Who is King Ahaz in the Bible?

Quick Facts

Father: King Jotham, 2Ki 16:1
Predecessor: King Jotham, 2Ch 27:9
Age when made a king: 20 years, 2Ch 28:1
Age when he died: 36 years  
Reign: 732–716 BC
Succession: 12th king
Kingdom: Kingdom of Judah
Length of reign: 16 years, 2Ch 28:1
Successor: King Hezekiah, 2Ki 16:20
Morality: evil, 2Ch 28:1-2
Biblical history: 2Ch 28:1-27, 2Ki 16:1-20

Ahaz becomes king of Judah

The name Ahaz means ‘possessor‘. Ahaz, son of King Jotham, was 20 years old when he began to reign over Judah for 16 years, living in Jerusalem. He practiced idolatry like the kings of the Kingdom of Israel. He made and worshiped Baal idols, made sacrifices in the Valley of Hinnom, and burned his sons as an offering to his gods just like what the Canaanite nations did. He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. In every city of Judah, he made high places to burn incense to other gods and he made altars in every corner of Jerusalem, provoking God to anger. (2 Chronicles 28:1-4)

During Ahaz’s regime, the Kingdom of Judah became like cold meat, anyone daring enough could cut a slice of it for himself. It became a war zone, enemies harassed it at every turn and Ahaz had no rest. Eventually, he sold himself to Tiglath-pileser and paid heavy tribute to him for protection. Ahaz could have had rest and prosperity if he had served God. Kings after kings fall prey to idolatry to their doom. How sad! When Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah became a king.

Enemies harass Ahaz

Because of Ahaz’s idolatrous sins and abominable practices, God brought him and his kingdom so low, making them vulnerable to their enemies. Syria, led by King Rezin, invaded Judah, took a great number of captives to Damascus, drove the Judahites out of Elath, and recovered Elath for Syria. The Edomites came to occupy Elath. (2 Chronicles 28:5)

Israel, led by King Pekah, defeated Judah. In a single battle, Israel killed 120,000 warriors of Judah. In that battle, Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the commander of the palace, and Elkanah the next in authority to the king were all killed by an Ephramite warrior called Zichri. Israel took many spoils and 200,000 captives of men, women, girls, and boys to Samaria. Because of the warning of Prophet Oded, the captives were taken to Jericho to settle there. (2 Chronicles 28:6-8)

The Edomites who used to be vassals of Judah broke free and even dared to invade and carry away some Judahites as captives. The Philistines raided towns in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah and they captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. Then King Rezin and King Pekah came to besiege Jerusalem but could not break into it, capture it, or dethrone Ahaz. (2 Chronicles 28:17-19)

Even in the time of his distress, Ahaz was still very faithless and he shut up the doors of the house of God (2Ch 28:24). He worshiped the gods of Damascus, thinking they would help him against his enemies but they did not (2Ch 28:23).

Ahaz gathered silver and gold from the house of God, the palace treasury, and his officials and sent them as a tribute to Tiglath-pileser of Assyria for help against Syria and Israel (2Ki 16:8; 2Ch 28:24). And the king of Assyria listened to him. Then the king of Assyria marched up against Damascus and captured it, carrying its people captive to Kir, and killed King Rezin (2Ki 16:9).

Following the victory of Assyria in Damascus, King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser. There, he saw an altar and he liked it. So he had the priest Uriah build a similar one in Judah. On this altar, Ahaz offered his sacrifices and that of the people to his gods. (2Ki 16:10-16)

Major events during Ahaz’s reign

  • The Israel-Syria alliance defeated the Kingdom of Judah in war. (2Ch 28:5-6}
  • The Israel-Syria alliance besieged Jerusalem but could not capture it. (2 Kings 16:5)
  • King Pekah, in one battle, killed 120,000 warriors of Judah, looted, and carried away 200,000 captives from the Kingdom of Judah. (2 Chronicles 28:6)
  • King Rezin took back the city of Elath from the Kingdom of Judah, sacked the Jews from there, and made the Syrians come to live there. (2 Kings 16:6)
  • The Assyrian king invaded and captured the Syrian capital city of Damascus, carried captives to Kir, and killed King Rezin of Syria. (2 Kings 16:9)
  • The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser, bribed by King Ahaz, invaded the Kingdom of Israel and captured territories. (2 Kings 15:29)

Contemporaries of Ahaz

  • King Pekah had reigned for 17 years when Ahaz became a king. God stirred him up to wage war against Ahaz because of his sins. (2 Kings 16:1)
  • King Resin ruled Syria during the reign of Ahaz. The Lord stirred him up to ally with Israel for war against Judah. (2 Kings 16:5)
  • King Hoshea began to reign in the 12th year of Ahaz’s reign. (2 Kings 17:1)
  • Tiglath-pileser was king of Assyria at that time. He fought and defeated the two main enemies of Ahaz, King Pekah and King Resin, because Ahaz paid tribute and vassalized his kingdom to him. (2 Kings 16:7)
  • Prophet Isaiah – he prophesied to Ahaz that the plans of his enemies would fail. (Isaiah 7:1-17)

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