All the accounts v,e have of Jehoiakim concur in as- cribing to him a vicious and irreligious character. The writer of 2 Kings xxiii, 37 tells us tliat "he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah," a statement which is repeated in ch. xxiv, 9, and 2 Chron. xxxvi, 5. The latter writer uses the yet stronger expression " the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations which he did" (ver. 8). But it is in the writings of Jeremiah that we have the fullest portraiture of him. If, as is probable, the 19th chapter of Jeremiah belongs to this reign, we liave a detail of the abominations of idolatry practiced at Jerusalem under the king's sanction, with which Eze- kiel's vision of what was going on six years later, within the very precincts of the Temple, exactly agrees : incense offered up to " abominable beasts," " women weeping for
JEHOIARIB
803
JEHONADAB
Thammuz," and men in the inner court of the Temple, "witli their backs towards the temple of the Lord," worshipping " the sun towards the east" (Ezek. viii). The vindictive pursuit and murder of Urijah, the son of Shemaiah, and the indignities offered to his corpse by the king's command, in revenge for his faithful prophe- sying of evil against Jerusalem and Judah, are samjiles of his irreligion and tyranny combined. Jeremiah l)ut narrowly escaped the same fate (Jer. xxvi, 20-24). The curious notice of him in 1 Esd. i, 38 — that he put his nobles in chains, and caught Zaraces, his brother, in Egypt, and brought him up tlience to Jerusalem — also points to his cruelty. His daring imi)icty in cutting up and burning the roll containing Jeremiah's pniplieey, at the very moment when the national last was lieing cel- ebrated, has been noticed above (see also Stauley, Jcirish Church, ii, 597 sq.). His oppression, injustice, covetous- ness, luxury, and tyranny are most severely rebuked (Jer. xxii, 13-17) ; and it has frequently been observed, as indicating his thorough selfishness and indifference to the sufferings of his people, that, at a time when the land was so impoverished by the heavy tributes laid upon it by Egypt and Babylon in turn, he should have squandered large sums in building luxurious palaces for himself (Jer. xxii, 14, 15).— Smith ; Kitto. See Image- ry, Chambers of.
Jehoi'arib (Hebrew Yehoi/m-ib', 3"i'1^in"', whose cause Jehovah defends; Sept. 'hoapilfi or 'lapeijS v. r. 'Iwapi'ft; 1 Chron. ix, 10; xxiv, 7 only ; elsewhere, both in Heb. and A.V., the name is abbreviated to Joiauib), a distinguished priest at Jerusalem (1 Chron. ix, 10), head of the first of the twenty-four sacerdotal "courses" (1 Chron. xxi\% 7). B.C. 1014. Of these courses, only four are mentioned as having returned from Babylon — those of Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur, and Harim (Ezra ii, 3G-39; Neh. vii, 39-42 ) ; and Jewish tradition says that each of these was divided into six, so as to preserve the original number with the original names (Talm. Hieros. Taanith, ch. iv, p. G8, col. 1 in ed. Bomberg). This might account lor our fintUng, at a later period, Mattathias described as of the course of Joarib (1 Mace, ii, 1), even though this course did not return from Babylon (Prideaux, Connec- tion, i, 13G, 8th ed.). We find, however, that some of the descendants of Jehoiarib did return from Babylon (1 Chron. ix, 10 ; Neh. xi, 10 ; see Jeuaiau) ; we find, also, that in subsequent lists other of the priestly courses are mentioned as returning, and in one of these that of Je- hoiarib is expressly mentioned (Neh. x, 2-8; xii, 1-7), and mention is made of JMattenai as chief of the house of Joiarib in the days of Jeshua (xii, 19). The proba- bility, therefore, is, that the course of Jehoiarib did go up, but at a later date, perhaps, than those four men- tioned in Ezra ii, 36-39, and Neh. vii, 39-42. To the course of Joiarib Josephus tells us he belonged {Ant. xi, 6, 1 ; Life, § 1).— Kitto. See Pkiest.
Jehon'adab (Heb. Yehonadah', 2'l5in^, to whom Jehovah is liberal, 2 Sam. xiii, 5; 2 Kings x, 15, 23; Jer. XXXV, 8, 14, 16, 18; Sept. T(tiva5«/3, Auth. Version "Jonadab," except in 2 Kings x, 15, 23), also in the contracted form Joxadab (anji*^, Yonadab', 2 Sam. xiii, 3, 32, 35; Jer. xxxv, G, lo', 19; Sept. 'iwvacafi), the name of two men.
1. A son of Shimeah and nephew of David, a very crafty person (IXp UZT^■, the word is that usually translated " wise," as in the case of Solomon, 2 Sam. xiii, 3), i. e. apparently one of those characters who, in the midst of great or royal families, pride themselves, and are renowned, for being acquainted with the secrets of the whole circle in which they move. His age nat- urally made him the friend of his cousin Amnon, heir to the throne (2 Sam. xiii, 3). He perceived from the prince's altered appearance that there was some un- known grief— •' Why art thou, the king's son, so lean?" — and, when he had wormed it out, he gave him the fatal advice for ensnaring his sister Tamar (\-er. 5, G).
B.C. cir. 1033. See Amxon. Again, when, in a later stage of the same tragedy, Amnon was murdered by Absalom, and the exaggerated report reached David that all the princes were slaughtered, Jonadab was al- ready aware of tlie real state of the case. He was witli the king, and was able at once to reassure him (2 Sam. xiii, 32, 33).— Smith. See Absalom.