Kingdom of Judah · around 835–796 BC
Joash in the Bible
The child king saved from the massacre. Name meaning: Uncertain meaning, often understood as “the LORD has given”; not to be confused with Joash, king of Israel, son of Jehoahaz (2 Kgs 13:10)
Joash, son of King Ahaziah, escapes the massacre of the royal family ordered by his grandmother Athaliah: his aunt Jehosheba hides him for six years in the house of the LORD. At age seven, the priest Jehoiada has him crowned. Joash reigns forty years and has the temple repaired, but after Jehoiada’s death he is drawn toward idols, has Zechariah, the son of his benefactor, stoned, and ends up assassinated by his own servants.
Key moments
- Jehosheba saves Joash from the massacre 2 Kings 11:2
- Six years hidden in the house of the LORD 2 Kings 11:3
- Jehoiada crowns him at age seven 2 Kings 11:12
- Athaliah is put to death and the covenant is renewed 2 Kings 11:16–17
- He decides to repair the house of the LORD 2 Chronicles 24:4
- After Jehoiada’s death, the princes of Judah lead him toward idols 2 Chronicles 24:17–18
- He has Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, stoned 2 Chronicles 24:21–22
- His servants kill him 2 Chronicles 24:25
Strengths
- Docility
- Zeal for the temple
- Inconsistency
- Ingratitude
Weaknesses
Joash holds firm only while he is being guided: he does what is right “all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him” (2 Kgs 12:2). When his protector dies, he listens to the princes of Judah as they turn to idols (2 Chr 24:17-18), then has Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, stoned, forgetting the kindness he was shown (24:21-22).
Lessons for today
- A borrowed faith does not last: Joash does what is right as long as Jehoiada lives, then goes astray (2 Chr 24:2, 17-18).
- God keeps His promise to David even in the worst of times: the hidden child preserves the royal line (2 Kgs 11:1-3; 2 Chr 23:3).
- Forgetting the good we have received leads to ingratitude: Joash kills the son of the man who saved him (2 Chr 24:22).
- Quiet servants like Jehosheba are often God’s instruments at decisive moments (2 Kgs 11:2).
But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.
People around Joash
- Jehosheba — His aunt, who saves him from the massacre and hides him for six years
- Jehoiada — Priest, husband of Jehosheba, who has him crowned and guides him
- Athaliah — His grandmother, who destroys the royal line and then reigns six years
- Zechariah — Son of Jehoiada, stoned on Joash’s orders
- Amaziah — His son and successor on the throne of Judah
Stories with Joash
Quiz: how well do you know Joash?
Who saved the infant Joash from the massacre ordered by Athaliah?
Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, stole him away from among the king’s sons, and hid him with his nurse in the bedchamber. 2 Kings 11:2
For how many years was Joash hidden in the house of the LORD?
Joash “was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years,” while Athaliah reigned. Jehoiada acted in the seventh year. 2 Kings 11:3–4
Which priest brought out the king’s son and crowned him?
The priest Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown and the testimony on him; they made him king and anointed him. 2 Kings 11:12
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