Shallum
Shallum was a son of Josiah, king of Judah, and the brother of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.
Biography
Shallum, also called Jehoahaz, was the fourth son of King Josiah of Judah and briefly reigned as king following his father's death at Megiddo around 609 BC. Despite being younger than his brother Eliakim, Shallum was chosen by the people of Judah as Josiah's successor, suggesting popular favor (2 Kings 23:30–31). His reign lasted only three months before Pharaoh Neco of Egypt intervened, deposing him and exiling him to Egypt, where he died (2 Kings 23:33–34). Jeremiah lamented his fate, declaring he would never return to see his homeland (Jeremiah 22:10–12). Neco then placed Eliakim, renamed Jehoiakim, on the throne as a vassal king, marking Judah's subjugation to Egyptian imperial power and accelerating the kingdom's decline toward the Babylonian conquest.
Significance
Shallum's brief reign and tragic exile to Egypt serve as a sobering illustration of the consequences of Judah's spiritual and political instability following Josiah's reforming reign. Jeremiah's oracle concerning him (Jeremiah 22:10–12) emphasizes that exile and death in a foreign land represent divine judgment upon unfaithful leadership. His removal by Pharaoh Neco marks the beginning of Judah's subordination to successive foreign empires, first Egypt, then Babylon, a trajectory culminating in the fall of Jerusalem. Shallum's fate underscores the prophetic theme that no earthly throne is secure apart from faithfulness to the Mosaic covenant, and that God uses foreign powers to execute His righteous purposes in history.
Verse Appearances (1)
1Chr
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]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]