J' E H 
each party imagining that they were deftroyjng the Jews, 
till they were all cut off by their own fwords. After this 
fjo-nal interpofition of Providence in their favour, Jeho- 
fkiphat and his army employed themfelves for three days 
in collecting the richeft of the fpoils which they found 
amongft the flain, and on the fourth day united with the 
whole body of the people in a folemn thankfgiving to 
God for their deliverance. Jeholhaphat fpent the reft of 
his days in peace, and died in the fixtieth year of his 
age, or in the year 889 B.C. He had reigned over Judah 
twenty-five years. See 1 Kingsxxii. and ^ Chron. xvii.-xxi. 
JEHOSH'EBA, or Jehoshebe'ath, [Hebrew.] The 
name of a man. 
JEHOSH'UAH, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
JEHO'VAH, one of the fcripture-names of God, figni- 
fying “ the Being who is felf-exiffent, and gives exiftence 
to ofhers.” So great a veneration had the Jews for this 
names that they left off the cuftom of pronouncing it, 
•whereby its true pronunciation was forgotten. They call 
it tetragrammaton, or “ the name with four letters;” and 
believe, that whoever knows the true pronunciation of 
it cannot fail to be heard by God. 
JEHO'VAH JI'REH, [Heb. the Lord will fee.] The 
name given to a place. Gen. xxii. 
JEHO'VAH NIS'SI, [Heb. the Lord is my banner.] 
The name given to an altar. Exod. xvii. 
JEHO'VAH SHA'LOM, [Heb. the Lord fend peace.] 
The name given to an altar. Judg. vi. 
JEHO'VAH SHAM'MAH, [Heb. the Lord is there.] 
The name given to a city. Ezek. xlviii. 
JEHO'VAH TSID'KENU, [Heb. the Lord our righte- 
oufnefs.] A name given to the Mefiiah. Jer. xxiii. 
JEHOZ'ABAD, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
JEHOZ'ADAH, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
JE'HU, [Heb. one who exiits.] King of Ifrael, and the 
inllrument leleCted by God to exterminate the idolatrous 
houfe of Ahab and the worlhippers of Baal, commenced 
his reign in the year 884 B. C. He was a general in the 
fervice"of Joram, the foil and fucceffor of Ahab, and ap¬ 
pears to have been left by that prince commander-in-chief 
of his army at Ramoth-Gilead, when he retired to Jezreel 
to be cured of the wounds which he had received in battle 
againft the Syrians. Soon after the departure of Joram, 
the prophet Elilha fent one of the fons of the prophets to 
Ramoth-Gilead, with inftructions privately to anoint Jehu 
king of Ifrael. This meffenger upon his arrival found Jehu 
fitting in council with tke principal officers of the army, 
and demanded a private audience with him. When they 
were by themfelves, the prophet informed Jehu, that God 
had thofen him to be king over Ifrael, and to be the exe¬ 
cutioner of the divine vengeance againft the whole race 
of Ahab, ivhorn he was to put to the fword, and not to 
ipare the impious Jezebel, whofe carca.fe fliould fhortly 
be devoured by dogs. The prophet then poured upon 
Jehu’s head a box of oil, with which he had been tur- 
nilhed by Eliftia, and immediately fled, to avoid any dan¬ 
ger to which' he might be expofed by the difccvery of his 
bufinefs. When Jehu returned to the officers, they alked 
him what was the purport of that madman’s meflage ; 
fince they knew, by the peculiarity of his drefs and man¬ 
ner, that'he belonged'tokhe fchool of the prophets, and 
fufpeCtcd that his bufinefs was of an extraordinary nature. 
No fooner were they informed of the prophet’s errand,, 
than they immediately acknowledged Jehu for their king, 
and proclaimed him in the ufual form, with the found of 
the trumpet.. After- having taken the neceffary precau¬ 
tions to prevent any perion from quitting Ramoth- 
Gilead, for the purpofe of conveying information of what 
had taken place to Jezreef Jehu fet out for that city with 
all fpeed,. at the head of a body of troops. When he was 
at ho great diltance from Jezreel, he was feen by the 
watchmen in the neareft tower, who gave notice of the 
approach of .armed mem L r pon this Joram fent out fuc- 
cefliycly two liorfemen to enquire whether they came 
J E H 7 67 
peaceably or not, both of whom were detained by Jehu, 
who was now known by the watchman from the furiouf- 
nefs of his driving. When thefe circumftances were men¬ 
tioned to the king, he gave notice of them to Ahaziah 
king of Judah, who was come to vilit him; and they both 
went out in their chariots to meet Jehu. When they 
came within hearing, Joram called out “ Is it peace, Jehu ?” 
and upon the latter’s immediately upbraiding hint with his 
and his mother Jezebel’s murders and idolatries, and af- 
fuming a hoftile pofture, Joram cried out to Ahaziah that 
they were betrayed. Before, however, he could turn his 
chariot and efcape, Jehu pierced his heart with an arrow, 
and ordered his body to be thrown into Naboth’s field, 
there to be devoured, according to the prediction of Eli¬ 
jah to his father Ahab. Jehu aifo ordered a party after 
Ahaziah, who endeavoured by flight to avoid the fate of 
Joram, but was mortally wounded by his purfuers. In 
the mean time he marched towards the royal palace of 
Jezreel, where the queen-mother Jezebel, expecting pro¬ 
bably that her fex would prove her fecurity, was prepared 
haughtily to reproach him for confpiring againft and kill¬ 
ing his fovereign. She was looking out of a window 
when Jehu entered the palace, and fhe cried out to him, 
“Had Ziniri peace, who flew Iris mailer?” thereby inti¬ 
mating, that he mull not expeCt a moreTortunate ilfue to 
his rebellion than had been the lot of his predecelfor 
Zimri, who'by the murder of Elah had obtained the pof- 
feffion of the crown for feven days only, and then mife- 
rably perilhed. Without giving her any anfwer, Jehu 
ordered fome eunuchs who attended upon her to throw 
iter out of the window; and (he was fqon trampled to 
death by the horfes of his retinue. 
In the next place Jehu took meafures for cutting oft’ 
feventy fons, or male defendants, of Ahab, who rellded 
at Samaria. With this view he addreffed letters to the 
magistrates of that city, and the chief noblemen of the 
kingdom who had fled thither for fafety, in which he 
challenged them to raife the braved of Ahab’s fons to the 
throne, and like men of fpirit to come forward infupport 
of his claim'. Jehu’s fuccefsful valour, however, had in- 
fpired them with fuch terror, that they not only deferted 
the caufe of thofe princes, but fignified their readinefs to' 
obey his commands, whatever they might be. Upon this 
he lent them an order to put all the young princes to 
death, and to bring him their heads in balkets by 
the next day; which was -punctually complied, with. 
Afterwards Jehu put -to the fword all the kinfmen, 
coutjfellors, and priefts, of Ahab, and the other inltru- 
ments and abettors of his crimes, who were in Jezreel; and 
then fet out for Samaria, to profecute the fame work in 
that city. On his road thither, he met with forty-two 
princes of the houfe of Judah, who were ignorant of the 
events which had juft taken place, and were proceeding 
to pay a vifit to the princes of the houfe of Ifrael,; and, 
as they were related to the houfe of Ahab by the mother’s 
fide, he put them all to death on the fpot. At Samaria, 
Jehu rooted out every remaining branch of Ahab’s fami¬ 
ly; and then devifed a fcheme for collecting together all 
the worlhippers of Baal throughout the kingdom, that he 
might exterminate them at once. For this purpofe he 
pretended to a much greater zeal for that deity than any 
of his predeCeflbrs had Ihowrt, and proclaimed a-folemn 
fellival to be obfer-ved in its honour. He then fent mef- 
fengers to every part of the kingdom, to fufiimon alj the 
priefts, prophets, and worlhippers, of Baal, to be prefent 
at that feltival, on pain of death. When on the appoint¬ 
ed day they were all affembled together in the temple of 
that deity, and had commenced their idolatrous rites, Je¬ 
hu commanded a body of men whom he had prepared for 
the purpofe to go in, and to put them all to the fword, 
without fparing an individual. Afterwards he d'emolilhed 
all the idols and ornaments confecrated to the worlhip of 
Baal, burning them before the temple, which building he- 
razed to the ground, and turned the fpot on which it had. 
itood 
