelwyada', V^'^i'n';, Jchovah- hioim ; Sept. 'laoiaSa, 'IwiaSi, 'Iwcai), the name of two or more priests.
1. The father of Benaiah, which latter was one' of David's chief warriors (2 Sam. viii. 18 ; xx, 23 ; xxiii, 20, 22 ; 1 Kings i, 8, 26, 32, 36, 38, 44 ; ii, 25. 29, 34, 35, 46 ; iv, 4 ; 1 Chron. xi, 22, 24 ; xviii, 17 ; xxvii, 5). B.C. ante 1046, He is probably the same mentioned as as- sisting David at Hebron as leader (T^Si) of 3700 armed Aaronites (1 Chron, xii, 27) ; Josephus, who calls him 'Iwcafioc, says 4700 Levites (.4 nt. vii, 2, 3), In 1 Chron, xxvii, 34, his name seems to have been erroneously transposed with that of his son,
2, The high-priest at the time of Athaliah's usurpa- tion of the throne of Judah (B,C. 883-877), and during the most of the reign of Jehoash. It does not appear when he first became high-priest, but it may have been as early as the latter part of Jchoshaphat's reign. He married Jehosheba or Jehoshabeath, daughter of king Jehoram, and sister of king Ahaziah (2 Chron. xxii, U) ; and when Athaliah slew all the roval family of Judah after Ahaziah had been put to death l)y Jehu, he and his wife stole Jehoash from amongst the king's sons and hid him for six years in the Temple, and eventually rejilaced
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him on the throne of his ancestors. See Athaliah. In effectinrj this hap])y revohition, by which both the throne of David anil the worship of the true God accord- ing to the law of IMoses were rescued from imminent danger of destruction, Jehoiada displayed great abilitj' and prudence. Waiting patiently till the tyranny of Athaliah — and, we may presume, her foreign practices and preferences — had jiroihiced disgust in the land, he at length, in the 7th year of lier reign, entered into secret alliance with all the cliief partisans of the house of Da- vid and of the true religion. He also collected at Jeru- salem the Levites from the different cities of Judah and Israel, probably under cover of providing for the Tem- ple services, and then concentrated a large and conceal- ed force in the Temple by the expedient of not dismiss- ing the old courses of priests and Levites when their successors came to relieve them on the Sabbath. By means of the consecrated shields and spears which Da- vid had taken in his wars, and which were preserved in the treasury of the Temple (comp. 1 Chron. xviii, 7-11 ; xxvi, 20-28; 1 Kings xiv, 26, 27), he supplied the cap- tains of hundreds with arms for their men. Having then divided the priests and Levites into three bands, which were posted at the principal entrances, and filled the courts with people favorable to the cause, he pro- duced the young king before the whole assembly, and crowned and anointed him, and presented to him a copy of the Law according to Deut. xvii, 18-20. See HiLKiAii. The excitement of the moment did not make him forget the sanctity of God's house. None but the priests and ministering Levites were permitted by him to enter the Temple, and he gave strict orders that Athaliah should be carried without its precincts before she was put to death. In the same spirit he in- augurated the new reign by a solemn covenant between himself as high-priest, and the people and the king, to renounce the Baal-worship which had been introduced by the house of Ahab, and to serve Jehovah. This was followed up by the immediate destruction of the altar and temple of Baal, and the death of JIattan, his priest. He then gave orders for the due celebration of the Tem- ple service, and, at the same time, for the perfect re- establishment of the monarchy, all which seems to have been effected with great vigor and success, and without any cruelty or violence. The young king liimself, un- der this wise and virtuous counsellor, riUed his kingdom well and prosperously, and was forward in works of piety during the lifetime of Jehoiada. The reparation of the Temple, in the 23d year of his reign, of which a full and interesting account is given in 2 Kings xii and 2 Chron. xxiv, was one of the most important works at this pe- riod. At length, however, Jehoiada died, and for his signal services to his God, his king, and his country, which have earned him a place amongst the very fore- most well-doers in Israel, he had the unique honor of burial amongst the kings of Judah in the city of David. — Smith. His decease, though at an advanced age, yet occurred too soon for the welfare of the nation and of Jehoash, who thereupon immediately fell into idolatry, and was even guilty of the most cruel ingratitude to- wards the family of Jehoiada. See JiiiioASir, 1. His age at his death is stated (2 Chron. xxiv, 15) to have been 130 years, which Hervey {Genealor/ii of our Lord, p. 304) proposes to change to 103, in order to lessen the presumed disparity between Jehoiada's age and that of his wife, as well as on the ground that a man of 00 could hardly have exhibited such energy as lie displayed in displacing Athaliah ; but the change is wholly arbitrarj' and unnecessary. Josephus, in his historj' (.-1 ni. ix, 7, 1, where he Grrecizes the name, 'Iti^aoc), follows the Bible account ; but in his list of the high-priests {A nt. X, 8, 6), the corresponding name seems to be Axioramus ('A^iwoajtiof, perhaps by corruption for " Joram"). In the Jewish chronicle (Seder Olam), however, it correct- ly appears as Jehoiadah, and with a date tolerably an- swering to the scriptural requirements. In both au- thorities, many of the adjoining names are additional to | IV.— E K K