Nehushta was the daughter of Elnathan ben Achbor of Jerusalem. She married Jehoiakim, the king of Judah (2 Kings 24:8), and became the mother of Jehoichin. Her son became king when he was eighteen years old, in circa 598 B.C., upon the death of his father, but he only ruled in Jerusalem for three months.

Most sources assert that Nehushta was a minor character in the Old Testament; more attention is given to her husband Jehoiakim, who was the eldest son of Josiah, and her son. She went into Babylonian captivity when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, lay siege to Jehoiakim's kingdom and exiled and imprisoned the ruling royal family.

When Nebuchadnezzar died, Nehushta and her relatives received their freedom, and treatment befitting a royal family.