Jerusha

Jerusha was the daughter of Zadok and the wife of King Uzziah (Azariah) of Judah. She was the mother of King Jotham, one of the more righteous kings of Judah. She is mentioned briefly in the historical records as part of the royal lineage of Judah's kings.

Etymology & Roots

Jerusha (יְרוּשָׁא, Yerusha) derives from the Hebrew root יָרַשׁ (yarash), meaning "to possess," "to inherit," or "to dispossess." The name is a passive participle or perfect form, signifying "possessed," "inherited," or "one who is an inheritance." The feminine ending -ah (ָה) marks it as a woman's name. In 2 Chronicles 27:1 it is spelled יְרוּשָׁה (Yerushah) with a mappiq, a variant of the same root.

The name belongs to a cluster of Hebrew names derived from the inheritance concept — related terms include morasha (מוֹרָשָׁה, "possession") and yerushah (יְרוּשָׁה, "inheritance") used of the promised land itself. This gives the name rich covenantal overtones, linking personal identity to the land-promise.

Biblical Bearers

Only one Jerusha is named in the Hebrew Bible. She was the daughter of Zadok — likely a priestly family, given the famous high priest Zadok who served under David and Solomon — and wife of King Uzziah (Azariah) of Judah. She is mentioned solely in her capacity as the mother of King Jotham (2 Kings 15:33; 2 Chronicles 27:1). Jotham was one of Judah's more faithful kings, who did what was right in the LORD's eyes (2 Chronicles 27:2).

Jerusha's Zadokite lineage may suggest a priestly influence on her son's more devout reign.

Theological Significance

Jerusha's name — "possession" or "inheritance" — places her within the biblical theology of the land as Yahweh's gift to His people. A woman whose name means inheritance stands behind a king who preserved Judah's heritage of covenant faithfulness. In ancient Israel, inheritance was not merely property but identity, continuity, and divine promise embodied in land and lineage.

That Jerusha, daughter of a Zadokite priest, brought these covenantal associations into the royal house suggests how Israel's priestly and royal streams intertwined. Her son Jotham's faithfulness (2 Chronicles 27:6) implies that what she represented in name, she may also have embodied in the formation of his character.

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