Jotbah

At a Glance

A biblical location named only once in Scripture, in 2 Kings 21:19.

Key Points

• Mentioned in 2 Kings 21:19
• Identified as Meshullemeth’s hometown or place of origin
• No doctrinal teaching is attached to the name itself

Description

Jotbah is an Old Testament place name mentioned in 2 Kings 21:19, where Meshullemeth is identified as being from Jotbah. The biblical text does not assign doctrinal significance, symbolic value, or extended historical detail to the location. Its importance in Scripture is therefore limited to its role as a geographical marker within the historical record of Judah's monarchy. For dictionary purposes, Jotbah is best treated as a biblical place name rather than as a theological concept.

Biblical Context

In 2 Kings 21:19, Jotbah appears in the account of King Amon of Judah. The verse identifies Meshullemeth, Amon’s mother, as the daughter of Haruz and as being from Jotbah. The reference helps locate her within the historical narrative, but Scripture gives no further details about the place.

Historical Context

Beyond its biblical mention, Jotbah is not well documented in surviving historical sources. Its significance is therefore tied mainly to the biblical record rather than to extra-biblical historical reconstruction.

Jewish and Ancient Context

Ancient readers would have understood Jotbah as a geographic identifier, helping place a named individual within Judah's royal history. The text itself does not connect the location to covenant themes, worship, or later Jewish tradition.

Primary Key Texts

• 2 Kings 21:19

Secondary Key Texts

• No additional explicit biblical references are attached to the name in the canonical text.

Original Language Note

The name is preserved in English transliteration from the Hebrew text. Its precise etymology is uncertain from the available context, and Scripture does not explain its meaning.

Theological Significance

Jotbah has no developed theological significance in Scripture. Its value is historical and geographical: it anchors a person in the biblical narrative without adding doctrinal content.

Philosophical Explanation

As with many biblical place names, Jotbah functions as a concrete historical marker. It reminds readers that Scripture records real people in real settings, even when those settings are mentioned only briefly.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not read symbolic or doctrinal meaning into Jotbah beyond what the text states. The verse uses it as a place identifier, not as a theological motif.

Major Views

There is no major interpretive debate about Jotbah itself. The only practical question is whether it should be classified as a biblical place name rather than a theological term.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Jotbah should not be used to support doctrine. Any significance attached to it must remain limited to the historical setting of 2 Kings 21:19.

Practical Significance

Jotbah illustrates how Scripture preserves ordinary geographic details as part of its historical testimony. Such details support the reliability and concreteness of the biblical narrative.

Related Entries

• Amon
• Meshullemeth
• 2 Kings

See Also

• Place Names in the Old Testament
• Judah (Kingdom)
• 2 Kings 21