“Jehoash was known for “his might” (2 Kings 14:15),
and his kingdom expanded northward with his victory over the Aramaeans and to
the south with his victory over Judah. Evidence for this expansion was
discovered at Kuntillet ‘Ajrud,
a fortress that acted as a cultic site on the southern
border of Judah”.
Bryan Windle wrote (August 13, 2021):
King Jehoash: An Archaeological Biography – Bible
Archaeology Report
King
Jehoash: An Archaeological Biography
Jehoash was the second of four
kings who descended from Jehu to reign as king of Israel (Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, and Zechariah); he ruled from ca. 798-782 BC.1 The
Bible summarizes his reign this way:
In the thirty-seventh year of
Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in
Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. He also did what was evil in the sight
of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. Now the rest of the acts of
Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah
king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings
of Israel? So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And
Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. (2 Kings 13:10-13)
Jehoash was also called Joash
(2 Chr 25:17), and is not to be confused with the more famous king of Judah
also named Joash/Jehoash (2 Kings 12:1, 19). King Jehoash of Israel is
primarily known for three events:
- His defeat of Amaziah, King of Judah near Beth Shemesh (2 Chr.
25:21-23)
- His interaction with the prophet Elisha, who upon his death bed,
told Jehoash to strike the ground with arrows to symbolize the number of
times he would defeat the king of Aram (2 Kings 13:14-19)
- And his subsequent battles against the Arameans (2 Kings 13:24-25).
Numerous archaeological
discoveries both confirm Jehoash as king of Israel and provide the wider
historical context that helps us better understand the world in which he lived.
Jehoash and Assyria
When Jehoash came to the
throne, he inherited a kingdom that had been significantly weakened by the wars
of his father. According to the biblical record, “There was not left to
Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand
footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust
at threshing.” (2 Kings 13:7).
Shortly after Jehoash began to
reign, the Assyrian king, Adad-Nirari III invaded the western lands.2 A
victory stele (monument) was discovered in 1967 during excavations at Tell
al-Rimah which contains a record of Adad-Nirari III’s campaign. While its date
is unknown, many scholars associate it with Adad-Narari III’s expedition
westward in 796 BC.3 It reads:
Adad-Nirari, mighty king, king
of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Šamši-Adad, the king of the
universe, king of Assyria, the son of Šalmaneser, the king of the four
quarters. I mustered my chariots, troops, and camps; I ordered them, to march to
the land of Hatti. In a single year, I subdued the entire land of Amurru
and Hatti. I imposed upon them tax and tribute forever. I received 2,000
talents of silver, 1,000 talents of copper, 2,000 talents of iron, 3,000 linen
garments with multicolored trim – the tribute of Mari’ – of the land
of Damascus. I received the tribute of Jehoash the Samarian, of
the Tyrian ruler and of the Sidonian ruler.4
Adad-Nirari seems to have
subdued and laid a heavy tribute on “Mari’ – of the land of Damascus,” likely
refering to the Aramean king Hazael, or, more likely, his son Ben Hadad.5 Having
seen Assyria’s conquest of Aram, Israel’s arch enemy, Jehoash of Israel appears
to have decided to send tribute to Adad-Nirari rather than risk a similar fate.6
The Tell
al-Rimah stele of Adad-nirari III affirms the historicity
of King Jehoash, and illuminates the historical background of his reign.
Assyrian’s defeat of Aram weakened Israel’s northern neighbor and enemy, a
situation which Elisha encouraged Jehoash to take advantage of.
Jehoash and Aram
Jehoash’s father, Jehoahaz was
a wicked king (2 Kings 13:2). As a result, God allowed the Arameans to attack
Israel repeatedly (2 Kings 13:3), such that “Hazael king of Syria oppressed
Israel all the days of Jehoahaz” (2 Kings 13:22).
The Zakkur Stele records the
victory of Zakkur, king of Hamath over a coalition of kings led by “Bar-Hadad,
son of Hazael, king of Damascus. It is currently in the Louvre Museum in
France. Photo: Rama / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 20 fr
When the prophet Elisha was
close to death, Jehoash came to mourn his soon passing. Elisha had him shoot an
arrow out of the window to symbolize Israel’s impending victory over the
Arameans at Aphek and then strike arrows on the floor to signify how many times
he would defeat them (2 Kings 13:17-19). After Elisha’s death, “Jehoash the son
of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had
taken from Jehoahaz his father in war” (2 Kings 13:25). Ben-Hadad was no match
for an army empowered by Israel’s God, especially after it had already been
weakened by Assyrian attacks.
Ben-Hadad III is attested on
the Zakkur Inscription, in which Zakkur, king of Hamath, declares his victory
over a confederation of 17 city-states led by “Bar-Hadad, son of Hazael, king
of Damascus.”7
The site of Aphek is difficult
to identify, in part because there were multiple cities named Aphek in biblical
times.8 Some have associated Aphek of Aram with Tel En Gev
and/or the nearby fortress of Tel Soreg. Both have destructions layers dating
to the 9th/8th century BC, which have been
attributed to either Adad-Nariri III of Assyria or Jehoash of Israel.9
Jehoash and Judah
Jehoash was originally an ally
of Amaziah, king of Judah. At one point, Amaziah hired 100,000 soldiers from
Israel for 100 talents of silver to assist him in battle (2 Chr. 25:6). A
prophet then told Amaziah not to go to battle along side the Israelites, so he
discharged them. The Israelite soldiers “became very angry with Judah and
returned home in fierce anger,” raiding the cities of Judah as they went (2
Chr. 25:10, 13).
Sometime later, Amaziah sent a
challenge to the king of Israel to meet him in battle.
Jehoash responded, “A thistle
on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son
for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the
thistle. You say, ‘See, I have struck down Edom,’ and your heart has lifted you
up in boastfulness. But now stay at home. Why should you provoke trouble so
that you fall, you and Judah with you?” (2 Chr. 25:18-19). Amaziah would not be
swayed, however, and the armies of Judah and Israel met at the Battle of Beth
Shemesh. The biblical account records:
And Judah was defeated by
Israel, and every man fled to his home. And Jehoash king of Israel captured
Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and
came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits,
from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate. And he seized all the gold and
silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD and in the
treasuries of the king’s house, also hostages, and he returned to
Samaria (2 Kings 14:12-14).
….
Jehoash’s Kingdom
Jehoash was known for “his
might” (2 Kings 14:15), and his kingdom expanded northward with his victory
over the Aramaeans and to the south with his victory over Judah. Evidence for
this expansion was discovered at Kuntillet ‘Ajrud, a fortress that acted as a
cultic site on the southern border of Judah. Despite its southerly location, it
has been identified as an Israelite site, based in part on the personal names
discovered there. Most of the names uncovered end with a theophoric element (a
reference to a deity – in this case Yahweh) spelled “yo” as was common in
Israel, rather than “yahu” as it was usually spelled in Judah.10 Moreover,
there is also an inscription that references “Yahweh of Samaria.”11 A
painting of a seated king was discovered on plaster remains in one of the
structures. Due to the dating of the site and the geo-political setting, some
have suggested it is an image of King Jehoash himself.12 There
is no accompanying inscription, so such an identification is speculative ….
The
portrait of a seated king, reconstructed from plaster remains recovered at
Kuntillet ‘Ajrud. Some believe this to be an image of Jehoash, king of Israel.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 / from Beck et. al – Pirhiya
Beck (1982) The Drawings from Horvat Teiman (Kuntillet ‘Ajrud), Tel Aviv, 9:1,
3-68
Conclusion
Archaeological discoveries
have affirmed the historicity of Jehoash, king of Israel, and implicitly
support the biblical description of his military might. Further, the Assyrian
records shed light on the geo-political in the 8th century that
provides the background to Jehoash’s reign. Once again we see the accuracy of
the Bible in its description of historical details. ….
[End
of quote]
An Israeli archaeologist reviews the inscription on
the Jehoash... News Photo - Getty Images
Experts Try To Determine
Authenticity Of Jehoash Tablet
JERUSALEM - MARCH 27: An
Israeli archaeologist reviews the inscription on the Jehoash tablet in the
storerooms of the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) March 27, 2003 in
Jerusalem. The controversial basalt stone tablet is inscribed with an ancient
Hebrew inscription attributed to the biblical Jewish King Jehoash who ruled
Jerusalem in the ninth century BC. The tablet has been taken from the custody
of an antiquities collector as IAA experts try to determine if it is a forgery.
….
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