Zarakes
An Alternate Name for Jehoahaz
Zarakes is the name given in 1 Esdras 1:38 to the king known as Jehoahaz in 2 Kings 23:31-34 and as Joahaz in 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. This Greek form of the name appears only in the apocryphal book of 1 Esdras, which presents a parallel account of the final period of the Judean monarchy and the Babylonian exile. The significant variation in the name reflects the complex textual transmission of biblical names through different languages and manuscript traditions.
The Historical King
The person behind the name Zarakes was a son of the righteous King Josiah, who was killed at the Battle of Megiddo in 609 BC fighting against Pharaoh Necho of Egypt (2 Kings 23:29-30). After Josiah's death, the people of the land made Jehoahaz (Zarakes) king, though he was not the eldest son. He reigned in Jerusalem for only three months before Pharaoh Necho deposed him, replacing him with his brother Eliakim, whom Necho renamed Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:31-34). Necho then took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died in captivity.
The 1 Esdras Account
The account in 1 Esdras 1:38 presents some differences from the canonical accounts in Kings and Chronicles. According to 1 Esdras, Jehoiakim (called Joakim in 1 Esdras) apparently apprehended his brother Zarakes and brought him up out of Egypt. This detail contradicts the account in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, which simply state that Necho took Jehoahaz to Egypt. These discrepancies illustrate the challenges of harmonizing parallel historical accounts across different biblical and apocryphal texts.
The Fall of Judah's Last Kings
Zarakes/Jehoahaz belongs to the tragic sequence of Judah's final kings. After the death of the godly Josiah, Judah rapidly declined under a succession of weak and wicked rulers. Jehoahaz lasted only three months; his replacement Jehoiakim served as an Egyptian vassal and later submitted to Babylon before rebelling. Jehoiachin reigned only three months before surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar. Finally, Zedekiah, the last king, was captured when Jerusalem fell in 586 BC. The brief reign of Zarakes/Jehoahaz marked the beginning of this final downward spiral.
Textual Variations and Their Significance
The existence of multiple names for the same king (Zarakes, Jehoahaz, Joahaz, and Shallum in Jeremiah 22:11) reflects the complex ways in which names were transmitted across Hebrew, Greek, and Latin manuscript traditions. Such variations were common in the ancient world, where names were transliterated across languages and sometimes corrupted through copying. For Bible readers, these variations serve as a reminder of the long and intricate process by which biblical texts were preserved and transmitted across centuries and cultures.
Biblical Context
Zarakes appears in 1 Esdras 1:38 as an alternate name for Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah who briefly reigned as king of Judah. The canonical accounts appear in 2 Kings 23:31-34 and 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. Jeremiah 22:11 refers to the same king as Shallum. These passages record the final decline of the Judean monarchy before the Babylonian exile.
Theological Significance
The story of Zarakes/Jehoahaz illustrates the consequences of national unfaithfulness. Despite having a godly father in Josiah, Jehoahaz did evil in the sight of the Lord, and his reign ended swiftly. His deposition by a foreign power fulfilled the prophetic warnings that disobedience would lead to exile and subjugation. The rapid succession of failed kings after Josiah's reforms demonstrates that spiritual renewal in one generation does not guarantee faithfulness in the next.
Historical Background
The events surrounding Zarakes/Jehoahaz took place in 609 BC, during a pivotal period in ancient Near Eastern history. Egypt under Pharaoh Necho II was attempting to prop up the declining Assyrian Empire against the rising power of Babylon. Josiah's fatal intervention at Megiddo disrupted Egyptian plans, and Necho's subsequent deposition of Jehoahaz and installation of Jehoiakim established Egyptian control over Judah. Within a few years, Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar would replace Egypt as the dominant power in the region.