Shimeath
Shimeath was an Ammonitess, the mother of Jozacar (or 'Jozachar'), one of the assassins of King Joash of Judah.
Biography
Shimeath was an Ammonitess woman, identified in 2 Kings 12:21 and 2 Chronicles 24:26 as the mother of Jozacar (also called Zabad in Chronicles), one of two servants who conspired to assassinate King Joash of Judah. After Joash had departed from fidelity to the Lord, stoning the prophet Zechariah, son of his benefactor Jehoiada the priest, divine judgment came through the hands of his own officials. Shimeath's son Jozacar joined with Jehozabad, son of the Moabitess Shimrith, to strike down the king as he lay wounded in his bed at Beth Millo. The specific mention of each assassin's foreign mother is notable, possibly reflecting the Chronicler's theological commentary on the consequences of foreign influence within the royal court.
Significance
Shimeath's identification as an Ammonitess carries deliberate theological weight in the narrative of Joash's assassination. The Chronicler's explicit notation of the foreign maternal origins of both assassins may serve as an implicit commentary on the broader spiritual compromise that characterized Joash's later reign, a reign that ended in apostasy and the murder of God's prophet. The participation of those with Ammonite and Moabite heritage in the king's assassination echoes the ongoing tension in Israel's history between covenant fidelity and the corrupting influences associated with surrounding nations. Shimeath's story, though brief, illustrates the complex interweaving of judgment and human agency in the biblical narrative of Israel's monarchic decline.
Verse Appearances (2)
2Kgs
2Chr
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]