JONADAB (jon'a-dab), (Heb. TV, yo-naw dawb', contraction of yek-ho-naw-dawb', Jehovah impels).
/. A nephew of David, a crafty person, whose counsel suggested to this cousin Amnon the means by which he accomplished his abominable design upon his half-sister Tamar (2 Sam. xiii :4, 5).
2. (1) Descendant of Rechab. A son or de scendant of Rechab, the progenitor of those no madic Rechabites, who held themselves bound by a vow to abstain from wine, and never to relin quish the nomadic life. The principle on which the tribe acted may be considered elsewhere. (See RECH A BI TES. ) (2) Head of Tribe. Jonadab was at the head of this tribe at the time when Jehu received his commission to exterminate the house of Ahab, and is supposed to have added to its ancient aus terities the inhibition of wine.
(3) Relation to Jehu. He was held in great respcct among the Israelites generally; and Jehu, alive to the importance of obtaining the counte nance and sanction of such a man to his proceed ings, took him up in his chariot, when on his road to Samaria to complete the work he had begun at Jezreel. The terms of the colloquy which took place on this occasion are rather remarkable. Perceiving Jonadab, he saluted .him, and called out, 'Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart ?' Jonadab answered, 'It is.' Then said
Jehu, 'If it be, give me thine hand.' And he gave him his hand, and was taken up into the chariot, Jehu inviting him to 'Come and see my zeal for the Lord' (2 Kings x :15-'7; Jer. xxxv :6-1o).
(4) Rechabites a Branch of the Kenites. It would seem that the Rechabites were a branch of the Kenites, oyer another branch of whom Heber was chief in the time of Deborah and Barak ( Judg. iv :it, 17) ; and as it is expressly said that Jonadab went out to meet Jehu, it seems probable that the people of Samaria, alarmed at the men acing letter which they had received from Jehu, had induced Jonadab to go to meet and appease him on the road. His venerated character, his rank as the head of a tribe, and his neutral posi tion, well qualified him for this mission ; and it was quite as much the interest of Jonadab to con ciliate the new dynasty, in whose founder he be held the minister of the divine decrees, as it was that of Jehu to obtain his concurrence and support in proceedings which he could not but know were likely to render him odious to the people.