←2 Chronicles 22→BSB

In This Chapter 23 people 13 places 5 terms

People

Ahaziah (Son of Jehoram) 17 Ahab 14 Athaliah 7 Jehu 6 Jehoram (Joram) 5 Jehoshabeath (Jehosheba) 4 Jehoram 3 Azariah (Ahaziah) 2 Omri 2 Joram 2 Israel 2 Hazael 2 Nimshi 2 Jehoshaphat 2 Joash 2 Jehoiada 2 Jehoahaz (Ahaziah) Joram (Jehoram) Jacob (Patriarch) Jeshurun (Israel) Jehosheba Jehoash (Joash) Barachiah (Jehoiada)

Places

    Key Terms

    To Act Wickedly 2 Counsel 2 Smear 2 Strength 2 Act Unjustly

    Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

    (2 Kings 8:25–29)

    1Then the people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king in his place, since the raiders who had come into the camp with the Arabs† had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

    ⓘ The queen mother, Athaliah, had a lot of...

    The queen mother, Athaliah, had a lot of influence over the king (see study note on 2 Chronicles 15:16). Athaliah was similar to her mother, Jezebel (see 2 Chronicles 22:10–23:15; compare 1 Kings 16:31–21:28), and she followed her grandfather Omri's example (see 1 Kings 16:21–26).

    2Ahaziah was twenty-two† years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.

    3Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wickedness. 4And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruction they were his counselors after the death of his father.

    ⓘ Ramoth-gilead, a city for the Levites in the...

    • Ramoth-gilead, a city for the Levites in the land of Gad (Joshua 21:38), was on a major trade route. It was important for both Aram and Israel.

    • Jezreel, located at the base of Mount Gilboa in the Jezreel plain, became the summer residence of the Israelite kings.

    5Ahaziah also followed their counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans† wounded Joram.† 6So he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah† when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah† son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.

    ⓘ Ahaziah died as a punishment for allying with...

    Ahaziah died as a punishment for allying with the king of Israel. The king of Judah, who followed the advice of the Israelite house of Omri, shared their fate and found no safety when he died. Ahaziah's unfaithfulness nearly brought David's family line to the same end as Saul's, with no one left to take the throne.

    7Ahaziah’s downfall came from God when he went to visit Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son† of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

    Jehu Kills the Princes of Judah

    (2 Kings 9:14–29)

    8So while Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.

    9Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu’s soldiers captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. So Ahaziah was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So no one was left from the house of Ahaziah with the strength to rule the kingdom.

    Athaliah and Joash

    (2 Kings 11:1–3)

    ⓘ Athaliah was not seen as a legitimate monarch....

    Athaliah was not seen as a legitimate monarch. She did not receive the usual royal recognition of age or reign length like other rulers. She focused on eliminating potential male successors in Judah's royal family. Those who could not rule, like Ahaziah’s sister, survived. Jehosheba, Ahaziah’s half-sister, was the daughter of King Jehoram by a different wife than Athaliah. Athaliah ruled for six years, from 841 to 835 BC.

    10When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs of the house of Judah. 11But Jehoshabeath† daughter of King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill him.

    12And Joash remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.