יְהוֹשָׁפָט

From the study of Joel 3:2

Range of meaning

Yehoshaphat is a personal name, 'YHWH has judged / YHWH judges.' It belonged to the 9th-century king of Judah (1 Kgs 22; 2 Chr 17–20) and to others. As a place-name, the 'Valley of Jehoshaphat' appears only here and in Joel 3:12. In 3:14 the same place seems to be called 'the valley of decision' (ʿemeq heḥaruts, the valley of the verdict, or perhaps of threshing).

Against the English

All the major English versions transliterate the name, which hides the wordplay from English readers. A few paraphrases and commentaries render the meaning, 'the valley where the LORD judges.'

How it drifted

In popular use the name has become a fixed address on a map, usually the Kidron Valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. That identification is first attested in the 4th century CE (the Bordeaux Pilgrim; Eusebius's Onomasticon). It is not found in the Bible.

Used elsewhere in the period

No pre-Joel text names a valley this way. Some interpreters connect it with King Jehoshaphat's victory in 2 Chr 20, where God fought for Judah against an alliance of nations and the battlefield was then named the Valley of Beracah ('blessing,' 2 Chr 20:26). Others note that Joel 3:14's 'valley of decision' suggests a symbolic name. The later Greek reviser Theodotion is reported to have translated it as a description rather than a name.

From the study of 2 Chronicles 17:10

Range of meaning

Personal name: 'YHWH has judged', 'YHWH has vindicated / done justice'. The verb shafat covers ruling and rendering justice as well as passing sentence.

Against the English

English transliterates the name, so its meaning is invisible to readers.

Used elsewhere in the period

The king of Judah c. 870–848 BC (dates vary by scholar). The name is also borne by David's recorder (2 Sam 8:16) and appears in Joel's 'Valley of Jehoshaphat' (Joel 3:2, 12), where it is a symbolic place of God's judgment on the nations.

From the study of Joel 3:12

Range of meaning

A personal name meaning 'YHWH judges' or 'YHWH has judged'. It belonged to the 9th-century BC king of Judah (1 Kgs 22; 2 Chr 17–20) and to several minor figures. 'Valley of Jehoshaphat' appears only in Joel 3:2 and 3:12.

Against the English

English versions transliterate the name, which is correct, but readers lose the meaning that a Hebrew hearer caught at once. A rendering like 'the Valley Where-the-LORD-Judges' would bring out the pun with 'to judge'.

How it drifted

The name has been read as a fixed spot on a map. From the 4th century AD Christian pilgrim tradition (and later Jewish and Muslim tradition) identified it with the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem.

Used elsewhere in the period

Joel 3:2, 12. Verse 14 calls the same place 'the valley of decision' ('emeq heharuts), a second name with a meaning, which suggests the naming is symbolic. 2 Chr 20 tells how the enemies who invaded in King Jehoshaphat's day destroyed one another, and the victory was celebrated in the 'Valley of Beracah' (blessing).