Bible Word Study
יֵהוּא
Yêhûwʼ · Jehu, the name of five Israelites
יֵהוּא
Jehu, the name of five Israelites
Definition
Jehu is a proper name given to five distinct individuals in the Old Testament. Most notably, it refers to Jehu son of Nimshi, the tenth king of the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 19:16, 2 Kings 9:2). This Jehu was anointed by God's prophet to execute judgment on the house of Ahab and Jezebel, and he violently overthrew them to become king (2 Kings 9-10). The name is also borne by a prophet who rebuked King Baasha of Israel (1 Kings 16:1, 7) and by other minor figures, including a man from Judah (1 Chronicles 2:38) and a Simeonite (1 Chronicles 4:35).
Biblical Usage
The name Jehu appears 54 times, primarily in the historical books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles. Its usage is almost exclusively for the king of Israel, with the narrative concentrated in 2 Kings 9-10 detailing his anointing, bloody coup, and reign. The other individuals named Jehu appear in genealogical lists or brief prophetic narratives. The pattern shows the name is used for significant agents of God's judgment, particularly the king.
Etymology
Derived from the Hebrew elements 'Yah' (a shortened form of YHWH, H3068) and 'hû' (H1931, meaning 'he'). Thus, the name means 'Yahweh is He' or 'He is Yahweh,' a theophoric name declaring the identity and sovereignty of the God of Israel.
Semantic Range
King Jehu is a complex figure used by God as an instrument of divine judgment against the idolatrous dynasty of Ahab (2 Kings 10:30). However, his reign is also critiqued for not following the law of the Lord wholeheartedly (2 Kings 10:31). He serves as a case study in God's use of flawed human agents to accomplish His purposes and the importance of complete obedience. His name itself, meaning 'Yahweh is He,' stands in contrast to the Baal worship he was commissioned to eradicate. In ancient Israel, names often carried significant meaning and were thought to reflect character or destiny. A name like Jehu ('Yahweh is He') was a public confession of faith. For the king, this name framed his reign as one that should affirm God's sole sovereignty, even though his actions were mixed. His violent methods, while shocking to modern readers, were a standard part of ancient Near Eastern dynastic upheavals and were portrayed as fulfilling prophetic judgment. Yehoyakim (H3079) — Another theophoric name ('Yahweh establishes'), but for a king of Judah. Yehu' (H3058) is the same name; this is just an alternate transliteration.
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]