| Part of aseries on |
| Kings of Israel and Judah |
|---|
 .svg) |
See also |
(Italics indicate a disputed  Judaism portal |
TheHouse of Jehu orJehu dynasty was a reigning dynasty of theKingdom of Israel. They are depicted in both of theBooks of Kings. Their estimated reign is placed from the 9th century to the 8th century BCE.[1]
The dynasty is named after its founderJehu. His immediate predecessor wasJehoram of Israel of theHouse of Omri. Jehoram was wounded in battle during a campaign against the rival state ofAram-Damascus. Jehoram retreated to the city ofJezreel in order to recover from his wounds, but Jehu attacked and killed him there. Jehu also killed Jehoram's ally,Ahaziah of Judah.[1]
Jehu was reportedlyanointed as king by the prophetElijah (1 Kings 19:16). According to theBooks of Chronicles, Jehu was authorized to eliminate the descendants of his predecessorAhab and all the priests of the godBaal (2 Chronicles 22:7). Jehu continued the worship of thegolden calves at theholy places ofBethel andDan (2 Kings 10:28-31). The Book of Kings accuses Jehu ofidolatry. The GodYahweh Himself proclaimed that four generations of Jehu's descendants would hold the throne of Israel, but then the dynasty would lose the throne as punishment for Jehu's idolatry (2 Kings 15:12).[1] Jehu reigned for 28 years.[1]
Jehu was succeeded by his sonJoacaz. Joacaz was avassal to the monarchs of Aram-Damascus. He was reportedly a poor administrator, and the Book of Kings associates his reign with "great suffering" for his kingdom. He reigned for 17 years.[1]
Joacaz was succeeded by his sonJoás. Joás is credited with victories over the kingdom of Aram-Damascus, and with freeing the Kingdom of Israel from its subordination to the monarchs of Damascus.[1] Joás was reportedly allied to the prophetElisha, who had promised him victory over Aram-Damascus. Joás is mentioned mourning Elisha's death. Jehoash reigned for 16 years.[1]
Joás was succeeded by his sonJeroboam II. Jeroboam is depicted as a very competent leader for Israel. He dominated theArameans of Syria and reclaimed territories that the Kingdom of Israel had lost in previous conflicts. Israel's political power increased during his reign. Jeroboam reigned for 41 years.[1]
Jeroboam was succeeded by his sonZechariah of Israel, the last monarch of the House of Jehu. Zechariah only reigned for 6 months. He was assassinated byShallum of Israel, who then claimed the throne of Israel for himself.[1]
Jehu is mentioned in the inscriptions ofShalmaneser III, King of theNeo-Assyrian Empire (reigned 859–824 BCE). The inscriptions identify Jehu as a "son of (the land of)Omri", an apparent member of the House of Omri.[4] In the Assyrian inscriptions, the designation "son of" is used to connect various rulers to the ancestral founders of eachdynasty, not to their actual fathers, and the formula generally calls Jehu a son ofthe House of Omri, and not a son of Omri himself.[4]
One modern interpretation of the Assyrian inscriptions is that Jehu was a descendant of acadet branch of the House of Omri, which would explain his high-ranking position in the army of Israel.[4] The second of theBooks of Kings identifies Jehu as a son of Jehoshaphat and a grandson ofNimshi. His great-grandfather is not mentioned in the text. Nadav Na'aman concedes that Jehu could have been a kinsman of his predecessorJehoram of Israel, but he considers likely that Shalmaneser had a different motive for apparently legitimizing Jehu as an heir to the House of Omri.[4]
Shalmaneser's inscriptions describe asusurpers the kingsHazael ofAram-Damascus, Surri of Patina, and Marduk-bêl-usâte ofKarduniaš. All three of them were Shalmaneser's enemies, and their negative portrayals were used to justify the Neo-Assyrian Empire's wars against them. Surri's ancestry is unknown, Hazael was apparently a descendant of a previous royal dynasty, and Marduk-bêl-usâte had revolted against his brotherMarduk-zakir-shumi I. This means that Marduk-bêl-usâte was a member of the same dynasty as his brother.[4] The royal ancestry of these usurpers was deliberately ignored by Assyrianpropaganda.[4]
Shalmaneser had reasons to legitimize Jehu's regime. Jehu's predecessorsAhab and Jehoram were enemies of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and had repeatedly participated in the militarycoalitions against Shalmaneser himself. On the other hand, Jehu abandoned this anti-Assyrian policy. He formally surrendered to Shalmaneser and paidtribute to Shalmaneser as his vassal. Shalmaneser had every reason to favorably depict Jehu and to acknowledge him as a "son" of the previous dynasty.[4]
Amitai Baruchi-Unna considers it likely that Jehu actually was a descendant of Omri, and that his recorded hostility towards the so-called "House of Ahab" represents a fight for the throne between rival branches of the House of Omri.[6] Both Books of Kings and the second of theBooks of Chronicles consistently use thepatronymic "son of Nimshi" for Jehu, suggesting that Nimshi himself was a famous figure of "high-lineage".[6]
Baruchi-Unna suggests that Nimshi was a son of KingOmri and a brother of KingAhab. Jehu's father, Jehoshaphat, would consequently be a first cousin to Ahab's children:Ahaziah of Israel,Jehoram of Israel, andAthaliah,Queen regnant of theKingdom of Judah.[6] Among the members of this extended House of Omri, the names Ahaziah, Jehoram, Athaliah, and Jehoshaphat are alltheophoric names incorporating the name ofYahweh, while Omri, Ahab, and Nimshi make no reference to the deity. This may be reflective of the different religious tendencies among the first and second generations of the royal family from the Yahweh-worshipping third generation.[6]
On Jehu's background, the Book of Kings indicate that he had enjoyed the favor of his predecessors. Jehu had served as personalbodyguard under Ahab, and as ageneral officer under Jehoram. Narratives concerning previous kings of Israel depict them appointing their own kinsmen in positions requiring such a high level of trust.Saul had appointed his cousinAbner as the general of his army.David had appointed his nephews (sister's sons)Joab andAmasa as the generals of his own army.[6]