Girl Old Testament Rare
Nehushta
made of brass
נְחֻשְׁתָּא ne.chush.ta
Nehushta (Hebrew: נְחֻשְׁתָּא, ne.chush.ta) means “made of brass”, by traditional interpretation. It appears once, at 2 Kings 24:8. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears in the same passages as Eliakim.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Nehushta
mother of King Jehoiachin; son of Elnathan
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 1 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Hapax
- Yes occurs exactly once
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | 2 Kings 24:8 |
| Cross-references | 12 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Elnathan co-occurrence Appears with Elnathan in 2 Kings 24.
- Jehoiachin co-occurrence Appears with Jehoiachin in 2 Kings 24.
- Hamutal co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Hamutal.
- Jeremiah co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Jeremiah.
- Manasseh co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Manasseh.
- Eliakim co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Eliakim.
- Jehoiakim co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Jehoiakim.
Origin & meaning
A woman living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 2Ki.24.8;
daughter of: Elnathan (H0494); married to Jehoiakim (H3079);
mother of: Jehoiachin (H3078)
§ Nehushta = "brass"
daughter of Elnathan, wife of king Jehoiakim of Judah and mother of king Jehoiachin of Judah
Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem, was the mother of King Jehoiachin of Judah.
The biblical story
Nehushta is mentioned in 2Ki.24.8 as the mother of King Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah) of Judah. She was the daughter of Elnathan, a prominent figure from Jerusalem.
Jehoiachin ascended to the throne of Judah at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, King Jehoiakim. However, his reign was short-lived, lasting only three months before the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem and took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon (2Ki.24.10-12).
As the queen mother, Nehushta would have held a position of influence and respect within the royal court. In ancient Near Eastern societies, including Judah, the queen mother often played a significant role in political and religious affairs, sometimes even acting as a regent for her young son.
The mention of Nehushta's father, Elnathan of Jerusalem, suggests that she came from a prominent family and may have had connections to the upper echelons of Judean society. This background could have contributed to her son's ascension to the throne, despite his young age.
Nehushta's fate after her son's capture is not explicitly mentioned in the biblical text. However, it is likely that she, along with other members of the royal family and the Judean elite, was also taken into exile in Babylon (2Ki.24.15).
The inclusion of Nehushta's name and lineage in the account of Jehoiachin's reign highlights the importance of maternal ancestry in the royal line of Judah and provides insight into the political and social dynamics of the time.
Key verses
Nehushta appears in 1 verse. Here are some of the most notable:
-
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2 Kings 24:8
Show all 1 reference
2 Kings (1)
- 2 Kings 24:8