Joatham

JOATHAM. - King of Judah (c. 737-733 B.C.). He was associated in the kingdom by his father Uzziah or Azariah, who was struck with leprosy for having improperly meddled in the affairs of worship (II Chron. 26:16 ff.). Sixteen years of reign are attributed to him (II Kings 15:33), of which thirteen were shared with his father and three or four he reigned alone. The victory over the Ammonites, mentioned in II Chron. 27:5 (cf. 26:7), is probably to be referred to the years of joint rule. He was a zealous Yahwist king, but he tolerated, as generally did his predecessors, the superstitious rites on the bāmāth or high places, to which the people were always tenaciously attached (II Chron. 27:2).

He built the "upper gate of the Temple"; he made other constructions in the wall of the Ophel (the southern continuation of the Temple hill). He also built certain cities and constructed towers and fortresses (II Chron. 26:3 ff.; II Kings 15:35). In the time of this king hostilities against the kingdom of Judah began on the part of the king of Syria, Rezin, and of his ally Phacee (v.), king of Samaria: but the threat became more serious only in the years of his successor Ahaz (cf. II Kings 15:37; Isa. 7:1).

Gaetano Stano