Lexical Summary
Yoshiyyah or Yoshiyyahu: Josiah
Original Word:יאֹשִׁיָּה
Part of Speech:Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration:Yo'shiyah
Pronunciation:yo-shee-YAH-hoo
Phonetic Spelling:(yo-shee-yaw')
KJV: Josiah
NASB:Josiah, Josiah's
Word Origin:[from the same root asH803 (אֲשׁוּיָה - Work) andH3050 (יָהּ - LORD)]
1. founded of Jah
2. Joshijah, the name of two Israelites
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Josiah
Or {yo-she-yaw'-hoo}; from the same root as'ashuwyah andYahh; founded of Jah; Joshijah, the name of two Israelites -- Josiah.
see HEBREW'ashuwyah
see HEBREWYahh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
Yah and
asheyahDefinition"Yah supports," two Isr.
NASB TranslationJosiah (52), Josiah's (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, (
supporteth)
king of Judah, son of Amon1 Kings 13:2;2 Kings 21:24,26 11t. Kings, + 19 t. Chronicles, + 17 t. Jeremiah +Zephaniah 1:1; alsoJeremiah 27:1.
a returned exileZechariah 6:10.
see below III. .
Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and General Profileיֹאשִׁיָּה (Josiah) appears about fifty-three times, with the large majority referring to the sixteenth king of Judah (2 Kings 22–23;2 Chronicles 34–35). Minor occurrences include a post-exilic layman, “Josiah son of Zephaniah” (Zechariah 6:10, 14), and two brief genealogical mentions (1 Chronicles 3:14;1 Chronicles 4:35). The canonical portrait presents Josiah as the last God-fearing monarch of the Davidic line before the Babylonian exile, whose reign marks the final bright outburst of covenant faithfulness in Judah.
Genealogical Setting
• Father: Amon, a short-lived and idolatrous king (2 Kings 21:19–26).
• Grandfather: Manasseh, whose long apostasy had filled Jerusalem with blood (2 Kings 21:16).
• Sons: Johanan, Jehoiakim (Eliakim), Shallum (Jehoahaz), and Zedekiah (Mattaniah) (1 Chronicles 3:15).
• Prophetic contemporaries: Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:2), Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:1), Nahum (implicitly dated), and possibly Habakkuk.
Historical Milestones of His Reign (2 Kings 22–23;2 Chronicles 34–35)
1. Accession at eight years old, 640 B.C. (2 Kings 22:1).
2. Spiritual awakening at sixteen: “He began to seek the God of his father David” (2 Chronicles 34:3).
3. Purge of idolatry at twenty (2 Chronicles 34:3–7). Altars, Asherah poles, carved images, and molten images were ground to powder and scattered on the graves of their worshipers.
4. Temple repair in the eighteenth year. During the project Hilkiah discovered “the Book of the Law of the LORD given through Moses” (2 Chronicles 34:14-15).
5. Huldah’s oracle (2 Kings 22:15-20) affirmed that judgment on Judah was inevitable but delayed because Josiah’s heart was tender before the LORD.
6. National covenant renewal: “The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD… to perform the words of this covenant written in this book” (2 Kings 23:3).
7. Destruction of the Bethel altar and the disinterring of idolatrous priests’ bones—fulfilling the unnamed prophet’s prediction made some three centuries earlier (1 Kings 13:2;2 Kings 23:16).
8. The greatest Passover since the days of the judges (2 Chronicles 35:18-19).
9. Death at Megiddo in 609 B.C. while opposing Pharaoh Neco (2 Kings 23:29-30). Jeremiah composed laments for him (2 Chronicles 35:25).
Theological Significance
• Total commitment: “There was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25). Josiah models wholehearted obedience that engages the entire covenant formula ofDeuteronomy 6:5.
• Scripture’s authority rediscovered: The impact of the Law’s public reading underscores the sufficiency and binding authority of written revelation on both ruler and people.
• Prophetic validation: The fulfillment of the prophecy against Bethel confirms the reliability of earlier prophetic words and illustrates that divine promises often ripen through long periods of apparent delay.
• Delay of judgment but not cancellation: Josiah’s reforms stayed God’s wrath (2 Kings 22:20) yet did not abolish the consequences of generations of sin, teaching that personal righteousness does not automatically shelter an unrepentant nation.
Relationship to Contemporary Prophets
• Jeremiah began prophesying “in the thirteenth year of Josiah” (Jeremiah 1:2). His early oracles often presuppose Josiah’s reforms (Jeremiah 2–6).
• Zephaniah preached “in the days of Josiah son of Amon” (Zephaniah 1:1), exposing lingering idolatry and urging genuine heart-change.
• Huldah authenticated the discovered scroll and exhorted Josiah to humble himself (2 Kings 22:18-19).
• Nahum’s announcement of Nineveh’s fall (Nahum 1:1) likely circulated during Josiah’s reign, encouraging anti-Assyrian sentiment and providing geopolitical opportunity for reform.
Liturgical and Covenant Renewal
The Passover of Josiah (2 Chronicles 35) became the benchmark for later commemorations. In it:
• All Israel and Judah participated, signaling a reunifying impulse toward the fractured twelve-tribe identity.
• The priests and Levites returned to Mosaic order (2 Chronicles 35:2-6).
• The king personally donated thirty thousand lambs and goats and three thousand cattle (2 Chronicles 35:7), reflecting royal stewardship in worship.
The chronicler’s emphasis reveals that spiritual renewal involves both right doctrine (the Law) and right practice (festal obedience).
Typological Echoes of Christ
• Early zeal: At eight years old Josiah sat on David’s throne; likewise Jesus at twelve was found in His Father’s house, occupied with divine matters (Luke 2:49).
• Cleansing the house of God mirrors Christ’s temple cleansings (Matthew 21:12-13).
• Sacrificial generosity in the Passover foreshadows the greater King who supplies Himself as the Lamb.
Legacy and Later Memory
• Jeremiah’s laments established Josiah as a paradigm of the righteous sufferer whose untimely death foretells national catastrophe (2 Chronicles 35:25).
• Post-exilic namesake: Josiah son of Zephaniah hosted the crowning of the high priest Joshua with a symbolic crown (Zechariah 6:10-14), linking Josiah’s house with messianic expectation.
• New Testament writers carry forward the reforming king’s line through Matthew’s genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:10-11), marking him a crucial link in redemptive history.
Other Individuals Named Josiah
1. Josiah son of Zephaniah, a hospitable Jerusalemite during Zechariah’s prophetic sign-act (Zechariah 6:10, 14).
2. Josiah in the lineage of Simeon (1 Chronicles 4:35).
3. Josiah listed among the kings of Judah (1 Chronicles 3:14), a brief genealogical summary.
Principal Scripture Cluster (non-exhaustive)
• Historical narrative:2 Kings 22–23;2 Chronicles 34–35.
• Prophetic context:Jeremiah 1:2;Jeremiah 2:30;Jeremiah 22:11;Zephaniah 1:1; Huldah’s oracle (2 Kings 22:15-20).
• Fulfilled prophecy:1 Kings 13:2;2 Kings 23:15-20.
• Genealogy:1 Chronicles 3:14-15;Matthew 1:10-11.
• Post-exilic reference:Zechariah 6:10, 14.
Summary
Josiah stands as Scripture’s quintessential reformer-king, whose heartfelt obedience, reverence for the written Word, and vigorous action against idolatry offer a timeless template for covenant fidelity. His reign momentarily rolled back the rising tide of judgment, testifying that when a ruler and people align themselves with divine revelation, genuine spiritual renewal can occur even in the darkest cultural hour.
Forms and Transliterations
יֹ֣אשִׁיָּ֔הוּ יֹֽ֠אשִׁיָּהוּ יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֑הוּ יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ יֹֽאשִׁיָּ֜הוּ יֹאושִׁיָּ֖הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֑הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֔הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֖הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֗הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֙הוּ֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֛הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֜הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣ה יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֤הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֧הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּ֨הוּ יֹאשִׁיָּֽהוּ׃ יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ֒ יאושיהו יאשיה יאשיהו יאשיהו׃ לְיֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ ליאשיהו lə·yō·šî·yā·hū leyoshiYahu ləyōšîyāhū yō·šî·yā·hū yō·šî·yāh yō·wō·šî·yā·hū yoshiYah yoshiYahu yōšîyāh yōšîyāhū yōwōšîyāhū
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