Yehoshav'at (H3086) means 'Yahweh is an oath' or 'Yahweh has sworn.' This name belongs to the daughter of King Jehoram of Judah who risked her life to hide the infant Joash from the murderous queen Athaliah (2 Chr 22:11). She concealed him in the temple for six years, preserving the Davidic line — and thus the messianic promise — against the coup that killed all the other royal heirs.
Yehoshav'at is one of Scripture's great unsung heroes. When Athaliah sought to destroy the entire royal seed of David, this woman acted with courage and faith to preserve the covenant. The theological weight is enormous: the Davidic line, through which the Messiah would come, hung by a thread — preserved by one faithful woman hiding a child in God's house. Her name, 'Yahweh swears,' reflects what she trusted: God's oath to David (Ps 89:3-4, 2 Sam 7:12-16) that his line would not fail. She is a picture of all who guard the promises of God in dark times.