Jehu

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JEHU

JEHU (Heb. ??????), son of Hanani; a prophet during the time of Baasha, king of Israel (c. 906–883 b.c.e.), and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (c. 867–846 b.c.e.; i Kings 16:1, 7, 12; ii Chron. 19:2; 20:34). Jehu's father may have been the seer Hanani who is reported to have rebuked King Asa of Judah and been incarcerated by him (ii Chron. 16:7–10; but perhaps it should read "[Jehu son of] Hanani"). Jehu foretold the destruction of the house of Baasha (i Kings 16:1ff.) and censured Jehoshaphat for joining King Ahab of Israel in the attack on Ramoth Gilead (ii Chron. 19:2–3). In accordance with his theory that the Books of Samuel and Kings were written successively by the prophets who witnessed the events (cf. e.g., i Chron. 29:29; ii Chron. 9:29), the Chronicler attributes to Jehu son of Hanani the portion of the Book of Kings which deals with the age of King Jehoshaphat of Judah (ii Chron. 20:34).'

bibliography:

Noth, Personennamen, 143; O. Eissfeldt, The Old Testament, an Introduction (1965), 533. add. bibliography: M. Cogan, iKings (ab; 2000), 401ff.

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