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JEHU

(Heb. yēhûʾ)

King Jehu of Israel bowing in submission before the Assyrian Shamaneser III; Black Obelisk, Nimrud (841 b.c.e.) (Copyright British Museum)

1. A prophetic figure in the era of King Baasha of Israel, identified as the son of Hanani (1 Kgs. 16:1-4). He received a divine oracle to deliver a judgment pronouncing the death of Baasha and the demise of the royal house. Later he confronted King Jehoshaphat of Judah and reprimanded him for his alliance with King Ahab of Israel (2 Chr. 19:2-3).

2. King of Israel for 28 years (ca. 843-816 b.c.e.). Jehu usurped the throne from Joram/Jehoram and established a dynasty that lasted almost a century.

Jehu’s patronymic information is given as both “son of Nimshi” (1 Kgs. 19:16; 2 Kgs. 9:20; 2 Chr. 22:7) and “son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi” (2 Kgs. 9:2, 14). Most scholars regard Jehoshaphat as the name of his father and Nimshi that of his grandfather. The designation “son of Nimshi” is, therefore, better understood as descendant of Nimshi. It has also been suggested that Nimshi is the name of the clan to which Jehu belonged. Finally, the designation “son of Jehoshaphat” may be a later addition to the text, Jehu’s father then being Nimshi.

In the Assyrian inscriptions of Shalmaneser III (ANET, 280-81) Jehu is identified as iaúa mār humrî (lit., “Jehu son of Omri”). Such a designation contradicts the information provided by the OT and has confounded scholars for almost a century. Several proposals have been offered: (1) Akk. iaúa may merely represent the divine name Yaw, and thus be taken as a hypocoristicon for Joram or Jehu; since Joram is a descendant of Omri, iaúa is more likely Joram. This proposal has not won much support. (2) Akk. mār ——— is used to denote a citizen or native of a city or a country, and thus is a synonym for a gentilic. The Assyrians continued to refer to Israel either as māt humrî (“the land of Omri”) or māt bīt-humrî (“the land of Beth-omri”) until the fall of the northern kingdom. Thus, iaúa mār humrî is to be understood as “Jehu the (Bīt)-Humrite.” (3) Jehu was a descendant of a different branch of the Omri clan than Ahab. This is one reason why the biblical texts always refer to the event of Jehu’s coup as the destruction of the house of Ahab (2 Kgs. 9:7-9; 10:10-11) and not the destruction of the house of Omri.

According to 2 Kgs. 9–10 Jehu was one of the commanders of the army (śārê haḥayil), perhaps even the chief commander (the messenger addresses him as haśśār, “the commander”; 9:5). The narrator set the ascendancy of Jehu to the Israelite throne in the context of a border conflict between Israel and Aram-Damascus (now ruled by Hazael) at Ramoth-gilead. This conflict arose following the usurpation of the Damascene throne by Hazael, which led to the collapse of the alliance of Syro-Palestinian states led by Hadadezer of Damascus and Irḫuleni of Hamath. Israel under Ahab was a major participant (ANET, 278-79) in this coalition, which had been successful in checking the advance of Shalmaneser III into Syria-Palestine. King Joram was wounded by the Arameans in battle and had to return to Jezreel to recuperate (2 Kgs. 8:28-29). With the king gone from the battlefield, the stage was set for Jehu’s coup. The narrator of 2 Kgs. 9–10 attributes the motivation for the coup to divine initiative (cf. 1 Kgs. 19:15-17, where Elijah was commanded by Yahweh to anoint Jehu as king). The prophet Elisha summons a disciple to go anoint Jehu as king over Israel. As the disciple anoints Jehu, he delivers to him also a divine oracle, that he will “strike down the house of your master, Ahab,” as vengeance on Jezebel (2 Kgs. 9:6-8). When the other officers learn what has transpired, they quickly proclaim Jehu king. While the divine initiative is meant to give legitimation to the revolt, it is nonetheless more appropriately viewed as a military coup. Taking advantage of Joram’s incapacitation, Jehu leads a conspiracy and goes after the incapacitated monarch. King Ahaziah of Judah has also gone to Jezreel to visit Joram. Unsuspecting, both Joram and Ahaziah go out to meet Jehu, and Joram is killed (2 Kgs. 9:14-26). With Joram dead, Jehu continues with the killing of Ahaziah of Judah (2 Kgs. 9:27-28) and Jezebel (vv. 30-37) and masterminds the massacre of the house of Ahab (10:1-17). The final act of Jehu, according to the narrator, is the destruction of the Baal cult — its worshippers, its pillar, and its temple (2 Kgs. 10:18-27). The theological reason for the positive assessment of the coup in the 2 Kings account is quite evident, namely, that Jehu is credited for the dismantling of Baal worship in Israel in the 9th century. While the prophetic participation in the coup may not be historically accurate, it serves as a divine sanction for the revolt.

The prophet Hosea offers an entirely different assessment of Jehu’s coup. According to Hosea, because of the bloodbath that took place in Jezreel, Yahweh will punish the Jehu dynasty and put an end to the northern kingdom (Hos. 1:4-5).

Shalmaneser III (858-824) mentions in his annals that he mounted a campaign against Hazael of Aram-Damascus in his 18th year (841-840). Following a devastating defeat of Hazael, the Assyrian king claims that he received tribute from the Tyrians, Sidonians, and Jehu the (Bīt)-Humrite (or “son of Omri”). Also, in a panel of the Black Obelisk relief of Shalmaneser III Jehu is depicted as bowing before the Assyrian king and presenting tribute (ANEP, 351; ANET, 281). These Assyrian texts are perhaps suggestive of a political realignment of Israel’s foreign policy. In earlier campaigns of Shalmaneser in Syria-Palestine (in 853 [the famous Battle of Qarqar], 849, 848, and 845), the Assyrian king confronted a strong coalition, led by Hadadezer of Aram-Damascus and Irhuleni of Hamath, and was forced to turn back each time at the Orontes River. Israel, under Ahab, was a major participant in the coalition. The campaign in the 18th year is markedly different from the earlier campaigns. The usurpation of Hazael of the Damascene throne probably led to the disintegration of the anti-Assyrian coalition. Without a strong coalition to thwart the advance of the Assyrians, Jehu may have found it expedient to alter Israel’s foreign policy and submit to Shalmaneser. Since the Israelites were already contending with an Aramean offensive (2 Kgs. 8:28-29), Jehu’s submission to Assyria was a tactical move to avoid further assault.

Bibliography. M. Elat, “The Campaigns of Shalmaneser III against Aram and Israel,” IEJ 25 (1975): 25-35; P. K. McCarter, “ ‘Yaw, Son of ʿOmri’: A Philological Note on Israelite Chronology,” BASOR 216 (1974): 5-7; T. J. Schneider, “Rethinking Jehu,” Bibl 77 (1996): 100-7.

3. The son of Obed and father of Azariah in the Judahite genealogy (1 Chr. 2:38).

4. The son of Joshibiah, a Simeonite (1 Chr. 4:35).

5. A Benjamite from Anathoth who served David at Ziklag as a warrior (1 Chr. 12:3).

Jeffrey K. Kuan

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

JEHU

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)