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Jehoahaz

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

King of Judah briefly reigning after Josiah’s death, quickly deposed and taken captive by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt.

Detailed Definition
Reigning only three months, Jehoahaz was deposed and exiled by Pharaoh Neco. His brief rule marked decline. In poetry, Jehoahaz embodies the fragility of sovereignty, the cost of disobedience, and the sorrow of unrealized potential in leadership.
Example
Example in poetry:
In John Milton’s "Paradise Lost," Jehoahaz’s oppression (2 Kings 13) illustrates the cost of national sin; In William Cowper’s hymns, Jehoahaz’s plea for deliverer warns against delayed repentance; In Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s "The Drama of Exile," Jehoahaz symbolizes the king who inherits decline; In George Herbert’s "The Church-porch," Jehoahaz’s shortened reign models divine discipline; In John Keble’s "Lyra Apostolica," Jehoahaz represents the ruler under foreign yoke; In Christina Rossetti’s "The World," Jehoahaz’s chariots taken prefigure loss of strength.
Additional Notes
Jehoahaz: King of Judah deposed by Pharaoh Neco after three months (2 Kings 23:31–34); also a king of Israel (2 Kings 13). In poetry, Jehoahaz (Judah) symbolizes the brevity of failed reigns and the vulnerability of vassal kings. The Israelite Jehoahaz’s plea for deliverance from Aram (2 Kings 13:4) shows repentance—ideal for poems on political fragility, the cry for help, or the mercy that follows desperation.
Also Known As
Jehoahaz king of Judah Shallum
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