JOTHAM (Wtham), (Heb. :17N, yo-thasutn', God is upright).
/. The youngest of Gideon's seventy legitimate sons ; and the only one who escaped when the rest were massacred by the order of Abimelech (Judg. ix :5). When the fratricide was made king by the people of Shechem, the young Jotham was so dar ing as to make his appearance on Mount Gerizim for the purpose of lifting up a protesting voice, and of giving vent to his feelings. This he did in a beautiful parable, wherein the trees are rcpre sented as making choice of a king, and bestowing on the bramble the honor which the cedar, the olive, and the vine would not accept. The obvious application, which indeed Jotham failed not him self to point out, must have been highly exasper ating to Abimelech and his friends; but the speaker fled, as soon as he had delivered his par able, to the town of Beer, and remained there out of his brother's reach. We hear no inore of him; but three years after, if then living, he saw the accomplishment of the malediction he had pro nounced (Judg. ix :5-21).
2. The tenth king of Judah. and son of Uzziah, whom he succeeded in B. C. 758, at the age of twenty-five ; he reigned sixteen years. His father having during his last years been excluded by lep rosy from public life (see UzziAx), the govern ment was administered by his son. Jotham
profited by the experience which the reign of his father, and of the kings who preceded him, afford ed, and he ruled in the fear of God, although he was unable to correct all the corrupt practices into which the people had fallen.
(1) Prosperous Reign. His sincere intentions wero rewarded with a prosperous reign. He was successful in his wars. The Ammonites, who had 'given gifts' as a sort of tribute to Uzziah, but had ceased to do so after his leprosy had in capacitated him from governing, were constrained by Jotham to pay for three years a heavy tribute in silver, wheat, and barley (2 Chron. xxvi:8; xxvii ;5, 6).
(2) Public Works. Many important public works were also undertaken and accomplished by Jotham. The principal gate of the temple was re built by him on a more magnificent scale; the quarter of Ophel, in Jerusalem, was strengthened by new. fortifications; various towns were built or rebuilt in the mountains of Judah ; and castles and towers of defense were erected in the wilderness.
(3) Death. Jotham died greatly lamented by his people, and was buried in the sepulcher of the kings (2 Kings xv :38; 2 Chron. xxvii:3-9), B. C. about 735.
3. A descendant of Judah, son of Jandai (i Chron. :47) .