Many years ago, too many, I had parents that practiced what they preached. That is, they believed that God meant what He said and they tried to follow what they thought was right in God’s eyes. One of the verses in the Bible is “Let your nay be nay” and comes from Matthew 5:37 (KJV), where Jesus instructs in the Sermon on the Mount to be truthful in all speech, saying, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”. NKJV: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” It emphasizes integrity, meaning one’s “yes” and “no” should be reliable, but requiring no oaths. It commands that a person’s character should be so trustworthy that a simple “yes” or “no” is enough to settle a matter. “More than these”: Anything beyond a simple yes or no—such as elaborate oaths, lies, or manipulative language—is described as coming from the evil one. It means you should not need to swear by heaven or earth to prove you are telling the truth, and you should always follow through on your word.
They were so strong in their belief of this Biblical instruction and other verses about our use of words that I cannot ever remember them using any extra words in their conversations. They set an example for me and my brothers that was a strong influence on my own life. They made me understand that I would often hear words at school that should not be copied in my own life. They talked to me about many words that began with the letter “G” and other words that begin with the letter “D.” The discussions were to show me that many words beginning with those letters refer back to God and Devil.
A bit of searching let me find out that “Darn” originated in the late 18th century about 1781 as a New England Puritan “minced oath”, a polite, substitute for the profane “damn” to avoid direct swearing. The word was popularized to avoid religious or social prohibitions against public profanity, often used as “darn it” for “d—n it”. “Darn” is generally considered a mild, socially acceptable substitute for the stronger swear word “damn”. “Damn” is considered a mild swear word or an informal intensifier word rather than a severe curse word. While acceptable in casual conversation to express frustration or emphasis, it is often inappropriate in formal settings, polite company, or around children. It is less offensive than “f-word” or “s-word” equivalents. Often used to express annoyance (“Damn it”), surprise (“Well, I’ll be damned”), or to add emphasis (“That’s damn good”). Many consider it to be on the same level as “hell”. To avoid potential offense, milder alternatives include “darn,” “dang,” or “heck”. But if they are used, it is often a short way of wanting someone sent to hell or into damnation. That is the same as taking God’s place as judge. Please understand that I copied and pasted the above. To this day, I can’t even read those words in print and know that I should pass over them and not even form them in my mind. A lifelong habit that I can’t get past even if I wanted to.
In our weekly church prayer meetings, we have been reading on the kings of Judah and Israel. One of the kings was Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. The list of kings that ruled can be somewhat discouraging. It seems like there were many more bad kings than the good ones. One of the famous kings was Jehoshaphat—pretty much a good king! To this day we have the phrase “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” In many references Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah (c. 873–849 BCE), known for his religious reforms and for a miraculous victory where he was told to “stand still” rather than fight (2 Chronicles 20). We love Jehoshaphat as a name though I’ve never heard anyone name their son after him. Does it have something to do with being four-syllables long? Did his friends call him “Phat,” for short? Though there don’t seem to be little Jehoshaphat’s running around today, he does have that phrase named after him. That’s pretty cool. Anyway, he was one of Judah’s better kings who sought to please the Lord. He reigned around 900 BC.
In 2 Chronicles 20, Moab comes to make war. Alarmed, King Jehoshaphat and the people prayed and fasted. At the Temple, Jehoshaphat begins their “National Day of Prayer” this way: “O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not the God Who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You” (verse 6). That’s the makings of a good prayer right there! And it was. But when he got to the end of it, he and the people were still at a loss: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” Most of us can relate to the first part of that sentence; not so much, however, what comes after the comma. We often don’t know what to do. Even after much prayer, we still are unclear: “How should I parent my child?” “We don’t have enough income—what should we do?” “How do I love someone who is so mean to me?” Insert your current personal example.
But how can we get the “but our eyes are upon You” down better? The answer is in this story of Jehosophat. The Spirit of the Lord begins speaking through a man in verse 15: “…This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army…the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” But even though it was God’s, they still had to do something: “Tomorrow march down against them…Take up your positions; stand firm…Go out to face them tomorrow” (vv. 16-17).
And this is what they did. The next day, as they head to war, Jehoshaphat reminds them: “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld” (v. 20). And He will uphold them. God turns the enemy upon himself; Moab and her allies destroy one another (v. 23). When Judah arrived at the battlefield—all their enemies were already dead (v. 24).
Judah didn’t know how they would be delivered; they just knew God would do it. Judah didn’t know what would transpire at the battlefield; they just knew they were supposed to go there. And that is our own answer. In the midst of our trouble and confusion, our eyes will be upon Him more when we, by faith, trust Him by doing what He has revealed. Rarely are we so in the fog that we have no idea how to faithfully respond.
Which brings me back to that funny little phrase, “Jumping Jehoshaphat”; where did it come from? Some believe it developed over the years to remind Christians that when unexpected or troubling news comes our way, we are to remember to “jump” into God’s arms. That’s what Jehoshaphat and Judah did. They called on Him and He answered, doing so in a way no man could. We do have to “jump,” though. Not very high, either; He’s a God Who’s really good at stooping and catching. But Jehoshaphat never jumped at all. At least the writers of scripture never record any jump or leap or even a hop. Rather, he’s better known for keeping his feet solidly on the ground. To refresh your memory: An invading army caught Jehoshaphat by surprise. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast throughout the country and called the people together to seek help from the Lord. Everyone joined Jehoshaphat in seeking the Lord’s protection—All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. The Lord spoke through a prophet and encouraged Jehoshaphat and the people that the battle is not yours, but God’s. The next day, with men shouting, give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever, the king led his tiny army to meet their foe! The Lord fought in their stead, setting the invaders against each other, and destroying themselves in process. The Lord proved faithful as Jehoshaphat led his people with courage and trust.
So, maybe today we should popularize the phrase “Standing Firm Jehoshaphat!!” But it’s doubtful it would catch on—just doesn’t roll off the tongue. Instead we often make Jehoshaphat jump! “Jumping Jehoshaphat” is a 19th-century American exclamation used to express surprise, astonishment, or annoyance. Acting as a mild, humorous oath or substitute, it replaces stronger profanity (like “Jesus”) to avoid taking the Lord’s name in vain. It was popularized in literature and by a cartoon character Yosemite Sam. Yosemite Sam often screamed, “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” when frustrated. Today it is used for Surprise/Shock: “Jumping Jehoshaphat! That test was much harder than I expected!” Or when Annoyed and in Frustration: “Great Jumping Jehoshaphat! Where did I leave my keys?” Yes, he is a king mentioned in the Bible. I’m guessing his name is used as a mild oath to avoid using Jehovah. Similar exclamations would include “Great Scott,” “Holy cow,” “Jumping Jesus,” or “Jumping Judas”. How many of us need to say “Oops” as we use those phrases?
Its first known record in print is in the 1866 novel The Headless Horseman by Mayne Reid, where it was spelled “jumpin’ Geehosofat.” Why was Jehoshaphat” Jumping”?: There is no record of the biblical King Jehoshaphat actually jumping in scripture. Most word scientists believe “jumping” was chosen simply for its alliterative J-sound, fitting a trend of colorful 19th-century exclamations like “jumping Jiminy” or “jumping Jupiter.”
I am going to guess that many of us have used something like these words when surprised. But should we? Are they part of the instruction—let your no be no and yes be yes? I need to think before I speak. What can I eliminate from what I say? There are fine words to add interest to what I say and express astonishment, surprise or alarm that wouldn’t be classified as mild oaths. By substituting a biblical name like Jehoshaphat instead of the words Jesus or Jehovah, speakers thought they could express strong emotion without technically taking the name of the Lord in vain.
The Oxford English Dictionary and the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, seems to make it clear that the name of the king of Judah was used in the United States around the middle of the nineteenth century as a mild oath, a substitute for Jesus or Jehovah. The phrase Jumping Jehoshaphat is first recorded in1866, but is probably older. It seems to have been in the tradition of exotic imprecations that Americans of that period were so fond of, with the repeated initial sound greatly helping its acceptance.
Looked at another way, though, Jehoshaphat and jumping go hand in hand. The king appoints men to sing and to praise God as the soldiers march to meet their enemies. Such prayer may well have involved leaping and dancing, since leaping is associated with joy and the praise of God across the Bible. In the Song of Solomon, the beloved comes “leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills” (2:8); David uses the metaphor of jumping to credit God for his success: “by my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). And Jesus tells his followers that if the world curses them, they should “rejoice … and leap for joy” for their “reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6:23). One of the Greek words the New Testament uses for rejoice is agalliao, which comes from roots that mean literally “much” and “jump.”
The expression’s most likely origin could be 19th-century Americans trying out different words for mild oaths, and that jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! was both appropriately biblical and fun to say. Often alliterative phrases replace profane swearing or cussing/cursing. Instead of crying out, “Jesus!” or “Jesus Christ!” different words were substituted that had the same initial consonants. So, for “Jesus!”, folks might shout out “Jeepers!” or, for “Jesus Christ”, use “Jiminy Cricket! and Jeepers Creepers!” as common substitutes. The list is endless. As I grew older, of course I heard them—unnecessary words—a lot. A neighbor would come to discuss business with my father and uncle. Between his spitting tobacco and his choice and use of such words and even worse words, I understood that I was not to stay around in his presence very long! As a student wanting to fit in and have friends, I thought maybe I could invent another word that I could use and still not use a “bad word”. And so, in my young mind, I figured out that if a word wasn’t a g—-word, maybe it would be ok. I started saying jeesh! It was close but still, I decided, it could pass the test of an ok word! My mother did a good job of teaching me that using those words would be like taking God’s name in vain—Gee, Gosh, Geezus, Geek. Other words I was discouraged to use and now I understand why. Their uses have meanings that are not nice or polite—Crap, shoot, fudge and freaking (in place of F words), Holy Moly, heck (for hell), screwed, Darn, dang, dagnabbit, doggone, bloody! I bet that many of you have your own alliterative phrases. A favorite is a substitute for God like “Goodness, Good grief, Good Gracious and For God’s sake!” I just realized that I have been guilty of some of these! Should I even be using phrases like “Fiddlesticks or Fiddle-dee-dee?” They aren’t necessary! I think I have some improvement to accomplish to be more like Jesus!
And being more like Jesus is my daily goal!