Jehoram – Jeruel

Jehoram

(whom Jehovah has exalted).

1. Son of Ahab king of Israel, who succeeded his brother Ahaziah B.C. 896, and died B.C. 884. The alliance between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, commenced by his father and Jehoshaphat, was very close throughout his reign. We first find him associated with Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom in a war against the Moabites. The three armies were in the utmost danger of perishing for want of water. The piety of Jehoshaphat suggested an inquiry of Jehovah, thorough Elisha. After reproving Jehoram, Elisha, for Jehoshaphat’s sake, inquired of Jehovah, and received the promise of an abundant supply of water, and of a great victory over the Moabites; a promise which was immediately fulfilled. The allies pursued them with great slaughter into their own land, which they utterly ravaged and destroyed most of its cities. Kirharaseth alone remained, the there the king of Moab made his last stand. An attempt to break through the besieging army having failed, he resorted to the desperate expedient of offering up his eldest son, as a burnt offering, upon the wall of the city, in the sight of the enemy. Upon this the Israelites retired and returned to their own land. (2 Kings 3:1) ... A little later, when war broke out between Syria and Israel, we find Elisha befriending Jehoram; but when the terrible famine in Samaria arose, the king immediately attributed the evil to Elisha, and determined to take away his life. The providential interposition by which both Elisha’s life was saved the city delivered is narrated (2 Kings 7:1) ... and Jehoram appears to have returned to friendly feeling toward Elisha. (2 Kings 8:4) It was soon after these vents that the revolution in Syria predicted by Elisha took place, giving Jehoram a good opportunity of recovering Ramoth-gilead from the Syrians. he accordingly made an alliance with his nephew Ahaziah, who had just succeeded Joram on the throne of Judah, and the two kings proceeded to occupy Ramoth-gilead by force. The expedition was an unfortunate one. Jehoram was wounded in battle, and obliged to return to Jezreel to be healed of his wounds. (2 Kings 8:29; 9:14,15) jehu and the army under his command revolted from their allegiance to Jehoram, (2 Kings 9:1) ... and hastily marching to Jezreel, surprised Jehoram, wounded and defenseless as he was. Jehoram, going out to meet him, fell pierced by an arrow from Jehu’s bow on the very plot of ground which Ahab had wrested from Naboth the Jezreelite; thus fulfilling to the letter the prophecy of Elijah. (1 Kings 21:29) With the life of Jehoram ended the dynasty of Omri.

2. Eldest son of Jehoshaphat, succeeded his father on the throne of Judah at the age of 32, and reigned eight years, from B.C. 893-2 to 885-4. As soon as he was fixed on the throne, he put his six brothers to death, with many of the chief nobles of the land. He then, probably at the instance of his wife Athaliah the daughter of Ahab, proceeded to establish the worship of Baal. A prophetic writing from the aged prophet Elijah, (2 Chronicles 21:12) failed to produce any good effect upon him. The remainder of his reign was a series of calamities. First the Edomites, who had been tributary to Jehoshaphat, revolted from his dominion and established their permanent independence. Next Libnah, (2 Kings 19:8) rebelled against him. Then followed invasion by armed bands of Philistines and of Arabians, who stormed the king’s palace, put his wives and all his children, except his youngest son Ahaziah, to death, (2 Chronicles 22:1) or carried them into captivity, and plundered all his treasures. he died of a terrible disease. (2 Chronicles 21:19,20)

Jehoshabeath

(whose oath is Jehovah). (2 Chronicles 22:11) [See JEHOSHEBA]

Jehoshaphat

(whom Jehovah judges.)

1. King of Judah, son of Asa, succeeded to the throne B.C. 914, when he was 35 years old, and reigned 25 years. His history is to be found among the events recorded in (1 Kings 15:24; 2 Kings 8:16) or in a continuous narrative in (2 Chronicles 17:1; 2 Chronicles 21:3) He was contemporary with Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram. He was one of the best, most pious and prosperous kings of Judah, the greatest since Solomon. At first he strengthened himself against Israel; but soon afterward the two Hebrew kings formed an alliance. In his own kingdom Jehoshaphat ever showed himself a zealous follower of the commandments of God: he tried to put down the high places and groves in which the people of Judah burnt incense, and sent the wisest Levites through the cities and towns to instruct the people in true morality and religion. Riches and honors increased around him. He received tribute from the Philistines and Arabians, and kept up a large standing army in Jerusalem. It was probably about the 16th year of his reign, B.C. 898, when he became Ahab’s ally in the great battle of Ramoth-gilead, for which he was severely reproved by Jehu. (2 Chronicles 19:2) He built at Ezion-geber, with the help of Ahaziah, a navy designed to go to Tarshish; but it was wrecked at Ezion-geber. Before the close of his reign he was engaged in two additional wars. He was miraculously delivered from a threatened attack of the people of Ammon, Moab and Seir. After this, perhaps, must be dated the war which Jehoshaphat, in conjunction with Jehoram king of Israel and the king of Edom, carried on against the rebellious king of Moab. (2 Kings 3:1) ... In his declining years the administration of affairs was placed, probably B.C. 891, in the hands of his son Jehoram.

2. Son of Ahilud, who filled the office of recorder of annalist in the courts of David, (2 Samuel 8:16) etc., and Solomon. (1 Kings 4:3)

3. One of the priests in David’s time. (1 Chronicles 15:24)

4. Son of Paruah; one of the twelve purveyors of King Solomon. (1 Kings 4:17)

5. Son of Nimshi and father of King Jehu. (2 Kings 9:2,14)

Jehoshaphat, Valley Of

(valley of the judgment of Jehovah), a valley mentioned by Joel only, as the spot in which, after the return of Judah and Jerusalem from captivity, Jehovah would gather all the heathen, (Joel 3:2) and would there sit to judge them for their misdeeds to Israel. ch. (Joel 3:12) The scene of "Jehovah’s judgment" as been localized, and the name has come down to us attached to that deep ravine which separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, through which at one time the Kedron forced its stream. At what period the name "valley of Jehoshaphat" was first applied to this spot is unknown. It is not mentioned in the Bible or Josephus, but is first encountered in the middle of the fourth century. Both Moslems and Jews believe that the last judgment is to take place there. The steep sides of the ravine, wherever a level strip affords the opportunity, are crowded --in places almost paved-- by the sepulchres of the Moslems, or the simpler slabs of the Jewish tombs, alike awaiting the assembly of the last judgment. The name is generally confined by travellers to the upper part of the glen. (Others suppose that the name is only an imaginary one, "the valley of the judgment of Jehovah" referring to some great victories of God’s people in which judgment was executed upon the heathen; or perhaps, as Keil, etc., to the end of the world. --ED.)

Jehosheba

(Jehovah’s oath), daughter of Joram king of Israel, and wife of jehoiada the high priest. (2 Kings 11:2) Her name in the Chronicles is given JEHOSHABEATH. (B.C. 882.) As she is called, (2 Kings 11:2) "the daughter of Joram , sister of Ahaziah," it has been conjectured that she was the daughter, not of Athaliah, but of Joram by another wife. She is the only recorded instance of the marriage of a princess of the royal house with a high priest.

Jehoshua

(whose help is Jehovah; Help of Jehovah or savoiur). In this form is given the name of Joshua in (Numbers 13:16) Once more only the name appears, --as Jehosh’uah.

Jehoshuah

in the genealogy of Ephraim. (1 Chronicles 7:27)

Jehovah

(I am; the eternal living one). The Scripture appellation of the supreme Being, usually interpreted as signifying self-derived and permanent existence. The Jews scrupulously avoided every mention of this name of God, substituting in its stead one or other of the words with whose proper vowel-points it may happen to be written. This custom, which had its origin in reverence, was founded upon an erroneous rendering of (Leviticus 24:16) from which it was inferred that the mere utterance of the name constituted a capital offence. According to Jewish tradition, it was pronounced but once a year, by the high priest on the day of atonement when he entered the holy of holies; but on this point there is some doubt. When Moses received his commission to be the deliverer of Israel, the Almighty, who appeared in the burning bush, communicated to him the name which he should give as the credentials of his mission: "And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM (ehyea asher ehyeh); and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." That this passage is intended to indicate the etymology of Jehovah, as understood by the Hebrews, no one has ventured to doubt. While Elohim exhibits God displayed in his power as the creator and governor of the physical universe, the name Jehovah designates his nature as he stands in relation to man, as the only almighty, true, personal, holy Being, a spirit and "the father of spirits," (Numbers 16:22) comp. John 4:24 Who revealed himself to his people, made a covenant with them, and became their lawgiver, and to whom all honor and worship are due.

Jehovahjireh

(Jehovah will see or provide), the name given by Abraham to the place on which he had been commanded to offer Isaac, to commemorate the interposition of the angel of Jehovah, who appeared to prevent the sacrifice, (Genesis 22:14) and provided another victim.

Jehovahnissi

(Jehovah my banner), the name given by Moses to the altar which he built in commemoration of the discomfiture of the Amalekites. (Exodus 17:15)

Jehovahshalom

(Jehovah (is) peace), or, with an ellipsis, "Jehovah the God of peace." The altar erected by Gideon in Orphrah was so called in memory of the salutation addressed to him by the angel of Jehovah, "Peace be unto thee." (Judges 6:24)

Jehozabad

(whom Jehovah gave).

1. A Korhite Levite, second son of Obed-edom, and one of the porters of the south gate of the temple and of the storehouse there in the time of David. (1 Chronicles 26:4,15) compared with Nehe 12:25 (B.C. 1014.)

2. A Benjamite, captain of 180,000 armed men, in the days of King Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17:18) (B.C. 910.)

3. Son of Shomer or Shimrith, a Moabitish woman, who with another conspired against King Joash and slew him in his bed. (2 Kings 2:21; 2 Chronicles 24:26) (B.C. 837.)

Jehozadak

(Jehovah justifies), usually called Jozadak or Josedech. He was the son of the high priest Seraiah. (1 Chronicles 6:14,15) When his father was slain at Riblah by order of Nebuchadnezzar, (2 Kings 25:18,21) Jehozadak was led away captive to Babylon. (1 Chronicles 6:15) (B.C. 588.) He himself never attained the high priesthood, but he was the father of Jeshua the high priest, and of all his successors till the pontificate of Alcimus. (Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:26), etc.

Jehu

(the living).

1. The founder of the fifth dynasty of the kingdom of Israel, son of Jehoshaphat. (2 Kings 9:2) He reigned over Israel 28 years, B.C. 884-856. His first appearance in history is when he heard the warning of Elijah against the murderer of Naboth. (2 Kings 9:25) In the reigns of Ahaziah and Jehoram, Jehu rose to importance. He was, under the last-named king, captain of the host in the siege of Ramoth-gilead. During this siege he was anointed by Elisha’s servant, and told that he was appointed to be king of Israel and destroyer of the house of Ahab. (2 Kings 9:12) The army at once ordained him king, and he set off full speed for Jezreel. Jehoram, who was lying ill in Jezreel, came out to meet him, as it happened on the fatal field of Naboth. (2 Kings 9:21-24) Jehu seized his opportunity, and shot him through the heart. (2 Kings 9:24) Jehu himself advanced to the gates of Jezreel and fulfilled the divine warning on Jezebel as already on Jehoram. He then entered on a work of extermination hitherto unparalleled in the history of the Jewish monarchy. All the descendants of Ahab that remained in Jezreel, together with the officers of the court and the hierarchy of Eastward, were swept away. His next step was to secure Samaria. For the pretended purpose of inaugurating anew the worship of Baal, he called all the Bailouts together at Samaria. The vast temple raised by Ahab, (1 Kings 16:32) was crowded from end to end. The chief sacrifice was offered, as if in the excess of his zeal, by Jehu himself. As soon as it was ascertained that all, and none but, the idolaters were there, the signal was given to eighty trusted guards, and sweeping massacre removed at one blow the whole heathen population of the kingdom of Israel. This is the last public act recorded of Jehu. The remaining twenty-seven years of his long reign are passed over in a few words, in which two points only are material: --He did not destroy the calf-worship of Jeroboam:-- The transjordanic tribes suffered much from the ravages of Hazael. (2 Kings 10:29-33) He was buried in state in Samaria, and was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz. (2 Kings 10:35) His name is the first of the Israelite kings which appears in the Assyrian monuments.

2. Jehu son of Hanani; a prophet of Judah, but whose ministrations were chiefly directed to Israel. His father was probably the seer who attacked Asa. (2 Chronicles 16:7) He must have begun his career as a prophet when very young. He first denounced Baasha, (1 Kings 16:1,7) and then, after an interval of thirty years, reappeared to denounce Jehoshaphat for his alliance with Ahab. (2 Chronicles 19:2,3) He survived Jehoshaphat and wrote his life. ch. (2 Chronicles 20:34)

3. A man of Judah of the house of Hezron. (1 Chronicles 2:38)

4. A Simeonite, son of Josibiah. (1 Chronicles 4:35)

5. Jehu the Antothite was one of the chief of the heroes of Benjamin who joined David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:3)

Jehubbah

(protected), a man of Asher, son of Shamer or Shomer, of the house of Beriah. (1 Chronicles 7:34) (B.C. perhaps about 1450.)

Jehucal

(able), son of Shelemiah; one of two persons sent by King Zedekiah to Jeremiah to entreat his prayers and advice. (Jeremiah 37:3) (B.C. 589.)

Jehud

(praised), one of the towns of the tribe of Dan, (Joshua 19:45) named between Baalath and Bene-berak.

Jehudi

(a Jew), son of Nethaniah, a man employed by the princes of Jehoiakim’s court to fetch Baruch to read Jeremiah’s denunciation, (Jeremiah 36:14) and then by the king to fetch the volume itself and read it to him. vs. (Jeremiah 36:21,23) (B.C. 605.)

Jehudijah

(the Jewess). There is really no such name in the Hebrew Bible as that which our Authorized Version exhibits at (1 Chronicles 4:18) If it is a proper name at all, it is Ha-jehudijah, like Hammelech, Hak-koz, etc.; and it seems to be rather an appellative, "the Jewess."

Jehush

(to whom God hastens), son of eshek, a remote descendant of Saul. (1 Chronicles 8:39)

Jeiel

(treasured of God).

1. A Reubenite of the house of Joel. (1 Chronicles 5:7)

2. A Merarite Levite, one of the gate-keepers to the sacred tent. (1 Chronicles 15:18) His duty was also to play the harp, ver. (1 Chronicles 15:21) or the psaltery and harp, (1 Chronicles 16:5) in the service before the ark. (B.C. 1043.)

3. A Gershonite Levite, one of the Bene-Asaph, forefather of Jahaziel in the time of King Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 20:14) (B.C. 910.)

4. The scribe who kept the account of the numbers of King Uzziah’s irregular predatory warriors. (2 Chronicles 26:11) (B.C. 803.)

5. A Gershonite Levite, one of the Bene-Elizaphan. (2 Chronicles 29:13)

6. One of the chiefs of the Levites in the time of Josiah. (2 Chronicles 35:9) (B.C. 623.)

7. One of the Bene-Adonikam who formed part of the caravan of Ezra from Babylon to Jerusalem. (Ezra 8:13) (B.C. 459.)

8. A layman of the Bene-Nebo, who had taken a foreign wife and had to relinquish her. (Ezra 10:43) (B.C. 459.)

Jekabzeel

(what God gathers), a fuller form of the name of KABZEEL, the most remote city of Judah on the southern frontier. (Nehemiah 11:25)

Jekamiah

(whom Jehovah gathers), son of Shallum, in the line of Ahlai. (1 Chronicles 2:41) (B.C. about 588.)

Jekuthiel

a man recorded in the genealogies of Judah. (1 Chronicles 4:18)

Jemima

(dove), the eldest of the three daughters born to Job after the restoration of his prosperity. (Job 42:14)

Jemuel

(day of God), the eldest son of Simeon. (Genesis 46:10; Exodus 6:15) (B.C. 1706.)

Jephthae

(whom God sets free), (Hebrews 11:32) the Greek form of the name JEPHTHAH.

Jephthah

(whom God sets free), A judge about B.C. 1143-1137. His history is contained in (Judges 11:1; Judges 12:8) He was a Gileadite, the son of Gilead and a concubine. Driven by the legitimate sons from his father’s inheritance, he went to Tob and became the head of a company of freebooters in a debatable land probably belonging to Ammon. (2 Samuel 10:6) (This land was east of Jordan and southeast of Gilead, and bordered on the desert of Arabia. --ED.) His fame as a bold and successful captain was carried back to his native Gilead; and when the time was ripe for throwing off the yoke of Ammon, Jephthah consented to become the captain of the Gileadite bands, on the condition, solemnly ratified before the Lord in Mizpeh, that int he event of his success against Ammon he should still remain as their acknowledged head. Vowing his vow unto God, (Judges 11:31) that he would offer up as a burn offering whatsoever should come out to meet him if successful, he went forth to battle. The Ammonites were routed with great slaughter; but as the conqueror returned to Mizpeh there came out to meet him his daughter, his only child, with timbrels and dancing. The father is heart-stricken; but the maiden asks only for a respite of two months in which to prepare for death. When that time was ended she returned to her father, who "did with her according to his vow." The tribe of Ephraim challenged Jephthah’s right to go to war as he had done, without their concurrence, against Ammon. He first defeated them, then intercepted the fugitives at the fords of Jordan, and there put forty-two thousand men to the sword. He judged Israel six years, and died. It is generally conjectured that his jurisdiction was limited to the transjordanic region. That the daughter of Jephthah was really offered up to God in sacrifice is a conclusion which it seems impossible to avoid. (But there is no word of approval, as if such a sacrifice was acceptable to God. Josephus well says that "the sacrifice was neither sanctioned by the Mosaic ritual nor acceptable to God." The vow and the fulfillment were the mistaken conceptions of a rude chieftain, not acts pleasing to God. --ED.)

Jephunneh

(for whom a way is prepared).

1. Father of Caleb the spy, appears to have belonged to an Edomitish tribe called Kenezites, from Kenaz their founder. See (Numbers 13:6) etc.; Numb 32:12 etc.; Josh 14:14 etc.; 1Chr 4:15 (B.C. 1530.)

2. A descendant of Asher, eldest of the three sons of Jether. (1 Chronicles 7:38) (B.C. 1017.)

Jerah

(the moon), the fourth in order of the sons of Joktan, (Genesis 10:26; 1 Chronicles 1:20) and the progenitor of a tribe of southern Arabia.

Jerahmeel

(mercy of God).

1. First-born son of hezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah, (1 Chronicles 2:9,25-27,33,42) and founder of the family of Jerahmeelites. (1 Samuel 27:10) (B.C. before 1491.)

2. A Merarite Levite, the representative of the family of Kish, the son of Mahli. (1 Chronicles 24:29) comp. 1Chr 23:21 (B.C. 1014.)

3. Son of Hammelech, who was employed by Jehoiakim to make Jeremiah and baruch prisoners, after the had burnt the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecy. (Jeremiah 36:26) (B.C. 505.)

Jerahmeelites

(descendants of Jerahmeel), The, the tribe descended from the first of the foregoing persons. (1 Samuel 27:10) They dwelt in the south of Judah.

Jered

(descent).

1. Son of Mahalaleel and father of Enoch. (1 Chronicles 1:2)

2. One of the descendants of Judah signalized as the "father" --i.e. the founder-- "of Gedor." (1 Chronicles 4:18)

Jeremai

(dwelling in heights), a layman, one of the Bene-Hashum, who was compelled by Ezra to put away his foreign wife. (Ezra 10:33) (B.C. 459.)

Jeremiah

Seven other persons bearing the same name as the prophet are mentioned in the Old Testament:--

1. Jeremiah of Libnah, father of Hamutal wife of Josiah. (2 Kings 23:31) (B.C. before 632.) 2,3,4. Three warriors --two of the tribe of Gad-- in David’s army. (1 Chronicles 12:4,10,13) (B.C. 1061-53.)

2. One of the "mighty men of valor" of the transjordanic half-tribe of Manasseh. (1 Chronicles 5:24) (B.C. 782.)

3. A priest of high rank, head of the second or third of the twenty-one courses which are apparently enumerated in (Nehemiah 10:2-8; 12:1,12) (B.C. 446-410).

4. The father of Jazaniah the Rechabite. (Jeremiah 35:3) (B.C. before 606.)

Jeremiah

(whom Jehovah has appointed) was "the son of Hilkiah of the priests that were in Anathoth." (Jeremiah 1:1)

1. History. --He was called very young (B.C. 626) to the prophetic office, and prophesied forty-two years; but we have hardly any mention of him during the eighteen years between his call and Josiah’s death, or during the short reign of Jehoahaz. During the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, B.C. 607-598, he opposed the Egyptian party, then dominant in Jerusalem, and maintained that they only way of safety lay in accepting the supremacy of the Chaldeans. He was accordingly accused of treachery, and men claiming to be prophets had the "word of Jehovah" to set against his. (Jeremiah 14:13; 23:7) As the danger from the Chaldeans became more threatening, the persecution against Jeremiah grew hotter. ch. 18. The people sought his life; then follows the scene in (Jeremiah 19:10-13) he was set, however, "as a fenced brazen wall," ch. (Jeremiah 15:20) and went on with his work, reproving king and nobles and people. The danger which Jeremiah had so long foretold at last came near. First Jehoiakim, and afterwards his successor Jehoiachin, were carried into exile, 2Kin 24; but Zedekiah, B.C. 597-586, who was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar, was more friendly to the prophet, though powerless to help him. The approach of an Egyptian army, and the consequent departure of the Chaldeans, made the position of Jeremiah full of danger, and he sought to effect his escape from the city; but he was seized and finally thrown into a prison-pit to die, but was rescued. On the return of the Chaldean army he showed his faith in God’s promises, and sought to encourage the people by purchasing the field at Anathoth which his kinsman Hanameel wished to get rid of. (Jeremiah 32:6-9) At last the blow came. The city was taken, the temple burnt. The king and his princes shared the fate of Jehoiachin. The prophet gave utterance to his sorrow in the Lamentations. After the capture of Jerusalem, B.C. 586, by the Chaldeans, we find Jeremiah receiving better treatment; but after the death of Gedaliah, the people, disregarding his warnings, took refuge in Egypt, carrying the prophet with them. In captivity his words were sharper and stronger than ever. He did not shrink, even there, from speaking of the Chaldean king once more as "the servant of Jehovah." (Jeremiah 43:10) After this all is uncertain, but he probably died in Egypt.

2. Character. --Canon Cook says of Jeremiah, "His character is most interesting. We find him sensitive to a most painful degree, timid, shy, hopeless, desponding, constantly complaining and dissatisfied with the course of events, but never flinching from duty...Timid in resolve, he was unflinching in execution; as fearless when he had to face the whole world as he was dispirited and prone to murmuring when alone with God. Judged by his own estimate of himself, he was feeble, and his mission a failure; really, in the hour of action and when duty called him, he was in very truth ’a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land.’ ch. (Jeremiah 1:18) he was a noble example of the triumph of the moral over the physical nature." (It is not strange that he was desponding when we consider his circumstances. He saw the nation going straight to irremediable ruin, and turning a deaf ear to all warnings. "A reign of terror had commenced (in the preceding reign), during which not only the prophets but all who were distinguished for religion and virtue were cruelly murdered." "The nation tried to extirpate the religion of Jehovah;" "Idolatry was openly established," "and such was the universal dishonesty that no man trusted another, and society was utterly disorganized." How could one who saw the nation about to reap the awful harvest they had been sowing, and yet had a vision of what they might have been and might yet be, help indulging in "Lamentations"? --ED.)

Jeremiah, Book Of

"There can be little doubt that the book of Jeremiah grew out of the roll which Baruch wrote down at the prophet’s mouth in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. ch. (Jeremiah 36:2) Apparently the prophets kept written records of their predictions, and collected into larger volumes such of them as were intended for permanent use." --Canon Cook. In the present order we have two great divisions:-- I. Chs. 1-45. Prophecies delivered at various times, directed mainly to Judah, or connected with Jeremiah’s personal history. II. Chs. 46-51. Prophecies connected with other nations. Looking more closely into each of these divisions, we have the following sections:

1. Chs. 1-21, including prophecies from the thirteenth year of Josiah to the fourth of Jehoiakim; ch. 21; belongs to the later period.

2. Chs. 22-25. Shorter prophecies, delivered at different times, against the kings of Judah and the false prophets. Ch. (Jeremiah 25:13,14) evidently marks the conclusion of a series of prophecies; and that which follows, ch. (Jeremiah 25:15-38) the germ of the fuller predictions in chs. 46-49, has been placed here as a kind of completion to the prophecy of the seventy years and the subsequent fall of Babylon.

3. Chs. 26-28. The two great prophecies of the fall of Jerusalem, and the history connected with them.

4. Chs. 29-31. The message of comfort for the exiles in Babylon.

5. Chs. 32-44. The history of the last two years before the capture of Jerusalem, and of Jeremiah’s work int hem and in the period that followed.

6. Chs. 46-51. The prophecies against foreign nations, ending with the great prediction against Babylon.

7. The supplementary narrative of ch. 52.

Jeremias

the Greek form of the name of Jeremiah the prophet. (Matthew 16:14)

Jeremoth

(heights).

1. A Benjamite chief, a son of the house of Beriah of Elpaal. (1 Chronicles 8:14) comp. 1Chr 8:12-18 (B.C. about 588.)

2. A merarite levite, son of Mushi. (1 Chronicles 23:23)

3. Son of Heman; head of the thirteenth course of musicians in the divine service. (1 Chronicles 25:22) (B.C. 1014.)

4. One of the sons of Elam, and,

5. One of the sons of Zattu, who had taken strange wives. (Ezra 10:26,27) (B.C. 459.)

6. The name which appears in the same list as "and RAMOTH," ver. 29.

Jeremy

the prophet Jeremiah. (Matthew 2:17; 27:9)

Jeriah

a Kohathite Levite, chief of the great house of Hebron when David organized the service. (1 Chronicles 23:19; 24:23) B.C. 1014. The same man is mentioned again as JERIJAH. (1 Chronicles 26:31)

Jeribai

(whom Jehovah defends), one of the Bene-Elnaan, named among the heroes of David’s guard. (1 Chronicles 11:46)

Jericho

(place of fragrance), a city of high antiquity, situated in a plain traversed by the Jordan, and exactly over against where that river was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua. (Joshua 3:16) It was five miles west of the Jordan and seven miles northwest of the Dead Sea. It had a king. Its walls were so considerable that houses were built upon them. ch. (Joshua 2:15) The spoil that was found in it betokened its affluence. Jericho is first mentioned as the city to which the two spies were sent by Joshua from Shittim. (Joshua 2:1-21) It was bestowed by him upon the tribe of Benjamin, ch. (Joshua 18:21) and from this time a long interval elapses before Jericho appears again upon the scene. Its second foundation under Hiel the Bethelite is recorded in (1 Kings 16:34) Once rebuilt, Jericho rose again slowly into consequence. In its immediate vicinity the sons of the prophets sought retirement from the world; Elisha "healed the spring of the waters;" and over against it, beyond Jordan, Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2 Kings 2:1-22) In its plains Zedekiah fell into the hands of the Chaldeans. (2 Kings 25:5; Jeremiah 39:5) In the return under Zerubbabel the "children of Jericho," 345 in number, are comprised. (Ezra 2:34; Nehemiah 7:36) Under Herod the Great it again became an important place. He fortified it and built a number of new palaces, which he named after his friends. If he did not make Jericho his habitual residence, he at last retired thither to die, and it was in the amphitheater of Jericho that the news of his death was announced to the assembled soldiers and people by Salome. Soon afterward the palace was burnt and the town plundered by one Simon, slave to Herod; but Archelaus rebuilt the former sumptuously, and founded a new town on the plain, that bore his own name; and, most important of all, diverted water from a village called Neaera to irrigate the plain which he had planted with palms. Thus Jericho was once more "a city of palms" when our Lord visited it. Here he restored sight to the blind. (Matthew 20:30; Mark 10:46; Luke 18:35) Here the descendant of Rahab did not disdain the hospitality of Zaccaeus the publican. Finally, between Jerusalem and Jericho was laid the scene of his story of the good Samaritan. The city was destroyed by Vespasian. The site of ancient (the first) Jericho is placed by Dr. Robinson in the immediate neighborhood of the fountain of Elisha; and that of the second (the city of the New Testament and of Josephus) at the opening of the Wady Kelt (Cherith), half an hour from the fountain. (The village identified with jericho lies a mile and a half from the ancient site, and is called Riha . It contains probably 200 inhabitants, indolent and licentious and about 40 houses. Dr. Olin says it is the "meanest and foulest village of Palestine;" yet the soil of the plain is of unsurpassed fertility. --ED.)

Jeriel

(people of God), a man of Issachar, one of the six heads of the house of Tola. (1 Chronicles 7:2)

Jerijah

(people of Jehovah). [See JERIAH]

Jerimoth

(heights).

1. Son or descendant of Bela. (1 Chronicles 7:7) He is perhaps the same as

2. who joined David at Ziklag. (1 Chronicles 12:5) (B.C. 1055.)

3. A son of Beecher, (1 Chronicles 7:8) and head of a Benjamite house.

4. Son of Mushi, the son of Merari. (1 Chronicles 24:30)

5. Son of Heman, head of fifteenth ward of musicians. (1 Chronicles 25:4,22) (B.C. 1014.)

6. Son of Zariel, ruler of the tribe of Naphtali in the reign of David. (1 Chronicles 27:19)

7. Son of King David, whose daughter Mahalath was one of the wives of Rehoboam, her cousin Abihail being the other. (2 Chronicles 11:18) (B.C. before 1014.)

8. A Levite in the reign of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 31:13) (B.C. 726.)

Jerioth

(curtains), one of the elder Caleb’s wives. (1 Chronicles 2:18)

Jeroboam

(whose people are many).

1. The first king of the divided kingdom of Israel, B.C. 975-954, was the son of an Ephraimite of the name of Nebat. He was raised by Solomon to the rank of superintendent over the taxes and labors exacted from the tribe of Ephraim. (1 Kings 11:28) he made the most of his position, and at last was perceived by Solomon to be aiming at the monarchy. He was leaving Jerusalem, when he was met by Ahijah the prophet, who gave him the assurance that, on condition of obedience to his laws, God would establish for him a kingdom and dynasty equal to that of David. (1 Kings 11:29-40) The attempts of Solomon to cut short Jeroboam’s designs occasioned his flight into Egypt. There he remained until Solomon’s death. After a year’s longer stay in Egypt, during which Jeroboam married Ano, the elder sister of the Egyptian queen Tahpenes, he returned to Shechem, where took place the conference with Rehoboam [REHOBOAM], and the final revolt which ended in the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne of the northern kingdom. Now occurred the fatal error of his policy. Fearing that the yearly pilgrimages to Jerusalem would undo all the work which he effected, he took the bold step of rending the religious unity of the nation, which was as yet unimpaired, asunder. He caused two golden figures of Mnevis, the sacred calf, to be made and set up at the two extremities of his kingdom, one at Dan and the other at Bethel. It was while dedicating the altar at Bethel that a prophet from Judah suddenly appeared, who denounced the altar, and foretold its desecration by Josiah, and violent overthrow. The king, stretching out his hand to arrest the prophet, felt it withered and paralyzed, and only at the prophet’s prayer saw it restored, and acknowledged his divine mission. Jeroboam was at constant war with the house of Judah, but the only act distinctly recorded is a battle with Abijah, son of Rehoboam, in which he was defeated. The calamity was severely felt; he never recovered the blow, and soon after died, in the 22d year of his reign, (2 Chronicles 13:20) and was buried in his ancestral sepulchre. (1 Kings 14:20)

2. Jeroboam II., the son of Joash, the fourth of the dynasty of Jehu. (B.C. 825-784.) The most prosperous of the kings of Israel. He repelled the Syrian invaders, took their capital city Damascus, (2 Kings 14:28) and recovered the whole of the ancient dominion from Hamah to the Dead Sea. ch (2 Kings 14:25) Ammon and Moab were reconquered, and the transjordanic tribes were restored to their territory, (2 Kings 13:5; 1 Chronicles 5:17-22) but it was merely an outward restoration.

Jeroham

(cherished).

1. Father of Elkanah, the father of Samuel, of the house of Kohath. (1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 6:27,34) (B.C. before 1142.)

2. A Benjamite, the founder of a family of Bene-Jeroham. (1 Chronicles 8:27) Probably the same as

3. Father (or progenitor) of Ibneiah. (1 Chronicles 9:8) comp. 1Chr 9:3 and 1Chr 9:9. (B.C. before 588.)

4. A descendant of Aaron, of the house of Immer, the leader of the sixteenth course of priests; son of Pashur, and father of Adaiah. (1 Chronicles 9:12) He appears to be mentioned again in (Nehemiah 11:12) (B.C. before 586.)

5. Jeroham of Gedor, some of whose sons joined David at Ziglag. (1 Chronicles 12:7) (B.C. before 1055.)

6. A Danite, whose son or descendant Azareel was head of his tribe in the time of David. (1 Chronicles 27:22)

7. Father of Azariah, one of the "captains of hundreds" in the time of Athaliah. (2 Chronicles 23:1) (B.C. before 876.)

Jerubbaal, Or Jerubbaal

(contender with Baal), the surname of Gideon, which he acquired in consequence of destroying the altar of Baal, when his father defended him from the vengeance of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:32)

Jerubbesheth

(contender with the shame), a name of Gideon. (2 Samuel 11:21)

Jeruel

(founded by God), The wilderness of, the place in which Jehoshaphat was informed by Jahaziel the Levite that he should encounter the hordes of Ammon, Moab and the Mehunims. (2 Chronicles 20:16) The name has not been met with.