The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Jehoshaphat
(jhsh´ft) (KEY) , In the Bible, king of Judah (c.873849 B.C.), son and successor of Asa 1. He continued his fathers religious reforms. He was an ally of Ahab, who was king of Israel, and his successors, and he was the first king of Judah to make a treaty with the kingdom of Israel. He was succeeded by his son, Jehoram 2. The Valley of Jehoshaphat, mentioned in the Book of Joel as a place of judgment, has been identified by tradition with the northern extension of the vale of Kidron to the E of Jerusalem.