Table of Contents
Quick facts
Father: Joash of Judah, 2Ch 24:27
Mother: Jehoaddan, 2Ch 25:1
Predecessor: Joash of Judah, 2Ch 24:27
Succession: 9th king
Length of reign: 29 years, 2Ch 25:1
Successor: King Uzziah, 2Ch 26:1
Age when made a king: 25 years, 2Ch 25:1
Age when he died: 54 years, 2Ch 25:1
Kingdom: Kingdom of Judah
Reign: 797 BC–768 BC
Morality: good, but apostatized, 2Ch 25:2; 2Ch 25:14
Biblical history: 2Ch 25:1-28; 2Ki 14:1-20
Amaziah becomes a king
Amaziah, son of Joash of Judah, was 25 years old when he became a king and he reigned for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan. Amaziah started well as a good king but he ended badly as an apostate. As king, Amaziah killed Zabad and Jehozabadose, the two officials who murdered his father. But Amaziah spared their children for it is written in the Law of Moses, “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.” (2Ch 25:1-4)
Amaziah reconquers Edom
With time, King Amaziah mustered all the males in his kingdom from 20 years old and upward and found that they were 300,000 choice men, fit to handle weapons for war. He also hired 100,000 warriors from the Kingdom of Israel for a fee of 100 talents of silver. With his own 300,000 men and 100,000 mercenaries, he intended to reconquer Edom, for Edom, which was a vassal to Judah, had rebelled many years ago during the reign of his grandfather King Jehoram of Judah.
A man of God, whose name was not mentioned, came to King Amaziah and warned him that he should not go with the mercenary army he hired from the Kingdom of Israel lest God would make them suffer defeat. (2 Kings 25:7-9). Then King Amaziah reluctantly listened to the prophet and discharged the mercenary army. The mercenary army disliked the king’s decision and they left for home in fierce anger.
Amaziah took courage and led his people to the Valley of Salt for war. During the battle, Judah killed 10,000 Edomites, captured 10,000 more alive, took them to the top of a rock, and threw them down to their death. While King Amaziah and his army were gone to war, the angry mercenary army, in their anger, raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon, killed 3,000 people in the raid, and took much spoil away. (Bible reference 2Ch 25:5-13)
Amaziah turns away from God
King Amaziah proved to be very ungrateful; he was ungrateful to God just like his father was ungrateful to the priest Jehoiada. After God helped him defeat the Edomites, he collected the gods of the Edomites, brought them to his kingdom, set them up as his gods, and worshiped them, making offerings to them. Therefore, God was angry with King Amaziah and sent to him a prophet, who rebuked him and wanted him to come to his senses that the gods he had adopted to worship were dead gods who could not even save their own people, the Edomites, from defeat. So why should he worship them? But King Amaziah silenced the prophet and responded with threats that he would have him executed if he continued to rebuke him. The prophets finally told Amaziah to his face that for his sin of idolatry and for refusing to listen to his counsel, God would certainly destroy him. (2Ch 25:14-16)
A war between Amaziah and Jehoash of Israel
Amaziah became proud as a result of defeating the Edomites. In his pride, he took counsel from his officials and sent a challenge to King Jehoash of Israel to war. King Jehoash of Israel sent his response in a parable and also advised Amaziah that he should not let pride overtake him to lead him into trouble. But God caused Amaziah not to listen to the king of Israel so that he would go to war and be defeated for he and his kingdom worshiped the gods of Edom.
Eventually, the two kings and their armies faced one another in battle at a place called Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. And Judah was defeated by the Kingdom of Israel and they fled. King Jehoash of Israel captured Amaziah and brought him to Jerusalem. Joash of Israel broke down 400 cubits of the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate; he took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the house of God in the care of Obed-edom; he took the treasures of the king’s house; he also took hostages and he returned to Samaria. (Bible reference 2Ch 25:17-28)
The death of Amaziah
From the time Amaziah turned away from the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there. And they brought him upon horses, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. He was succeeded by his son Uzziah. (2Ch 25:27)
Major events during Amaziah’s reign
- Amaziah defeated Edom in a war. (2Ch 25:5-13)
- Joash of Israel defeated Amaziah in a war. (2Ch 25:17-28)
- King Jeroboam II took the city of Hamath from Judah during the reign of Amaziah. (2 Kings 14:28)
Achievement of King Amaziah
- He defeated the Edomites in battle, bringing victory to Judah. (2Ch 25:5-13)
- He captured the town Selah and named it Joktheel. (2Ki 14:7)
Contemporaries of King Amaziah
- Jehoash of Israel, the son of King Jehoahaz, had reigned for 2 years when Amaziah became a king. The relationship between these two kings deteriorated when a war happened between them. (2Ki 14:1)
- King Jeroboam II, son of Jehoash of Israel, became a king in the 15th year of Amaziah. (2Ki 14:23)
- Hazael was still king of Syria during the reign of Amaziah.
- Benhadad II, son of King Hazael, became king of Syria during the reign of Amaziah.
Categories; Amaziah belongs to:
- The kings who inherited the throne
- The kings who did evil in God’s sight
- The idolatrous kings in the Bible
- The kings who were captured
- The kings who were murdered