Person Old Testament
Adaiah
Adaiah of Bozkath's daughter Jedidah was the mother of King Josiah, who reigned over Judah and initiated significant religious reforms. Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Kings 22:1.
Why it matters. Father of Jedidah who was mother of King Josiah of Judah
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Adaiah
Adaiah is mentioned in 2Ki.22.1 as the father of Jedidah who was mother of King Josiah of Judah. Adaiah came from Bozkath, a town in the Shephelah region of Judah. Jedidah's husband and Josiah's father was Amon, who reigned as king of Judah for two years before being assassinated by his servants (2Ki.21.19-23).
Josiah became king at the age of eight and reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem (2Ki.22.1). He is known for his religious reforms and his commitment to following the laws of God. During his reign, the Book of the Law was discovered in the temple, leading to a renewal of the covenant and the celebration of the Passover (2Kings 22-23).
Although Adaiah is only briefly mentioned as Josiah's mother, her inclusion in the narrative highlights the importance of maternal lineage in the royal dynasty of Judah. It also provides a geographical connection to the town of Bozkath, indicating the diverse origins of the mothers of Judean kings.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Children
- Jedidah
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Kings (1 verse)