Jehonadab
Encyclopedia
Jehonadab was the son of Rechab
. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
at 2 Kings
10:15-31. Though not a Jew himself, he was a supporter of Jehu
, son of Nimshi
, in the elimination of the house of Ahab
and in suppressing worship of Baal
throughout Samaria
. In the Book of Jeremiah
he is called Jonadab.
He prohibited his followers from drinking alcohol, and is credited with founding the Rechabites. He also commanded that they live in tents, rather than houses. At Jeremiah 35:6-19, his followers are commended for adhering to his instructions, and God promises that his lineage will continue.
use the terms Jonadabs or Jehonadabs to refer to Christians who hope to live forever on earth, rather than in heaven. The term was first used in this way in the early 1930s, though it is now used less frequently; Jehovah's Witnesses now usually use the terms great crowd (people who survive Armageddon) and other sheep (Armageddon survivors and others resurrected later).
Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 men and women will reign with Jesus
Christ in heaven
, out of all Christians who have died since Jesus' resurrection
. They refer to these as the anointed or spiritual Israel, and those still living are referred to as the remnant. Witnesses believe that, in a similar manner to Jehonadab, as a non-Jew, assisting Jehu, the Jonadab class assists spiritual Israel. The August 15, 1934 The Watchtower
stated:
Rechab
Rechab is the name of three men in the Bible:*One of the two "captains of bands" whom Saul's son Ish-bosheth took into his service, and who conspired to kill him....
. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
at 2 Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
10:15-31. Though not a Jew himself, he was a supporter of Jehu
Jehu
Jehu was a king of Israel. He was the son of Jehoshaphat, and grandson of Nimshi.William F. Albright has dated his reign to 842-815 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 841-814 BC...
, son of Nimshi
Nimshi
Nimshi was the grandfather of Jehu, father of Jehoshaphat, and a character in the Hebrew Bible. Although he is sometimes referred to as the father is Jehu in the Hebrew Bible, this is usually regarded by scholars to mean that this means descendant of father, not that Jehu was the son of Nimshi...
, in the elimination of the house of Ahab
Ahab
Ahab or Ach'av or Achab in Douay-Rheims was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri according to the Hebrew Bible. His wife was Jezebel....
and in suppressing worship of Baal
Baal
Baʿal is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor, cognate to Akkadian Bēlu...
throughout Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
. In the Book of Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
he is called Jonadab.
He prohibited his followers from drinking alcohol, and is credited with founding the Rechabites. He also commanded that they live in tents, rather than houses. At Jeremiah 35:6-19, his followers are commended for adhering to his instructions, and God promises that his lineage will continue.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
use the terms Jonadabs or Jehonadabs to refer to Christians who hope to live forever on earth, rather than in heaven. The term was first used in this way in the early 1930s, though it is now used less frequently; Jehovah's Witnesses now usually use the terms great crowd (people who survive Armageddon) and other sheep (Armageddon survivors and others resurrected later).
Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 men and women will reign with Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
Christ in heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
, out of all Christians who have died since Jesus' resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
. They refer to these as the anointed or spiritual Israel, and those still living are referred to as the remnant. Witnesses believe that, in a similar manner to Jehonadab, as a non-Jew, assisting Jehu, the Jonadab class assists spiritual Israel. The August 15, 1934 The Watchtower
The Watchtower
The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom is an illustrated religious magazine, published semi-monthly in 194 languages by Jehovah's Witnesses via the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and printed in various branch offices around the world...
stated: