Bible Word Study
יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת
Yᵉhôwshabʻath · Jehoshabath, an Israelitess
יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת
Jehoshabath, an Israelitess
Definition
יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת (Jehoshabath) is a proper name meaning 'Yahweh is an oath' or 'Yahweh has sworn.' She is identified as the daughter of King Jehoram of Judah and the wife of Jehoiada the priest (2 Chronicles 22:11). Her primary biblical role is as a heroic figure who rescues her nephew, the infant prince Joash, from the murderous purge of Queen Athaliah, who sought to destroy the royal line of Judah. Jehoshabath hides Joash in the temple for six years, preserving the Davidic lineage and enabling his eventual coronation as king.
Biblical Usage
This name appears only once in the Old Testament, in 2 Chronicles 22:11. The context is a critical moment of dynastic crisis following the death of King Ahaziah. Jehoshabath's action is presented as a decisive, courageous intervention within the royal family and temple precincts, directly enabling the continuation of the Davidic kingly line in Judah.
Etymology
The name יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת is a feminine form of the name יְהוֹשֶׁבַע (Yehowshebaʻ, H3089), meaning 'Yahweh is an oath.' It is a theophoric name combining the divine name Yahweh (יְהוֹ) with the root שָׁבַע (shabaʻ), meaning 'to swear' or 'to take an oath.' It is essentially a variant spelling of the more common יְהוֹשֶׁבַע, highlighting God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.
Semantic Range
Jehoshabath's story is theologically significant as a demonstration of God's providence in preserving the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:16). Her faithful action, facilitated by her position as both a princess and a priest's wife, ensures the survival of the Messianic line. Understanding her Hebrew name, which declares 'Yahweh is an oath,' enriches the narrative by framing her rescue as an instrument of God's faithfulness to His sworn promises to David. As a king's daughter married to the high priest, Jehoshabath occupied a unique social and religious position, granting her access to both the palace and the temple. Her act of hiding the prince in a temple bedroom (not a public area) would have been possible only for someone with such privileged status. This reflects the interconnected roles of royalty and priesthood in Judah's culture. יְהוֹשֶׁבַע (Yᵉhôwshebaʻ, H3089) — The more common masculine/feminine form of the same name, borne by a sister of King Ahaziah in 2 Kings 11:2, who is likely the same person as Jehoshabath.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]