Hebrew Key Terms:
Context: Jeremiah condemns Jehoiakim's oppression by contrasting him with his righteous father Josiah. The prophet defines true knowledge of God not as abstract theology but as concrete justice for the afflicted — and declares that Josiah embodied this standard. The rhetorical question "Is not this to know Me?" is one of the most penetrating theological definitions in the Old Testament.
OT-to-OT Development:
Connections:
Christological Connection: Josiah "knew God" through practicing justice and righteousness; Christ IS "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:5-6) — the Righteous Branch prophesied just one chapter later in Jeremiah — who perfectly embodies the justice Josiah imperfectly practiced. The escalation from Josiah to Christ proceeds on several levels. First, in identity: Josiah practiced righteousness as a human king who "knew God" through obedience; Christ IS righteousness incarnate (1 Corinthians 1:30), the God-man in whom the fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). To know Christ is not merely to imitate His justice but to know God Himself (John 14:9). Second, in imputation: Josiah's righteousness benefited his generation during his reign but could not be transferred to his sons or credited to his people; Christ's righteousness is imputed to all who believe — He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Third, in identification with the poor: Josiah judged the cause of the poor and needy as a righteous ruler; Christ so identifies with "the least of these" that caring for them is caring for Him (Matthew 25:40), and He Himself became poor that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). The Jeremiah 22-23 sequence itself traces this trajectory: Josiah's justice (22:15-16) exposed by his sons' injustice (22:13-17, 24-30) creates the vacuum that only the Righteous Branch can fill (23:5-6). In the already/not-yet framework: Christ has already come as the Righteous Branch and secured justification for His people; but the full justice Josiah and Jeremiah longed for — when every wrong is righted — not yet awaits Christ's return as the Judge who will establish perfect justice eternally (Revelation 19:11).
Connection Method(s): Typology (Providential, Backward-Looking) + Contrast + Promise-Fulfillment — Josiah practiced righteousness imperfectly while Christ IS righteousness incarnate; the Jeremiah 22-23 sequence traces from Josiah's justice through his sons' failure to the promised Righteous Branch. ANTI-DEFAULT CHECK: Typology is warranted because Josiah's justice-righteousness directly prefigures the "justice and righteousness" of the Branch in Jeremiah 23:5, with the same Hebrew terms (mishpat and tsedaqah) applied to both. Promise-Fulfillment is equally applicable since Jeremiah 23:5-6 is an explicit Messianic promise arising directly from the failure of Josiah's successors to match his standard.
Trajectory Table: 086 - Josiah (Reformer King Prophesied by Name)