Jotham
“Jehovah is perfect or Jehovah is upright”
Summary
The name of three men in Scripture, most notably the eleventh king of Judah who reigned righteously during a turbulent period, and the youngest son of Gideon who delivered the famous parable of the trees.
☩Jotham Son of Gideon
Jotham was the youngest of Gideon's seventy legitimate sons and the only one who escaped when his half-brother Abimelech massacred the others at Ophrah. When the people of Shechem made the fratricide Abimelech their king, the young Jotham daringly appeared on Mount Gerizim to deliver a protesting voice. He proclaimed the parable of the trees—Scripture's earliest recorded fable—in which the olive, fig, and vine refused kingship, leaving only the worthless bramble to accept the crown. The application was pointed: as the bramble could only scratch and cause fires rather than provide shade, so Abimelech would bring destruction rather than blessing to Shechem. Jotham then fled to Beer and remained there, out of his brother's reach. Three years later, he saw the fulfillment of his curse when both Abimelech and the Shechemites were destroyed.
☩Jotham King of Judah: Accession
Jotham was the son of King Uzziah (Azariah) and Jerusha, daughter of Zadok. When his father was struck with leprosy for his presumptuous attempt to offer incense in the Temple, Jotham assumed governmental responsibilities at age twenty-five, judging the people and managing the royal household. He served as regent for approximately twelve years before his father's death, and then reigned independently for sixteen years (c. 750-735 BC), making him contemporary with the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah. The synchronism with King Pekah of Israel and the political tensions of the period mark his reign as one of significant challenge.
☩Character and Achievements
Scripture commends Jotham: 'He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,' though he did not enter the Temple (perhaps learning from his father's fatal mistake) and the people continued their corrupt practices on the high places. He became a vigorous builder, completing unfinished projects from his father's reign. He built the upper gate of the Temple, the crowning architectural glory of his reign, and strengthened the wall of Ophel in Jerusalem. Throughout Judah's mountains he built cities, and in the forests he erected castles and towers to protect the herds. His most notable military achievement was the conquest of Ammon, whom he compelled to pay tribute for three years: one hundred talents of silver and ten thousand cors each of wheat and barley.
☩Political Situation and Legacy
Jotham's reign occurred during a period of major political upheaval as Assyrian power expanded westward under Tiglath-pileser III. A coalition formed between the Northern Kingdom under Pekah and Syria under Rezin, apparently to resist Assyria. Judah's refusal to join this league made it the target of hostility, and Scripture notes that 'in those days the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah.' This Syrian-Israelite threat would fully materialize under Jotham's son Ahaz. Despite external pressures, Jotham 'became mighty because he prepared his way before the Lord his God.' He died greatly lamented and was buried in the sepulchres of the kings in Jerusalem. His fortification of Jerusalem and strategic building projects enabled Hezekiah, years later, to successfully resist the Assyrian siege of Sennacherib.
Related Verses25 mentions
References
- 1.George Morrish, "Jotham," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Jotham," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. III (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.John McClintock and James Strong, "Jotham," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Jotham," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).