Jehoshaphat in the Bible

Story, name meaning and life lessons

In brief

Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah, son of Asa. He reigns twenty-five years in Jerusalem, around the ninth century before Jesus Christ. The Bible says he seeks the LORD, removes the idols and sends teachers of the law throughout the cities of Judah. Yet he makes the mistake of allying himself with Ahab, king of Israel, and a prophet rebukes him. Facing a great multitude, he proclaims a fast, prays and receives God's deliverance while his people sing. His story shows that a heart that seeks God can still choose the wrong companions.

What does the name Jehoshaphat mean?

The name Jehoshaphat is generally linked to a Hebrew expression meaning the LORD judges or the LORD has judged, but the Bible gives no explanation of this name. It states that Jehoshaphat is the son of Asa and that his mother was named Azubah, daughter of Shilhi (1 Kings 22:41-42).

The world of Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat reigns over Judah for twenty-five years, having been crowned at the age of thirty-five (1 Kings 22:42). He comes to the throne in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 22:41). By the usual reckoning, his reign falls in the ninth century before Jesus Christ. The country is then divided into two kingdoms: Judah in the south, with Jerusalem, and Israel in the north, with Samaria. His father Asa had walked in the way of Yahweh, and Jehoshaphat begins by strengthening himself against Israel, placing troops in the fortified cities of Judah (2 Chronicles 17:1-2). In the north, Ahab serves Baal, and his son Ahaziah will do the same (1 Kings 22:52-53). Around Judah, Syria is at war with Israel, while Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir are neighbors who will become threatening. The biblical account therefore follows a godly king in a world of rivalries: he seeks God and teaches his law, but he also lets himself be drawn into an alliance that will cost him dearly.

The story of Jehoshaphat

  1. A king who strengthens Judah and seeks Yahweh

    2 Chronicles 17:1-6

    Jehoshaphat succeeds his father Asa. He strengthens himself against Israel, puts forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and garrisons in the land. Yahweh is with him because he walks in the first ways of his father David and does not seek the Baals. The text says he sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, not in the ways of Israel. His heart is lifted up in the ways of Yahweh, and he takes the high places and the Asherah poles out of Judah.

  2. Teachers sent to every city

    2 Chronicles 17:7-13

    In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sends five of his princes to teach in the cities of Judah. With them go nine Levites and two priests. They take the book of the law of Yahweh with them and go around all the cities. The text says the fear of Yahweh falls on the surrounding kingdoms, which make no war against him. Some Philistines bring him gifts, the Arabians bring flocks, and Jehoshaphat grows great exceedingly. He builds fortresses and store cities.

  3. An alliance by marriage with Ahab

    2 Chronicles 18:1-3; 1 Kings 22:1-4

    After three years of peace between Syria and Israel, Jehoshaphat goes down to the king of Israel. He has riches and honor in abundance, and he has allied himself with Ahab. In Samaria, Ahab kills sheep and cattle in abundance for him and his people, then urges him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat answers, “I am as you are, and my people as your people.” The two kings thus unite for a war that does not come from Yahweh.

  4. Micaiah before the kings

    1 Kings 22:5-28; 2 Chronicles 18:4-27

    Jehoshaphat asks Ahab to inquire for Yahweh's word. Four hundred prophets answer with one voice: “Go up.” Jehoshaphat is not convinced and asks whether there is no other prophet of Yahweh. Micaiah, son of Imlah, is sent for, whom the king hates because he prophesies only evil. Micaiah sees all Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd, then explains that Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. He is struck on the cheek, then put in prison with bread and water of affliction.

  5. Ahab's disguise and Jehoshaphat's cry

    2 Chronicles 18:28-34; 1 Kings 22:29-37

    The two kings go up to Ramoth Gilead. Ahab tells Jehoshaphat to put on his royal robes while he himself disguises himself. The king of Syria had ordered his chariot captains to fight only the king of Israel. Seeing Jehoshaphat, they think it is he and turn to surround him. Jehoshaphat cries out, Yahweh helps him, and God moves them to depart from him. Then a man draws his bow at random and strikes Ahab between the joints of the armor. Ahab dies in the evening, and his blood runs into the chariot.

  6. The rebuke of the prophet Jehu and the judges

    2 Chronicles 19:1-11

    Jehoshaphat returns in peace to Jerusalem. The prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, goes out to meet him and asks, “Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate Yahweh?” Yet he acknowledges that good things are found in him, for he has put away the Asheroth. Jehoshaphat then goes out among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brings them back to Yahweh. He sets judges in every fortified city and tells them that the fear of Yahweh must be on them.

  7. A multitude advances: fasting and prayer

    2 Chronicles 20:1-13

    The children of Moab and Ammon, with some Ammonites, come against Jehoshaphat. He is told that a great multitude is coming and is already at En Gedi. Alarmed, he sets himself to seek Yahweh and proclaims a fast throughout Judah. Before the assembly, in Yahweh's house, he recalls that God rules over all the kingdoms and gave the land to the descendants of Abraham. He concludes: “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” All Judah stands before Yahweh, with their little ones, their wives and their children.

  8. The singers before the army and Beracah Valley

    2 Chronicles 20:14-30

    The Spirit of Yahweh comes on the Levite Jahaziel, who tells Judah, “the battle is not yours, but God’s.” The next morning, Jehoshaphat urges the people to trust in Yahweh and appoints singers who go out before the army saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh; for his loving kindness endures forever.” When they begin to sing, Yahweh sets ambushers against the enemy, who destroy one another. Judah takes plunder for three days, then assembles on the fourth day in Beracah Valley to bless Yahweh.

  9. End of the reign: a last partnership that fails

    2 Chronicles 20:31-37; 1 Kings 22:48-50

    Jehoshaphat walks in the way of his father Asa and does what is right in Yahweh's eyes. Yet the high places are not taken away, and the people have still not set their hearts on the God of their fathers. Later, he joins himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, to make ships. The prophet Eliezer tells him that Yahweh has destroyed his works, and the ships are wrecked at Ezion Geber. Jehoshaphat then sleeps with his fathers, is buried in the city of David, and his son Jehoram reigns in his place.

Jehoshaphat's family

father
Asa 1 Kings 22:41
mother
Azubah 1 Kings 22:42
maternal grandfather
Shilhi 1 Kings 22:42
son
Jehoram 1 Kings 22:50

What Jehoshaphat teaches us

  • Seeking God with all one's heart is not limited to an emotion: Jehoshaphat also has the word of God taught to his people.
  • It is dangerous to ally oneself with those who do not obey God: the alliance with Ahab drew Jehoshaphat into a war that God had not wanted.
  • A rebuke from God can be a grace: Jehoshaphat accepts Jehu's reproof and sets about bringing the people back to the LORD.
  • When we do not know what to do, we can keep our eyes fixed on God: his prayer is a model of dependence and trust.
  • Praise can come before victory: the people sing before they see the deliverance God grants.

Key verses

2 Chronicles 17:3-4

These verses explain why the LORD was with Jehoshaphat: he walked in the earlier ways of David, did not seek the Baals and sought the God of his father.

2 Chronicles 19:2-3

The prophet Jehu rebukes Jehoshaphat for his alliance with a man who hates the LORD, but also acknowledges that he removed the idols and set his heart to seek God.

2 Chronicles 20:12

In the middle of the crisis, Jehoshaphat admits his weakness before the multitude advancing against him: we have no power. He adds that his eyes are on God. It is a model of prayer in times of distress.

Sermons about Jehoshaphat

Frequently asked questions

Who was King Jehoshaphat in the Bible?

Jehoshaphat was a king of Judah, son of Asa, who reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. The Bible says he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, taught the law to the people and was delivered in answer to his prayer, but that he also allied himself with kings of Israel who did not obey God.

What does the name Jehoshaphat mean?

The name Jehoshaphat is generally linked to a Hebrew expression meaning the LORD judges or the LORD has judged. The Bible gives no explanation of it. It only states that he was the son of Asa and that his mother was named Azubah (1 Kings 22:41-42).

Where can I find the story of Jehoshaphat in the Bible?

The story of Jehoshaphat is found mainly in 2 Chronicles 17 to 20, with a parallel account in 1 Kings 22 for the episode of Micaiah and Ahab. His battle of praise against Moab and Ammon is in 2 Chronicles 20, and his death is mentioned in 1 Kings 22:50.

Was Jehoshaphat a good king?

The Bible gives a nuanced verdict. It says he walked in the way of his father Asa and did what was right in Yahweh's eyes (2 Chronicles 20:32). He sought God, had the law taught and removed idols. But the same text notes that the high places were not taken away and that the people had still not set their hearts on God (20:33). Jehoshaphat also made alliances for which the prophets rebuked him. He is therefore presented as a king who loves Yahweh, but whose life shows that a good heart can choose the wrong companions.

Why did Jehoshaphat ally himself with Ahab?

The Bible does not give a detailed motive. It says that Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and that he allied himself with Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:1). Elsewhere it specifies that Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, married Ahab's daughter (2 Kings 8:16-18). Nothing in the text says God had asked for this alliance. The prophet Jehu, son of Hanani, will rebuke it by asking whether one should help the wicked (2 Chronicles 19:2). The account therefore leaves the reader with a fact and its result: an alliance made without consulting God draws Judah into Ahab's war.

Who is Micaiah, son of Imlah?

Micaiah, son of Imlah, is a prophet of Yahweh whom King Ahab hates, because he does not prophesy good concerning him (1 Kings 22:8). When the four hundred other prophets announce success, he first answers as they do, then speaks the truth: Israel will be scattered on the mountains as sheep that have no shepherd (22:17). He then explains his vision of God's throne and announces Ahab's misfortune. He is struck and put in prison, yet declares: “If you return at all in peace, Yahweh has not spoken by me” (22:28). He must not be confused with the Micah whose name is on a book of the prophets.

Who is the prophet Jehu, son of Hanani?

Jehu, son of Hanani, is the prophet who rebukes Jehoshaphat on his return from Ramoth Gilead (2 Chronicles 19:2). He reproaches him for helping the wicked, but also acknowledges good things in him: he has put away the Asheroth and set his heart to seek God (19:3). The text also says that the rest of Jehoshaphat's acts are written in the history of this Jehu (20:34). He must not be confused with Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, who became king of Israel (2 Kings 9:2): the two men bear the same name but not the same father.

What happened in Beracah Valley?

After the victory over Moab, Ammon and those of Mount Seir, Judah takes plunder for three days, because it is so much. On the fourth day, the people assemble in a valley where they bless Yahweh. The text says: “Therefore the name of that place was called ‘Beracah Valley’ to this day” (2 Chronicles 20:26). The name recalls the blessing. The men of Judah, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, then return to Jerusalem with joy, with stringed instruments, harps and trumpets, for Yahweh had made them rejoice over their enemies (20:27-28).

What became of Jehoshaphat's ships?

Two accounts mention these ships. In 2 Chronicles 20:35-37, Jehoshaphat joins himself with Ahaziah, king of Israel, who acts very wickedly, to make ships to go to Tarshish. The prophet Eliezer tells him that Yahweh has destroyed his works, and the ships are wrecked. In 1 Kings 22:48-49, the ships are wrecked at Ezion Geber, and Ahaziah then proposes that his servants go with Jehoshaphat's servants in the ships, but Jehoshaphat would not. The text does not detail this refusal further. It shows a clear lesson: a partnership with someone who does not obey God ends badly.

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