Who is King Ahaziah of Judah in the Bible?

Disambiguation

Quick facts about Ahaziah of Judah

Father: Jehoram of Judah, 2Ki 8:24
Predecessor: Jehoram of Judah, 2Ki 8:24
Mother: Queen Athaliah, 2Ki 8:26
Succession: 6th king
Length of reign: 1 year, 2Ki 8:26
Successor: Queen Athaliah, 2Ch 22:10-12
Age when made a king: 22 years, 2Ki 8:26
Kingdom: Kingdom of Judah
Reign: 842 BCE – 841 BCE
Age when he died:  23 years
Morality: evil king, 2 Kings 8:27
Another name: Jehoahaz, (Compare: 2Ch 21:17 & 2Ch 22:1)
Biblical history: 2Ch 22:1-12; 2Ki 8:24-29; 2Ki 9:16-29

Ahaziah becomes king

The event leading to Ahaziah’s reign started during the reign of his father King Jehoram. King Jehoram was a wicked king who, apart from idolatry, stained his hands with innocent blood. (2 Chronicles 21:6)

God was against King Jehoram and He brought in his way the Philistine army and Arabian raiders to trouble him and the kingdom of Judah. These enemies invaded the Kingdom of Judah, broke into Jerusalem, carried away all the valuables found in his palace, and carried away his sons and his wives, leaving only his youngest son. (2 Chronicles 21:16-17)

Later, King Jehoram died, but since all his elder sons were taken into captivity, Ahaziah his youngest son was the only one left to take the throne. Ahaziah began to reign at the age of 22 years in Jerusalem and he reigned for a year. His mother was Athaliah the daughter of King Ahab of Israel. (2 Chronicles 22:1)

Athaliah influences Ahaziah

Ahaziah and his father Jehoram of Judah were victims of evil communication. King Jehoram married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This woman was so evil. She adversely influenced her husband to his ruin. When her husband died and her son Ahaziah became king, she and her family, the house of Ahab, collaborated to mislead Ahaziah to his destruction. The Bible testified about their bad influence saying,

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counseller to do wickedly. 4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellers after the death of his father to his destruction (2 Chronicles 22:3-4).

First of all, Athaliah and her family induced Ahaziah to turn away from God and embrace idolatry. Secondly, they convinced Ahaziah to ally with his uncle, Joram of Israel, to go to war against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. (2 Chronicles 22:3-5; 2 Kings 8:27-28)

The death of Ahaziah

Ahaziah allied with his uncle, Joram of Israel, to fight against the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead and they were defeated. Having suffered many wounds in battle, King Joram went to stay in Jezreel to heal.  

Then Ahaziah went to Jezreel to visit King Joram. Around the same time, Jehu, a military commander, was on his way to Jezreel to kill and dethrone King Joram. Jehu and Co were sighted from afar. Upon learning that Jehu was coming, King Joram wanted to know whether he was coming in peace; but the messengers did not return to the king.

Then King Joram and King Ahaziah, his ally, mounted their chariots to meet Jehu. When the two kings met Jehu and realized he was staging a coup, King Joram and King Ahaziah fled for their lives. Archers shot King Joram and killed him. And on Jehu’s command, they pursued Ahaziah and archers shot him too in his chariot at a place called Gur, which was near Ibleam. But he did not die immediately, he continued his escape until he got to Megiddo where he died. His body was brought to Jerusalem for burial. (2 Kings 9:16-29)

The Bible testifies that the death of King Ahaziah was the doing of God: ‘And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.’ (2 Chronicles 22:7)

The age at which Ahaziah became a king

The Bible presents two different ages for Ahaziah at the time he began to reign: 42 years (2 Chronicles 22:2) and 22 years (2 Kings 8:26). The 22 years is a true reflection of his age. This is because King Jehoram, Ahaziah’s father,   began to reign at the age of 32 (2 Kings 8:17), and he reigned for 8 years (2 Kings 8:17) and died; meaning he died at the age of 40 in the year 842 BC. King Ahaziah began to reign soon after his father’s death in the year 842 BC. Therefore if King Ahaziah was 42 years old in the year 842 BC, that means he was 2 years older than his father, which is impossible. Therefore 22 years old is more accurate.

Major events during the reign of Ahaziah

  • Jehu was anointed to be king and destroy the house of Ahab. (2 Kings 9:1-10)
  • Jehu, a military commander, staged a coup and killed King Joram and Ahaziah. (2 Kings 9:16-28)
  • The Kingdom of Israel and its ally, the Kingdom of Judah, went to war against Syria. (2 Chronicles 22:5; 2 Kings 8:28)

Notable contemporaries of Ahaziah

  • Joram of Israel had reigned for 12 years when Ahaziah became a king. These two kings were allies and were related. King Joram was the brother of Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother. (2 Kings 8:25)
  • King Hazael of Syria was at war with King Joram and his ally. (2 Chronicles 22:5; 2 Kings 8:28)
  • Jehu, a military commander who staged a coup. (2 Kings 9:16-28)

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