Jehoash ., 7th King of Judah

• Kings 2 Chapters 11 and 12.
• 1 Chronicles 3:11.
• 2 Chronicles 22:9-12, chapter 23 and 24.

Wikipedia Jehoash of Judah & יואש מלך יהודה

When his father King Ahaziah perished together with the descendants of Omri in the massacre which followed the revolt of Jehu, Jehoash was an infant and was hidden from the murderers by relatives and the co-operation of the high priest of the Temple at Jerusalem and was the only one of King Ahaziah's sons to survive, as also when Queen Athaliah then usurped the throne of Judah and killed all the members of the Davidic dynasty. In -836 Athaliah was seized and put to death. At age 7 in 836 BCE Jehoash was proclaimed king and the legitimate dynasty restored. Jehoash was compleed to pay a humiliating tribute to Hazael King of Damascus who invaded Judah and threatened the capital.

The assassination of Jehoash "probably expressed the violent indignation of patriots at the adversities that Judah suffered". (2Kg 11:1-21) His assassins were put to death by his son Amaziah.

• Talmud Keritot 5b - Why King Yehoash was anointed, given that he was already the heir to the throne - the concern for Ataliah's coup:

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When his father King Ahaziah perished together with the descendants of Omri in the massacre which followed the revolt of Jehu, Jehoash was an infant and was hidden from the murderers by relatives and the co-operation of the high priest of the Temple at Jerusalem and was the only one of King Ahaziah's sons to survive, as also when Queen Athaliah then usurped the throne of Judah and killed all the members of the Davidic dynasty. In -836 Athaliah was seized and put to death. At age 7 in 836 BCE Jehoash was proclaimed king and the legitimate dynasty restored. Jehoash was compleed to pay a humiliating tribute to Hazael King of Damascus who invaded Judah and threatened the capital.

The assassination of Jehoash "probably expressed the violent indignation of patriots at the adversities that Judah suffered". (2Kg 11:1-21) His assassins were put to death by his son Amaziah.

Unfortunately, biblical genealogies are not historical documents in the modern sense. This is not only true of the genealogies in the book of Genesis, but also of the royal genealogies. A comparison of the story of Jehoash with that about the origins of Cyrus as told by Herodotus raises serious doubts about Jehoash being a descendent of King David. The comparison suggests that Jehoash is more likely to have been a usurper, his descendants rewriting history in order to claim legitimacy in the form of descent from King David. For more details see Jona Schellekens (2006), The Murderous-Grandparent Motif: Myth as Political Discourse. Semiotica 162: 245-261,