Person Old Testament
Joash
Also known as Jehoash =ESV, KJV; Joash =NIV
Joash (Jehoash), son of Ahaziah, became king of Judah at age seven and reigned for forty years. Mentioned in 26 verses across 3 books, first at 2 Kings 11:2.
Why it matters. King of Judah, son of Ahaziah
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Joash
Joash, also known as Jehoash, was the king of Judah and the son of Ahaziah. He became king at the age of seven, after being hidden by his aunt Jehosheba for six years following the usurpation of the throne by Athaliah (2Ki.11.2; 2Ch.22.11). During his forty-year reign (2Ki.12.1; 2Ch.24.1), Joash initiated repairs to the temple of the Lord, which had fallen into disrepair (2Ki.12.4-7; 2Ch.24.4).
However, after the death of his mentor, Jehoiada the priest, Joash turned away from the Lord and allowed the worship of idols (2Ch.24.17-18). When Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, prophesied against this wickedness, Joash ordered his execution (2Ch.24.20-22).
Consequently, Judah faced military defeats and Joash was wounded (2Ch.24.23-24). He was eventually assassinated by his own servants and succeeded by his son Amaziah (2Ki.12.20-21; 2Ch.24.25-27). Joash's reign was marked by both early reforms and later apostasy, highlighting the importance of godly leadership and the consequences of turning away from the Lord.
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.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 26 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.