Bozkath

Bozkath is a town of Judah, named twice in the UPDV: once when Joshua's allotment lists the cities of the Shephelah, and once as the home town of King Josiah's mother.

A City in Judah's Allotment

Bozkath appears in the cluster of lowland cities given to Judah, neighbored by Lachish and Eglon: "Lachish, and Bozkath, and Eglon" (Josh 15:39). Its placement in the list groups it with the better-known fortified towns of the Shephelah without itself drawing further description.

The Home Town of Josiah's Mother

When the reign of Josiah opens, the regnal formula identifies his mother by her own father and home town: "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath" (2 Kings 22:1). The notice gives Bozkath its only narrative anchor — the place from which the queen mother of the reforming king came.