Bible Commentaries

THE REIGN OF JOTHAM THE SON OF UZZIAH

X. JOTHAM (750-735 B.C.)

"Jotham was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his father Uzziah had done: howbeit he entered not into the temple of Jehovah. And the people did yet corruptly. He built the upper gate of the house of Jehovah, and on the wall of Ophel he built much. Moreover he built cities in the hill-country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. He fought also with the king of the children of Ammon, and prevailed against them. And the children of Ammon gave him the same year a hundred talents of silver, and ten thousand measures of wheat, and ten thousand of barley. So much did the children of Ammon render unto him, in the second year also, and in the third. So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before Jehovah his God. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars, and his ways, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was five and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

"The people did yet corruptly" (2 Chronicles 27:2). 2 Kings 15:35 has the information that the high places were not removed; thus God's people continued their idolatrous worship in the high places.

"The wall of Ophel" (2 Chronicles 27:3). "This wall was part of the old Jebusite city, a very important part of Jerusalem, also called `the City of David.'"¹ Jotham's fortifying this part of Jerusalem, "Indicated that he feared an external attack, probably from Assyria and Samaria. This faithless trust which Judah at that time put in fortifications was rebuked by the prophets (Hosea 8:14; and Isaiah 2:15)."²

"Ten thousand measures of wheat" (2 Chronicles 27:5). Curtis (Madsen) estimates this amount of wheat as 120,331 bushels.³ Ammon had been subject to Uzziah, Jotham's father, but they rebelled against Jotham who put down their insurrection and exacted heavy toll for three years.

None of the commentaries available to us carries any extensive comment on Jotham's reign.