Introduction

There are only two verses in the Bible that mention Jehosheba (also spelled Jehoshabeath). In these two verses (which are almost identical in wording) we learn all that we need to know:

• She is a princess (daughter of the king)
• She was the sister of Ahaziah
• She saved her nephew, the son of Ahaziah from certain death
• She sided with God over Athlaiah
• She was married to the high priest

Jehosheba's actions led to the restoration of Judah's throne. Not only did she save the lineage of David, but by bringing Joash (her nephew) to be raised in the temple, she likely is responsible for fostering a love of God in the young king's heart. As such she is also responsible for restoring Judah's monarchy to God and turning the nation away from idolatry.

Origins and Name Meanings

Princess Lineage

Jehosheba is identified as the daughter of Joram and the sister of Ahaziah. We aren't told who her mother is, so there is a possibility that Athaliah is her mother. On the one hand, Jehosheba is said explicitly to be the sister of Ahaziah, not the half sister, which makes it seem like they share both parents. On the other hand, many of Judah's kings had several wives (remember Solomon had 1000 if you include concubines and David had at least 8), so it seems likely that Joram, who wasn't following God, had multiple wives. Regardless of who Jehosheba's mother was, we are told Joram is her father and Ahaziah is her brother, making her a princess of Judah. As such, we also know that she was from the Tribe of Judah.

Meaning of the Name

Jehosheba means "YHWH has sworn" in Hebrew.[1] I think this is interesting considering God promised the line of David would not end. Had Jehosheba's sister-in-law had her way, the line would have ended. It is threw Jehosheba's actions that the promise God made is kept.

Questions

About the Passage

1. Was Jehosheba Athaliah's daughter?
2. How did she know Athaliah was killing the heirs to the throne?
3. Was she friends with Joah's mother?
   • Who was Joash's mother? (2 Chronicles 24:1)
   • What happened to Joash's mother?
   • Why didn't Joash's mother save her own son?
4. Why didn't she save the other heirs to the throne?
5. Did her husband know what she was doing?
6. Did she ask him for permission or just show up with the baby?
7. Did Athaliah know Jehosheba saved Joash?
8. Did she preternd to search for Joash or mourn for him while he was in hiding to keep the secret?
9. How big of a role did Jehosheba play in raising Joash?
10. Did Jehosheba have any children of her own?
11. Does her marriage to the high priest say anything about her relationship with YHWH?
12. What happened to her once Joash was made king?
13. Did Joash know she saved his life?
14. Why didn't Athaliah ever think to look in the Temple for Joash?
    • Was she prohibited?
    • Did she know where he was the whole time and just wasn't concerned because of his age?
    • Did she know Joash existed?
15. Could Jehosheba have been both Joash's mother and aunt? (No, see 2 Chronicles 24:1)

If I could meet her

Jehosheba must have been quick on her feet to save her nephew. If I could sit down and talk to her, I would want to know all the details of this rescue. Did she grab the baby in the spur of the moment? Did she have to make a plan? Did she swap Joash with another baby to throw people off? Did she include Joash's mother in on the plan? Was she afraid that Athaliah and those loyal to Athaliah would come after her and her family (if she had children of her own)?

Speaking of if she had children of her own, she was married to the high priest, but we aren't told how old she is. Was she in her late teens or her late fifties? It doesn't matter, but it would be interesting to know if this was a case of extreme youth making a difference and being wise beyond your years versus a seasoned woman acting on wisdom acquired over the years.

The last thing I would be curious about is who Jehosheba actually was. For some reason, when I read the verse about her, I picture the fun aunt. However, it's just as likely that she was the stern aunt. Afterall, she was married to the high priest. I am curious is she put extra pressure on Joash as the last remaining heir, or if she spoiled him (or both!). I am also curious how she would respond to the proverb that it takes a village to raise a child.

Phototheology

Phototheology is a way of learning the Bible taught by Ivor Myers.[2] I am employing this technique in my weekly Woman of God study journal. The following three pormpts are the ones I drew from the card deck while studying Jehosheba.

Study the text against the backdrop of the time prophecies in the Bible

There are several time prophecies in the Bible. The main prophecies I can think of are these:

• 400 years of captivity (Genesis 15) — told to Abraham about the Israelites
• 40 years in the wilderness (Numbers 14) — told to Moses about the Israelites
• 70 years of captivity (Jeremiah 25) — told to Jeremiah about the Israelites
• 70 weeks (Daniel 9) — told to Daniel about how to identify the Messiah
• 2300 days (Daniel 8) — told to Daniel about the end times
• 1260 days (Daniel 7; Daniel 12; Revelation 12) — told to Daniel (and John) about the end times

Most of these prophecies were give after Jehosheba's time and quite frankly were only possible because she saved the lineage of the kings. However, there is a pattern in these prophecies. Ironically I pulled the card asking about the text being part of a pattern two days after I pulled this card, to I'll share my thoughts on this in that section.

For the two time prophecies that occured before Jehosheba's time, they both reference the establishment and trials of Israel. While there is some contraversy about the fulfillment of the 400 years of captivity, most teach that this is a reference to Israel's time in Egypt before the establishment of The Promised Land. We can get into the weeds about that in a different post, but if we take that at face value, this prophecy is about Israel struggling in a foreign land; Athaliah's reign was about them being led astray in their own land. The 40 years peophecy in which Israel was condemned to wander in the wilderness before entering the promised land deals with Israel's inability to follow the Most High and trust in Him. Israel continues to struggle with this and are struggling to follow God when Jehosheba saves Joash. In many ways, Joash represents the chosen one who leads Israel back to the God. Jehosheba represents the helping hands that preserve and motivate the chosen one to accomplish God's purpose.

How does the story relate to meekness

I looked up the dictionary definition of meekness to verify my assumption of what meekness was matched what it actually is. I will say that since then I have heard a sermon that contradicted part of the dictionary definition and in many ways this word is a bit of a mystery to me from a Biblical point of view. First, I want us to remember that we're using English words to describe concepts that were originally formed in Hebrew, Aramaic, and/or Greek. Sometimes there are nuances that just don't translate well. In English, meekness is associated with letting people walk over you but in the Bible meekness is associated with both Moses and Messiah, neither of whom let people walk over them. Moses killed a man for mistreating someone then stood up to Pharaoh and led his people out of Egypt; Messiah stood up to the Pharisees on numerous occassions. So, that part of the English definition definitely isn't what the authors of scripture had in mind. For the purpose of this question, I'm assuming meekness to be along the lines of humbleness—not boastful.

Jehosheba being boastful likely would have ruined her efforts. Imagine saving someone and hiding them away only to tell everyone what you've done... It wouldn't take long for your efforts to fall apart because someone ratted you out or someone overheard and eventually the queen's men are at the Temple to execute little Joash. Jehosheba must have been humble about her role in saving Joash for at least the first part of his life in order to keep him safe. The text doesn't tell us what happened after the fact, but the important takeaway is that for some missions God gives us, the abiltiy to remain humble will be critical to the success of the mission!

Is the text part of a pattern

The pattern that immediately popped into my head when thinking about this passage is that of a chosen one delivering God's people from sin:

Journal Pages

Journal pages on Jehosheba.

References & Footnotes

1. "Strongs H3089. יְהוֹשֶׁבַע". Blue Letter Bible; visited March 2025
2. Pastor Ivor Myers' Phototheology Game Deck