Jehoaddan
Jehoaddan was the mother of King Amaziah of Judah and was from Jerusalem.
Biography
Jehoaddan of Jerusalem was the mother of King Amaziah of Judah, whose twenty-nine year reign is chronicled in both 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25. Identified by her Jerusalemite origin in 2 Kings 14:2, she was the wife of King Joash and wielded the quiet but consequential influence of a queen mother in the Davidic court. Amaziah's reign began promisingly, he executed his father's assassins while sparing their children in accordance with the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 24:16), but later turned to idolatry and military overconfidence, resulting in defeat by Israel's King Jehoash. As the mother who shaped Amaziah's early formation, Jehoaddan occupies a place of quiet significance in the Judean royal succession.
Significance
Jehoaddan's mention in the regnal formulae of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles reflects the important institution of the queen mother in Israelite monarchy. The consistent recording of royal mothers in Judah's succession narratives signals that these women played a recognized role in shaping monarchic character and policy. Jehoaddan's son Amaziah began his reign with notable faithfulness to the Torah, suggesting her formative influence. Her story invites reflection on the theological importance of maternal nurture within the covenant community and the ways in which family environment shapes a leader's initial orientation toward God, even when that leader later strays from covenant faithfulness.
Verse Appearances (2)
2 Kings
2 Chronicles
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]