863 Jehu (King of Israel) 864 2. A Prophet situation described in the account is not in accord Jehu, son of Hanani, is the prophet who declared with that of the Persian period, in spite of the ex- YHWH’s judgement to Baasha, king of Israel, blam- pression “until this day” (vv. 41, 43). Although rela- ing his apostasy because he followed the sins of Jer- tively long, four generations of Jehu’s genealogical oboam (1 Kgs 16 : 1–7). According to the book of tree are recorded (v. 35), no attempt is made to asso- Kings, Jehu’s prophecy was fulfilled after Baasha’ ciate them with any of the traditional Simeonite’s death, during the regin of his son, Elah (1 Kgs clans (e.g., Num 26 : 12–14; 1 Chr 4 : 24). 16 : 9–12). In fact, Jehu’s words (vv. 2–5) are bor- Bibliography: ■ Klein, R. W., 1 Chronicles (Hermeneia; Min- rowed from Ahiah’s prophecy against Jeroboam neapolis, Minn. 2006). (1 Kgs 14 : 7–11), which is usually regarded as a deu- teronomistic composition. The historicity of this 5. Benjaminite Warrior prophecy is therefore dubious. Jehu, son of Hanani, According to the Chronicler, Jehu is one of the lead- appears also in 2 Chr 19: 1–3 as a seer (ḥzh), who ers of the Benjaminite warriors who joined David spoke to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, on his way at Ziklag when David was hiding from Saul (1 Chr back to Jerusalem from the battle with the king of 12 : 1, 3) and supported him in battle in spite of Aram. However, considering the large time gap their kinship with Saul (vv. 1–2). They were skilled from the prophecy to Baasha (1 Kgs 16), which can in slinging stones and shooting arrows and, proba- be more than forty years, the present account is bly, ambidextrous (v. 2; see also, Judg 3 : 15; 20 : 16). likely a Chronicler’s literary invention. Jehu is re- Jehu’s origin is Anathoth, the same place where the ported also to be responsible for a writing that has prophet Jeremiah’s family is from, but further ge- been included in the book of the Kings of Israel nealogical information is not given (v. 3). Since (2 Chr 20 : 34); it is, however, a particularity of the there is no parallel information in the books of Chronicler, who often mentions writings of pro- Samuel, the story may be a late invention by the phets about major Judean kings (1 Chr 29 : 29; 2 Chr Chronicler, who wanted to demonstrate Benjamin- 9 : 29; 12 : 15; 13 : 22; 20 : 34; 26 : 22; 32 : 32; 33 : 19), ite loyalty to the Davidic dynasty. probably seeking prophetic authentication of his work. Bibliography: ■ Klein, R. W., 1 Chronicles (Hermeneia; Min- neapolis, Minn. 2006). Bibliography: ■ Klein, R. W., 2 Chronicles (Hermeneia; Min- Jaeyoung Jeon neapolis, Minn. 2012). ■ Würthwein, E., Die Bücher der Kö- nige: 1 Könige 1–16 (ATD 11/1; Göttingen 1977). 3. Son of Obed, Father of Azariah Jehu (King of Israel) Jehu, a Judahite, is the son of Obed, father of Aza- I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament riah. He appears in the genealogy of Jerahmeel’s II. Literature family in the tribe of Judah (1 Chr 2 : 38). Within III. Visual Arts the genealogy, Jehu is a direct descendant of Jarha (sixth generation), an Egyptian slave who married a I. Hebrew Bible/Old Testament daughter of Sheshan (1 Chr 2 : 34–35). The geneal- Jehu (MT Yēhū; LXX Ιυ), king of Israel, is the son ogy of Jarha (1 Chr 2 : 35–41), one of the longest lin- of Jehoshaphat, grandson of Nimshi, and reigned ear genealogies in the HB, was probably inserted approximately from 841–814 BCE. Second Kingds into the present location to contend that, in spite of 9–10 provide a detailed account of Jehu’s rise with the Egyptian origin of Jarha, his descendants were highly sophisticated literary style and structure. Ac- integrated into the tribe of Judah; this is contradic- cording to the biblical narrative, Jehu was a military tory to the strong anti-exogamic tendency ex- commander of Joram, king of Israel, when the latter pressed in Ezra-Nehemiah (Ezra 9–10; Neh 13). was fighting against the Aramean army at Ramoth Bibliography: ■ Oeming, M., Das wahre Israel: Die “genealo- Gilead. With Elisha’s prophetic support, Jehu led a gische Vorhalle” 1 Chronik 1–9 (BWANT 128; Stuttgart 1990). revolt and killed Joram in Jezreel. He also severely wounded Ahaziah, king of Judah, causing his death 4. A Simeonite Prince at Meggido (2 Kgs 9 : 1–29). Nevertheless, it is Haz- Jehu (MT Yēhû; LXXB κα τ2 = Heb. wĕhû)is ael, king of Aram, who killed the two kings, accord- the son of Joshibiah, brother of Joel (1 Chr 4 : 35). ing to the commonly accepted interpretation of the According to the Chronicler, Jehu is one of the lead- Tel Dan inscription (A; B1+B2). The historicity of ers of Simeonite tribe who moved eastward, during the biblical account is therefore disputable. the reign of king Hezekiah, in search of pasture for As the previous usurpers of the Northern King- their flocks and occupied the place of the people of dom (1 Kgs 15 : 29; 16 : 11, etc.), Jehu, too, endeav- Ham and Meunites (vv. 40–41). The account of the ored to secure the success of his revolt by eliminat- Semeonite campaign (vv. 39–43) was possibly de- ing the entire house of Ahab (the queen Jezebel, rived from a different source in the Chronicler’s dis- seventy princes, the rest of the family members, and posal, as (1) it lacks Chronistic style, and (2) the Ahab’s retainers and priests: 2 Kgs 9 : 30–10 : 11, 17) Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception vol. 13 Authenticated | [email protected] © Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston, 2016 Download Date | 1/1/19 9:33 PM 865 Jehu (King of Israel) 866 and his Judean ally (forty-two brothers of Ahaziah: 2 (RIMA 3; Toronto, Ont. 1996). ■ Hasegawa, S., Aram and 2 Kgs 10 : 12–14). Jehu also killed the Baal worship- Israel during the Jehuite Dynasty (BZAW 434; Berlin/New York ers of Samaria and Israel, who probably were poten- 2012). ■ Naaman, N., “The Northern Kingdom in the Late tial supporters of Jezebel and the house Ahab (2 Kgs Tenth-Ninth Centuries BCE,” PBA 143 (2007) 399–418. ■ Nocquet, D., Le livret noir de Baal: La polémique contre le dieu 10 : 18–27). Through his proclaiming “zeal for Baal dans la Bible Hébraïque et dans l’ancien Israël (Actes et Re- YHWH” and coalition with Jehonadab the Recabite cherches; Geneva 2004). ■ Otto, S., Jehu, Elia und Elisa: Die (2 Kgs 10 : 15–16; cf. Jer 35), Jehu probably sought Erzählung von der Jehu-Revolution und die Komposition der Elia- religious justification of his revolt and political sup- Elisa-Erzählungen (BWANT 152; Stuttgart 2001). ■ Robker, port from the YHWH worshipers. J. M., The Jehu Revolution: A Royal Tradition of the Northern Decades later, Hosea harshly condemns the Kingdom and Its Ramifications (BZAW 435; Berlin 2012). ■ bloodthirsty massacre in Jezereel (Hos 1 : 4); but, Schneider, T., “Rethinking Jehu,” Bib. 77.1 (1996) 100– 107. ■ Schniedewind, W. M., “Tel Dan Stela: New Light on later, a deuteronomistic redactor of the book of Aramaic and Jehu’s Revolt,” BASOR 302 (1996) 75–90. Kings reframes the original Jehu story as YWHW’s Jaeyoung Jeon vengeance to the house of Ahab as was announced to Elijah. The passages that link the Jehu narrative II. Literature to the prophet Elijah are usually regarded as deu- Jehu, after a lengthy period of literary neglect, be- teronomistic, redactional passages: 1 Kgs 19 : 15–18; came a lively topic first in politically-inflected Euro- 2 Kgs 9 : 7–10a, 36–37; 10 : 10–11, 17ab, etc. pean writings and then in the “alternative history” In his foreign policy, Jehu took a contradictory romantic fiction of the 20th century. In the revolu- position to Ahab. Ahab fought against the Assyrian tionary politics of 17th-century England Jehu’s re- king Shalmaneser III according to the Kurkh Mono- volt could be used as an exemplum by either side lith; Jehu became his vassal soon after the revolt in the conflict. Sir Walter Raleigh in his History of (841 BCE) and paid tribute to him. Assyrian inscrip- the World (1614) cited Jehu as one whose actions re- tions such as “Black Obelisk” (RIMA 3, A.0.102.88), vealed that primogeniture had no hold in the OT. and other annal texts (RIMA 3, A.0.102.8, 1”–27”; John Milton justified the regicide of his time by cit- RIMA 3, A.0.102.10, iii45b–iv 15a; RIMA 3, ing Jehu’s action as the demonstration of a good act A.0.102.12, 21–30a) report Jehu’s tribute to Shal- commanded by God in A Defence of the English People maneser III. In the inscriptions Jehu is designated (1651). Later John Dryden would characterize Lord as “son of Omri.” It is therefore suggested that Jehu Shaftesbury as “this new Jehu” in The Medal (1682) was from the royal family of Omri (Schneider 1996). and castigate the anarchic reading of Scripture Nevertheless this title may have been a conven- which drove “Each Jehu lashing on with furious tional designation of king of Israel by the Assyrians force” in The Hind and the Panther (1687). By the time or a sign of recognition of Jehu as a legitimate king. of William Congreve’s comedy The Double Dealer The vassalage probably provided Jehu an opportu- (1693) the name was mockingly given to a rough nity to stabilize his new regime under the political coachman.