son and successor of Jehoshaphat, and fifth king on the separate throne of Judah, who began to reign (alone) at the age of thirty-six years, and reigned three years, B.C. 887-884. It is" indeed said in the general account (^2 Chron. xxi, 5, 20; 2 Kings viii, 16) that he began to reign at the age of thirty-two, and that he reigned eight years ; but the conclusions deducible from tlie fact that his reign began in the fifth year of Jehoram, king of Israel (2 Kings viii. It!), show that the reign thus stated dates back three years into the reign of his fa- ther, who from this is seen to have associated his eldest son with him in the later years of his reign, as, indeed, is expressly stated in this last cited passage (see Keil's Com. on 2 Kings i, 17 ; Keime, Harmon, vitce Josaphut, Jen. 1713, and Diss, de num. unnor. regni Josaph., ib.). This appears to have been on the occasion of Jehosha- phat's absence in the conflict with confederate invaders, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites (2 Chron. xx) ; and must be distinguished from a still earlier co]iartner- ship (2 Kings i, 17), apparently during the allied attack upon the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead, in which Ahab lost his life. See JiinosiiAPHAT. Jehoram's daughter Je- hosheba was married to the high-priest Jehoiada (q. v.). He had himself unhappily been married to Athaliah, ihe daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and her inlluence seems to have neutralized all the good he might have derived from the example of his father. One of the first acts of his reign was to put his six brothers to death and seize the valuable appanages which their father had in his lifetime bestowed upon them. After this we are not surprised to find him giving way to the gross idola- tries of that new and strange kind — the Phoenician — which had been brought into Israel by Jezebel, and into Judah by her daughter Athaliah. For these atrocities the Lord let forth his anger against Jehoram and his kingdom. The Edomites revolted, and, according to old prophecies (Gen. xxvii, 40), established their perma- nent independence. It was as much as Jehoram could do, by a night-attack with all his forces, to extricate himself from their army, which had surrounded him. Next Libnah, the city of the priests (Josh, xxi, 13), one of the strongest fortified cities in Judah (2 Kings xix, 8), and perhaps one of those "fenced cities" (2 Chron. xxi, 3) which Jehoshaphat had given to his other sons, renounced allegiance to Jehoram because he had for- saken Jehovah^ the God of his fathers. But this seem- ed only to stimulate him to enforce the practice of idol- atry by persecution. He had early in his reign received a writing from Elijah the prophet admonishing him of the dreadful calamities which he was bringing on him- self by his wicked conduct, but even this faded to effect a reformation in Jehoram. See Elijah. At length the Philistines on one side, and the Aral)ians and Cush- ites on the other, grew bold against a king forsaken of God, and in repeated invasions spoiled the land of all its substance; they even ravaged the royal palaces, and took away the wives and children of the king, leaving him only one son, Ahaziah. Nor was this all : Jehoram was in his last days afl[licted with a frightful disease in his bowels, which, from the terms employed in describ- ing it, appears to have been malignant dysentery in its most shocking and tormenting i'orm (see R. Mead, Bihl. Krankh. 44 ; but comp. Bartliolin. Morh. Bihl. c. 12 ; G. Detharding, De morbo refj. .lorami. Rostock, 1731). See Disease. After a disgraceful reign and a most painful death, public opinion inflicted the posthumous dishonor of refusing him a place in the sepulchre of the kings. Jehoram was by far the most impious and cruel tj-rant that had as yet occupied the throne of Judah, though he was rivalled or siuTiassed by some of his successors (2 Kings viii, lG-24; 2 Chron. xxi). His name ap- pears, however, in the royal genealogy of our Saviour (I wpo/i , " Joram," Matt, i, 8). See Judah, kingdo.m of. Jehoshab'eath (2 Chron. xxii, 11). See Je-
HOSHEBA.
Jehosh'aphat (Heb. Yehoshapkat' , liS'^'TP, /e*
JEHOSHAPHAT
806
JEHOSHAPHAT
hovah-judged, i. e. vindicated; Sept. 'Iaj(Ta0a7-), some- times in the contracted form Joshaphat (I^S'^i"', Yo- shaphat', 1 Chron. xi, 43; xv, 24; 'Iwao^dr, A. Vers, in the latter passage " Jehoshaphat ;" N.T. 'Iw-ra^dr, " Josaphat," Matt, i, 8 ; Josephus 'lojffd^aroc), the name of six men.
1. A Mithnite, one of David's famous body-j^uard (1 Chron. xi, 43; Heb. and A.V. -'Josaphat"). B.C. 1046.
2. One of the priests appointed to blow the trumpets before the ark on its removal to Jerusalem (1 Chron. XV, 24 ; Heb. " Josaphat"). B.C. cir. 1043.
3. Son of Ahilud, and royal chronicler (q. v.) under David and Solomon (2 Sam. viii, 16; xx, 24; 1 Kings i V, 3 ; 1 Chron. xviii, 15). B.C. 1014.
4. Son of Paruah, and Solomon's purveyor (q. v.) in Issachar (1 Kings iv, 17). B.C. cir. 995. See Solo-
JION.
5. The fourth separate king of Judah ("Israel" in 2 Chron. xxi, 2, last clause, is either a transcriber's error or a general title), being son of Asa (by Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi), whom he succeeded at the age of thirty-five, and reigned twenty-live years, B.C. 912-887 (1 Kings xxii, 41, 42 ; 2 Chron. xx, 31), He commenced liis reign by fortifying his kingdom against Israel (2 Chron. xvii, 1, 2) ; and, having thus secured himself against surprise from the quarter which gave most dis- turbance to him, he proceeded to cleanse the land from the idolatries and idolatrous monuments by which it was still tainted (1 Kings xxii, 43). Even the high- places and groves which former well-disposed kings had suffered to remain were by the zeal of Jehoshaphat in a great measure destroyed (2 Chron. xvii, 6), although not altogether (2 Chron. xx, 33). In the third year of his reign, chiefs, with priests and Levites, proceeded from town to town, with the book of the Law in their hands, instructing the people, and calling back their wandering affections to the religion of their fathers (2 Chron. xvii, 7-9). The results of this fidelity to the principles of the theocracy were, that at home he enjoyed peace and abundance, and abroad security and honor. His treas- uries were filled with the " presents" which the blessing of God upon the people, " in their basket and their store," enabled them to bring. His renown extended into the neighboring nations, and the I'liilistincs, as Avell as the adjoining Arabian tribes, paid hnii rich tributes in sil- ver and in cattle. He was thus enalilod to put all his towns in good condition, to erect fortresses, to organize a powerful army, and to raise his kingdom to a degree of importance and splendor which it had not enjoyed since the revolt of the ten tribes (2 Chron. xvii, 10-19).