person · P0037

Yehoyada יהוידע הכהן

Kohen Gadol in Jerusalem who hid the infant Yoash from Atalyah, crowned him, and renewed the covenant between God, king, and people. Divrei HaYamim records that he died at a hundred and thirty. Per the Rambam he received the Oral Torah from Elisha and transmitted it to his son Zechariah.

I. Who

Hebrew: יהוידע הכהן
Also known as: Yehoyada HaKohen, Jehoiada
Era: bible

Received the mesorah from: Elisha
Transmitted the mesorah to: Zechariah ben Yehoyada

Children: Zechariah ben Yehoyada

II. When

Traditional: c. 2975–3105 AM
Lifespan (traditional): ≈130 years
Precision: approximate

III. Where

Places: Jerusalem

V. How do we know

Claim	Evidence	Confidence	Sources
Received the Oral Torah from Elisha and his court, and transmitted it to Zechariah — the tenth link in Rambam's forty-generation chain. Confidence is for the chain as stated by the Rambam.	rabbinic	★★★★★	Rambam, Introduction to Mishneh Torah (Transmission of the Oral Law 6)
Made the covenant "between God and the king and the people, to be the people of God" upon restoring Yoash to the throne of Yehudah. Confidence is for what the biblical text states.	biblical	★★★★★	Melachim II 11:17
"Yehoyada grew old and full of days and died — a hundred and thirty years old at his death." Confidence is for what the biblical text states.	biblical	★★★★★	Divrei HaYamim II 24:15
Yehoyada was a priest and the husband of Yehosheva (Yehoshavat), a daughter of King Yehoram and sister of King Achazyahu.	biblical	★★★★★	Divrei HaYamim II 22:11 Melachim II 11:4
Yehosheva and Yehoyada hid the infant Yoash and his nurse in the Temple complex for six years while Atalyah ruled.	biblical	★★★★★	Melachim II 11:2–4 Divrei HaYamim II 22:11–12
In the seventh year Yehoyada organized the guards, publicly crowned Yoash, and oversaw Atalyah's removal from power.	biblical	★★★★★	Melachim II 11:4–16
He was buried in the City of David among the kings because of his service to Israel, God, and the Temple.	biblical	★★★★★	Divrei HaYamim II 24:15–16
Zechariah, who was killed during Yoash's reign, is explicitly identified as Yehoyada's son.	biblical	★★★★★	Divrei HaYamim II 24:20–22
Traditional placement c. 2975–3105 AM, anchored to Atalyah's usurpation and the reign of Yoash of Yehudah and to the stated lifespan of 130. Schematic traditional dating.	tradition reconstruction	★☆☆☆☆	Seder Olam Rabbah (chronological framework)