Ahab’s son, who was the ninth king of the northern kingdom of Israel for two years, from 853 to 852 BC. He became king when Ahab was killed trying to take back Ramoth-gilead from Syrian control.
Ahaziah was king at the same time as King Jehoshaphat of Judah and of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram. He was king during a period of peace with Judah, unlike the reigns of the previous kings, Asa and Baasha (2 Chronicles 20:37; compare with 1 Kings 22:48–49). Soon after becoming king, he had to fight against Mesha of Moab, who had stopped paying taxes to Israel.
Ahaziah followed the false religion of Jeroboam I and openly worshipped Baal like his parents, Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 22:51–53). 2 Kings 1 talks about the illness that killed Ahaziah. He fell from the second story of his palace and was badly hurt. Instead of asking God for help, he asked, “Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron.” The prophet Elijah said God would punish Ahaziah for this, and the king tried to arrest him. Two groups of soldiers were destroyed by fire from God, showing God's victory over Baal because he was worshipped as the god of fire and lightning. Ahaziah died just as Elijah predicted (2 Kings 1:2–18). His younger brother, Jehoram, became king after him. This was when Ahaziah’s brother-in-law, also named Jehoram, was king of Judah.
2. The son of Jehoram of Judah, grandson of Jehoshaphat, and nephew of the previous Ahaziah. He was the sixth king of Judah, but only for one year (841 BC) at the age of 22 (2 Kings 8:25–26). The northern kingdom of Israel was turning away from God, and so was Judah, because Ahaziah was the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel (his mother, Athaliah, was their daughter).
Ahaziah joined his uncle Jehoram of Israel (sometimes abbreviated Joram) in a battle against King Hazael of Syria. In the battle, Jehoram was hurt and went to Jezreel to get better. Ahaziah visited his uncle in Jezreel (2 Chronicles 22:7–9) which turned out to be a mistake. Jehu, the army commander, had been chosen by Elisha to destroy Ahab’s descendants (2 Kings 9:1–13). He killed both Joram and Ahaziah (2 Kings 9:14–29).
When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, learned about his death, she took control and tried to kill all of his children. One child, Joash, escaped death and eventually became king (2 Kings 11:1–21). Ahaziah is sometimes called Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 21:17) or Azariah (2 Chronicles 22:6 in the King James Version).