JOASH (Heb. יוֹאָשׁ and יְהוֹאָשׁ; Greek: Ἰωᾶς). — I.
King of Judah (836–797 BC), son of Ochozias. As an infant he was rescued from the massacre carried out by Athaliah, hidden and brought up in the house of the high priest Joiada (v.). After six years, with meticulous precautions, Joiada proclaimed him king on a Sabbath in the Temple and ordered the execution of Athaliah (2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 22:10ff.; 23). Joash reigned about thirty-nine years; he was guided beneficially by the pious Joiada. He personally supervised the repair of the Temple, which had been damaged by Athaliah (2 Kings 12:1–17; 2 Chronicles 24:1–14). Toward the end of his reign, after the death of Joiada, he allowed himself to be swayed by the syncretistic party and had the inspired Zechariah, son or grandson of Joiada, slain in the Temple courtyard as he reproached the people for their renewed infidelity to Yahweh (2 Chronicles 24:15–22; Matt. 23:35; Luke 11:51). The following year (798 BC) he was humbled by Hazael; Joash bought him off by surrendering all the treasure of the Temple and the royal palace. Soon afterward he was murdered in his bed by two courtiers avenging the blood of Zechariah (2 Kings 12:18–22; 2 Chronicles 24:23–26).
2. King of Israel (798–783 BC). Under him the kingdom continued the upward trend begun by Joachaz. Assyria, under Adad-nirari III, was pressing on Damascus; Joash exploited this situation, defeating Ben-hadad III three times, in accordance with the dying prophecy of Elisha (2 Kings 13:14–19), and recovering the cities taken by Hazael from Israel, at least those on the west side of the Jordan (2 Kings 13:10–13, 22–25). Challenged by Amaziah, perhaps over a matter of family prestige, he defeated him at Beth-shemesh, took him prisoner, entered Jerusalem, dismantled about 200 cubits of the northern wall, seized treasures and hostages, released Amaziah, and returned in triumph to Samaria (2 Kings 14:8–16; 2 Chronicles 25:17–24).
The same name was borne by: 3. The father of Gideon, of the family of Abiezer, tribe of Manasseh (Judg. 6:11; 7:14; 8:13, 29, 32). A lukewarm worshipper of Baal, he defended his son when the latter demolished the Baal idol (Judg. 6:29ff.). 4. The son of King Ahab; as Ahab marched toward Ramoth-gilead, he handed over the prophet Micaiah to Joash to be put in stocks (1 Kings 22:26; 2 Chronicles 18:25). The “Amelch” of the Vulgate is a mistranslation of ham-melech, “son of the king.” 5. A descendant of Shelah, of the tribe of Judah (1 Chron. 4:22). The Vulgate (Securus) treated it as a common noun. He led a successful raid against Moab. — 6. A Benjaminite, one of the mighty men who joined David.