Jehon'athan (Heb. Yehonathan', 'ni^l^jJehovah- fjiven; Sept. 'IwvciSaj^), the full form of the name of four men.
1. The oldest son of king Saul (1 Sam. xiv, 6, 8, 21 ; xviii, 1, 3, 4 ; xix, 2, 4, 6, 7 ; xx throughout, and all later passages except 1 Chron. x, 2, in all which the A. V. has "Jonathan" [q. v.], as the Hebrew likewise elsewhere has).
2. Son of Uzziah, and superintendent of certain of king David's storehouses (m^X, the word rendered " treasures" earlier in the verse, and in 27, 2S '• cellars") (1 Chron. xxvii, 25). B.C. 1014.
3. One of the Levites who were sent by Jehoshaphat through the cities of Judah, with a book of the Law, to teach the people (2 Chron. xvii, 8). B.C. 910.
4. A priest (Neh. xii, 18), and the representative of the family of Shemaiah (verse 6) when Joiakim was high-priest — that is, in the next generation after the re- turn from Babylon under Zerubbabel and Jeshua. B.C., post 536.
Jeho'ram (Heb. Yehoram', flTI';', Jehovah-exalt- ed, 1 Kings xxii, 50 ; 2 Kings i, 17 ; iii, 1,6; viii, 16, 25, 29; ix, 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24; xii, 18; 2 Chron. xvii, 8; xxi, 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 16 ; xxii, 1, 5, 6, 7, 11 ; Septuag. Iwpa//, A. V. "Joram" in 2 Kings ix, 15, 17,21,22,23), also in the contracted form Jouam (D'ni"', Yoram', 2 Sam. viii, 10 ; 2 Kings viii, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29 ; ix, 14, 16, 29 ; xi, 2; 1 Chron. iii, 11; xxvi, 25; 2 Chron. xxii, 5, 7; Sept. 'Iwprljw, but 'ItSSovpan in 2 Sam. viii, 10), the name of five men.
1. Son of Toi, king of Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David upon his victoiy over Hadadezer (2 Sam. viii, 10 ; Heb. and A. V. " Joram") ; elsewhere call- ed llAnoiiAM (1 Chron. xviii, 10).
2. A Levite of the family of Gershom, employed with his relatives in special sacred services connected with the Temple treasury (1 Chron. xxvi, 25 ; Heb. and A.Y. "Joram"). B.C. 1014.
3. One of the priests sent by Jehoshaphat to instruct the people in the Law throughout the land (2 Chron. xvii, 8). B.C. 910.
4. (Josephus 'Iwpai^oc, Aiif. ix, 2, 2.) The son of Ahab and Jezebel, and successor to his elder brother Ahaziah, who died childless. He was the tenth king on the separate throne of Israel, and reigned 12 years, B.C. 894-883 (2 Kings i, 17; iii, 1). The date of his accession, in the second year of the reign of Jehoram of Judah (2 Kings i, 17), must be computed from a vice- royship of the latter during his father Jehoshaphat's war at Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings xxii, 2 sq.). The reck- oning in 2 Kings ix, 29 is according to Jehoram's actual reign ; that in 2 Kings viii, 25, according to the years of his reign as beginning prolepticallj' with the Israel- itish calendar or regnal point, i. e. the autumn, as those of Judah do in the spring. See Israel, kingdom of.
The Moabites had been tributary' to the crown of Is- rael since the separation of the two kingdoms; but king Mesha deemed the defeat and death of Ahab so heavy a blow to the power of Israel that he might safely assert his independence. He accordingly did so, by withhold- ing his tribute of " 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams, with the wool." The short reign of Ahaziah had afforded no opportunity for any operations against the revolters, but the new king hastened to reduce them again mider the yoke they had cast off. The good king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, was too easily induced to take a part in the war. He perhaps feared that the example of ISIoab, if allowed to be successfiU, might seduce into a similar course his own tributary, the king of Edom., whom he now summoned to join in this expedition. Accordingly, the three kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom marciied through the wilderness of Edom to attack INIesha. The three armies were in the utmost danger of perishing for want of water. The piety of Jehoshaphat suggested an inquiry of some prophet of Jehovah, and Elisha, the son of Shaphat, at that time, and since the latter part of Ahab's reign, Elijah's attendant (2 Kings iii, 11 ; 1 Kings xix, 19-21), was found with the host. From him Jeho- ram received a severe rebuke, and was bid to inquire of the prophets of his father and mother — the prophets of Baal. Nevertheless, for Jehoshaphat's sake, Elisha in- quired of Jehovah, and received the promise of an abun- dant supply of water, and of a great victory over the IMoabites, a promise which was immediately fulfilled. The same water which, filling the valley, and the trench- es dug by the Israelites, supplied the whole army and all their cattle with drink, appeared to the Moabites, who were advancing, like blood Avhen the morning sun shone upon it. Concluding that the allies had fallen out and slain each other, they marched incautiously to the at- tack, and were put to the rout. The allies pursued them with great slaughter into their own land, which they ut- terly ravaged and destroyed, with all its cities. Kirhar- aseth alone remained, and there the king oflMoab made his last stand. An attempt to break through the be- sieging army having failed, he resorted to the desperate expedient of offering up his eldest son, the heir to his throne, as a burnt-offering upon the wall of the city, in the sight of the enemy. Upon this, the Israelites re- tired and returned to their own land (2 Kings iii). B.C. cir. 890. See jNIesha.