person · P0427
Yehu יהוא
The furious charioteer anointed at Elisha's (Elisha) word to destroy the house of Achav. He killed two kings in a day, had Izevel thrown from her window, and eradicated the Baal from Israel — yet kept Yeravam's calves. On Shalmaneser III's Black Obelisk he bows to the ground before the Assyrian king: the only contemporary image of an Israelite king. No parent edge: his house begins with the coup.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- יהוא
- Also known as
- Jehu
- Era
- bible
- Children
- Yehoachaz of Israel
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3032–3090 AM (reigned 3062–3090, twenty-eight years)
- Academic
- reigned c. 841–814 BCE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈58 years
- Precision
- approximate
IV. What
- Events
- Tel Dan Stele, Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elisha sent a disciple of the prophets to Ramot Gilad to pour oil on Yehu's head: "Thus says Hashem: I have anointed you king over the people of Hashem, over Israel."
Directly stated in the cited source.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Yehu eradicated the Baal from Israel — gathering its servants, destroying its pillar and temple, and making it a latrine "to this day" — and reigned over Israel in Shomron twenty-eight years. | biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (British Museum) shows "Jehu son of Omri" (Ia-ú-a mār Ḫu-um-ri-i) bowing to the ground and bearing tribute — the only surviving contemporary depiction of an Israelite king. The Assyrian label "son of Omri" is dynastic shorthand for Israel; Yehu had in fact just destroyed Omri's line. | external archaeology | ★★★★★ | |
| The placement (reigned 3062–3090 AM) is a schematic Mesorah Atlas reconstruction: the northern kings' regnal years stated in Kings are chained forward from the division of the kingdom in 2964 AM, with sub-year reigns counted as zero; the chain closes exactly at the fall of Shomron in 3205 AM (Chizkiyahu's sixth year, Melachim II 18:10). The cited source states the reign's length, not absolute dates.
The cited sources establish relative chronology or regnal duration; they do not state the absolute AM range.
|
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |