Josiah

Etymology

From 'Yah' (Yahweh) and a root meaning 'to support' or 'to heal.' Some connect it to 'esh' (fire). The name declares divine support in a time when support was desperately needed.

Who they were

Josiah became king of Judah at eight years old, inheriting a kingdom corrupted by his grandfather Manasseh's fifty-five years of idolatry. At sixteen he began to seek God. At twenty he launched a purge of idols from the land. At twenty-six, while repairing the neglected temple, the high priest Hilkiah discovered the Book of the Law — probably Deuteronomy — which had been lost. When Josiah heard the words read aloud, he tore his robes in grief, realising how far Judah had strayed. He led the most comprehensive spiritual reform in Judah's history: destroying altars, removing pagan priests, demolishing shrines, celebrating a Passover that hadn't been properly observed since the days of the judges. The text's verdict is extraordinary: 'Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did — with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength.' He died at thirty-nine in battle against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo, and 'all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.' Jeremiah composed laments for him. His death marked the beginning of Judah's final decline toward exile. Josiah is the proof that a single generation of faithfulness matters even when it cannot prevent catastrophe.

Family

Father

Amon (wicked king, assassinated)

Children

Jehoahaz,Jehoiakim,Zedekiah

Character qualities

• Radical obedience from childhood
• Willingness to hear painful truth
• Comprehensive reform
• Wholeheartedness

Key verse

2 Kings 23:25

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Josias

Related names