King Joash of Judah son of Ahaziah (835-796)1 William F. Albright dates his reign to 837-800 B.C.E., while E. R. Thiele puts it at 835-796.
Many people in Bible times had the name Jehoash, or Joash in its shorter form (e.g., Jdgs. 6:29-31; 1Chron 4:22; 7:8; 12:3; 27:28; 18:25). The most important of them all were the two kings who ruled during the time of the divided kingdom, one over Judah and the other over Israel.
To avoid confusion, Jehoash of Judah is often referred to as Joash. When his father Ahaziah was killed, the mother of Ahaziah killed Ahaziah’s children and seized the throne of Judah. This woman, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, then established her parents’ Baalism in Judah. The only child to escape her massacre was the year-old Joash, who was rescued by his aunt (wife of the high priest) and brought up secretly in the temple. After six years the high priest led a successful revolution that saw Athaliah killed, Baalism removed, and the child Joash placed on the Davidic throne (835 BC; 2 Kings 11).
The most influential person in Judah at that time was Jehoiada the high priest, who trained and instructed Joash. Because of Jehoiada’s influence, Joash matured into a good king (2Kgs. 12:2; 2Chr. 24:2-3). When he found inefficiency, and possibly dishonesty, among those responsible for repairing the temple, Joash acted decisively to have the work completed promptly (2Kgs. 12:4-16; 2Chr. 24:4-14).
The tragedy of King Joash of Judah is that, after his mentor and guardian, Jehoiada, died, he began listening to wicked advisers. Joash revived Baal and Asherah worship in Judah (2 Chronicles 24:17–19). God sent prophets to warn Joash, but he did not listen to them. Finally, the prophet Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada, brought God’s word to Joash, but the king callously ordered the son of his old friend to be stoned to death (verses 19–22). God’s judgment fell upon Judah in the form of a costly invasion by Syria’s king Hazael (842 to 800 BC). Joash was assassinated by his own soldiers and was not even given a royal funeral (2Kgs. 12:17-21; 2Chr. 24:23-27).2Got Questions Ministries. Who was King Joash in the Bible? https://www.gotquestions.org/King-Joash.html
Jehoash of Israel (not of Judah) came to the throne at a time when Syria was crushing his country (798 BC; 2Kgs. 13:7-9). Though unfaithful to God, he respected God’s prophet Elisha (2Kgs. 13:11; 2Kgs. 13:14). In three battles against Syria, he regained much of Israel’s lost territory, and only lack of faith stopped him from regaining a lot more (2Kgs. 13:15-19; 2Kgs. 13:25). He was chiefly remembered for a battle with Judah that he tried to avoid. In a stunning victory he plundered Jerusalem and taught the arrogant Judean king a timely lesson (2Kgs. 13:12; 2Kgs. 14:8-14).
From the Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
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