Jehoram
Jehovah-exalted. (1.) Son of Toi, king of Hamath, sent by his father to congratulate David on the occasion of his victory over Hadadezer ( 2 Sam. 8:10 ). (2.) A Levite of the family of Gershom ( 1 Chr. 26:25 ). (3.) A priest sent by Jehoshaphat to instructruct the people in Judah ( 2 Chr. 17:8 ). (4.) The son of Ahab and Jezebel, and successor to his brother Ahaziah on the throne of Israel. He reigned twelve years, B.C. 896-884 ( 2 Kings 1:17 ; 3:1 ). His first work was to reduce to subjection the Moabites, who had asserted their independence in the reign of his brother. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, assisted Jehoram in this effort. He was further helped by his ally the king of Edom. Elisha went forth with the confederated army ( 2 Kings 3:1-19 ), and at the solicitation of Jehoshaphat encouraged the army with the assurance from the Lord of a speedy victory. The Moabites under Mesha their king were utterly routed and their cities destroyed. At Kir-haraseth Mesha made a final stand. The Israelites refrained from pressing their victory further, and returned to their own land. Elisha afterwards again befriended Jehoram when a war broke out between the Syrians and Israel, and in a remarkable way brought that war to a bloodless close ( 2 Kings 6:23 ). But Jehoram, becoming confident in his own power, sank into idolatry, and brought upon himself and his land another Syrian invasion, which led to great suffering and distress in Samaria ( 2 Kings 6:24-33 ). By a remarkable providential interposition the city was saved from utter destruction, and the Syrians were put to flight ( 2 Kings 7:6-15 ). Jehoram was wounded in a battle with the Syrians at Ramah, and obliged to return to Jezreel ( 2 Kings 8:29 ; 9:14 , 15 ), and soon after the army proclaimed their leader Jehu king of Israel, and revolted from their allegiance to Jehoram ( 2 Kings 9 ). Jehoram was pierced by an arrow from Jehu’s bow on the piece of ground at Jezreel which Ahab had taken from Naboth, and there he died ( 2 Kings 9:21-29 ). (5.) The eldest son and successor of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. He reigned eight years (B.C. 892-885) alone as king of Judah, having been previously for some years associated with his father ( 2 Chr. 21:5 , 20 ; 2 Kings 8:16 ). His wife was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. His daughter Jehosheba was married to the high priest Jehoiada. He sank into gross idolatry, and brought upon himself and his kingdom the anger of Jehovah. The Edomites revolted from under his yoke, and the Philistines and the Arabians and Cushites invaded the land, and carried away great spoil, along with Jehoram’s wives and all his children, except Ahaziah. He died a painful death from a fearful malady, and was refused a place in the sepulchre of the kings ( 2 Kings 8:16-24 ; 2 Chr. 21 ).
Jehu
Jehovah is he. (1.) The son of Obed, and father of Azariah ( 1 Chr. 2:38 ). (2.) One of the Benjamite slingers that joined David at Ziklag ( 1 Chr. 12:3 ). (3.) The son of Hanani, a prophet of Judah ( 1 Kings 16:1 , 7 ; 2 Chr. 19:2 ; 20:34 ), who pronounced the sentence of God against Baasha, the king of Israel. (4.) King of Israel, the son of Jehoshaphat ( 2 Kings 9:2 ), and grandson of Nimshi. The story of his exaltation to the throne is deeply interesting. During the progress of a war against the Syrians, who were becoming more and more troublesome to Israel, in a battle at Ramoth-gilead Jehoram, the king of Israel, had been wounded; and leaving his army there, had returned to Jezreel, whither his ally, Ahaziah, king of Judah, had also gone on a visit of sympathy with him ( 2 Kings 8:28 , 29 ). The commanders, being left in charge of the conduct of the war, met in council; and while engaged in their deliberations, a messenger from Elisha appeared in the camp, and taking Jehu from the council, led him into a secret chamber, and there anointed him king over Israel, and immediately retired and disappeared ( 2 Kings 9:5 , 6 ). On being interrogated by his companions as to the object of this mysterious visitor, he informed them of what had been done, when immediately, with the utmost enthusiasm, they blew their trumpets and proclaimed him king ( 2 Kings 9:11-14 ). He then with a chosen band set forth with all speed to Jezreel, where, with his own hand, he slew Jehoram, shooting him through the heart with an arrow (9:24). The king of Judah, when trying to escape, was fatally wounded by one of Jehu’s soldiers at Beth-gan. On entering the city, Jehu commanded the eunchs of the royal palace to cast down Jezebel into the street, where her mangled body was trodden under foot by the horses. Jehu was now master of Jezreel, whence he communicated with the persons in authority in Samaria the capital, commanding them to appear before him on the morrow with the heads of all the royal princes of Samaria. Accordingly on the morrow seventy heads were piled up in two heaps at his gate. At “the shearing-house” ( 2 Kings 10:12-14 ) other forty-two connected with the house of Ahab were put to death ( 2 Kings 10:14 ). As Jehu rode on toward Samaria, he met Jehonadab (q.v.), whom he took into his chariot, and they entered the capital together. By a cunning stratagem he cut off all the worshippers of Baal found in Samaria ( 2 Kings 10:19-25 ), and destroyed the temple of the idol ( 2 Kings 10:27 ). Notwithstanding all this apparent zeal for the worship of Jehovah, Jehu yet tolerated the worship of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. For this the divine displeasure rested upon him, and his kingdom suffered disaster in war with the Syrians ( 2 Kings 10:29-33 ). He died after a reign of twenty-eight years (B.C. 884-856), and was buried in Samaria (10:34-36). “He was one of those decisive, terrible, and ambitious, yet prudent, calculating, and passionless men whom God from time to time raises up to change the fate of empires and execute his judgments on the earth.” He was the first Jewish king who came in contact with the Assyrian power in the time of Shalmaneser II.
Jezebel
Chaste, the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Zidonians, and the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel ( 1 Kings 16:31 ). This was the “first time that a king of Israel had allied himself by marriage with a heathen princess; and the alliance was in this case of a peculiarly disastrous kind. Jezebel has stamped her name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear of either God or man, passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she spared no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendour. Four hundred and fifty prophets ministered under her care to Baal, besides four hundred prophets of the groves [R.V., ’prophets of the Asherah’], which ate at her table ( 1 Kings 18:19 ). The idolatry, too, was of the most debased and sensual kind.” Her conduct was in many respects very disastrous to the kingdom both of Israel and Judah (21:1-29). At length she came to an untimely end. As Jehu rode into the gates of Jezreel, she looked out at the window of the palace, and said, “Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?” He looked up and called to her chamberlains, who instantly threw her from the window, so that she was dashed in pieces on the street, and his horses trod her under their feet. She was immediately consumed by the dogs of the street ( 2 Kings 9:7-37 ), according to the word of Elijah the Tishbite ( 1 Kings 21:19 ). Her name afterwards came to be used as the synonym for a wicked woman ( Rev. 2 : 20). It may be noted that she is said to have been the grand-aunt of Dido, the founder of Carthage.
Jezreel
God scatters. (1.) A town of Issachar ( Josh. 19:18 ), where the kings of Israel often resided ( 1 Kings 18:45 ; 21:1 ; 2 Kings 9:30 ). Here Elijah met Ahab, Jehu, and Bidkar; and here Jehu executed his dreadful commission against the house of Ahab ( 2 Kings 9:14-37 ; 10:1-11 ). It has been identified with the modern Zerin, on the most western point of the range of Gilboa, reaching down into the great and fertile valley of Jezreel, to which it gave its name. (2.) A town in Judah ( Josh. 15:56 ), to the south-east of Hebron. Ahinoam, one of David’s wives, probably belonged to this place ( 1 Sam. 27:3 ). (3.) A symbolical name given by Hosea to his oldest son ( Hos. 1:4 ), in token of a great slaughter predicted by him, like that which had formerly taken place in the plain of Esdraelon (comp. Hos. 1:4 , 5 ).
Jezreel, Blood of
The murder perpetrated here by Ahab and Jehu ( Hos. 1:4 ; comp. 1 Kings 18:4 ; 2 Kings 9:6-10 ).
Jezreel, Day of
The time predicted for the execution of vengeance for the deeds of blood committed there ( Hos. 1:5 ).
Jezreel, Ditch of
( 1 Kings 21:23 ; comp. 13), the fortification surrounding the city, outside of which Naboth was executed.
Jezreel, Fountain of
Where Saul encamped before the battle of Gilboa ( 1 Sam. 29:1 ). In the valley under Zerin there are two considerable springs, one of which, perhaps that here referred to, “flows from under a sort of cavern in the wall of conglomerate rock which here forms the base of Gilboa. The water is excellent; and issuing from crevices in the rocks, it spreads out at once into a fine limpid pool forty or fifty feet in diameter, full of fish” (Robinson). This may be identical with the “well of Harod” ( Judg. 7:1 ; comp. 2 Sam. 23:25 ), probably the ‘Ain Jalud, i.e., the “spring of Goliath.”
Jezreel, Portion of
The field adjoining the city ( 2 Kings 9:10 , 21 , 36 , 37 ). Here Naboth was stoned to death ( 1 Kings 21:13 ).
Jezreel, Tower of
One of the turrets which guarded the entrance to the city ( 2 Kings 9:17 ).
Jezreel, Valley of
Lying on the northern side of the city, between the ridges of Gilboa and Moreh, an offshoot of Esdraelon, running east to the Jordan ( Josh. 17:16 ; Judg. 6:33 ; Hos. 1:5 ). It was the scene of the signal victory gained by the Israelites under Gideon over the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the “children of the east” ( Judg. 6:3 ). Two centuries after this the Israelites were here defeated by the Philistines, and Saul and Jonathan, with the flower of the army of Israel, fell ( 1 Sam. 31:1-6 ). This name was in after ages extended to the whole of the plain of Esdraelon (q.v.). It was only this plain of Jezreel and that north of Lake Huleh that were then accessible to the chariots of the Canaanites (comp. 2 Kings 9:21 ; 10:15 ).