IOSABETH (IOSABA). – Ioram (v.), king of Judah, and sister of Ochozia; she was the consort of the high priest Ioiada (v. cf. II Par. 22:11). This is the only case in the Bible of a royal princess marrying a high priest. She had the GIOAS (v.), son of Ochozia, from the fury of Athalia, who, after the death of this king, exterminated all the descendants of the royal line (842–836 B.C.). The child, secretly raised in the Temple under her and her husband Ioiada’s care, when he reached the age of seven was acclaimed king by the nation (II Reg. 11:1–4; II Par. 22:10–12). There is no indication that the mother of I. was the aforementioned queen Athalia, as Fl. Josephus (Antiq. Iud., IX, 7, 1) supposes: she was probably a daughter of King Ioram by another wife.
IOSABETH (IOSABA)
Cite this article
“IOSABETH (IOSABA).” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VII (1951), p. 113. Azione Romana digital edition, https://azioneromana.com/article/iosabeth-iosaba.