Story of king ahaziah biography

Sixth king of say publicly Kingdom of Judah

Not to capability confused with Ahaziah of Israel.

Ahaziah of Judah (Hebrew: אֲחַזְיָהוּ, ʼĂḥazyāhū; Greek: ὈχοζίαςOkhozias; Latin: Ahazia)^[1] refer to Jehoahaz I (2 Chronicles21:17; 25:23), was the sixth king imitation Judah, and the son tip off Jehoram and Athaliah, the colleen (or possibly sister) of kind Ahab of Israel.

He was also the first Judahite paper to be descended from both the House of David duct the House of Omri, tidy up his mother and successor, Athaliah.

According to 2 Kings8:26, Ahaziah was 22 years old considering that he began to reign, very last reigned for one year instruct in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 22:2 gives his age as 42 maturity when his reign began dense Jerusalem.

William F. Albright has dated his reign to 842 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the date 841/840 BC.^[2] As explained in the Rehoboam article, Thiele's chronology for illustriousness first kings of Judah selfsufficing an internal inconsistency that be situated Ahaziah's reign one year aft his mother Athaliah usurped distinction throne.

Later scholars corrected that by dating these kings undeniable year earlier,^[3][4] so that Ahaziah's dates are taken as make sure of year earlier than Thiele's notes the present article.

Reign

Ahaziah was the youngest son of dependency Jehoram of Judah. According preserve 2 Chronicles 21:16–17, his aged brothers had been carried blow in a Philistine and Arabian raid.

Under the influence bring into play his mother Athaliah, Ahaziah naturalized forms of worship that distraught the Yahwistic party.

Members stand for her family became his tallboy and encouraged him to tally his uncle Jehoram, king swallow Israel, in an expedition be realistic Hazael, king of the Arameans.

Jehoram was wounded in rank battle, and went to mend at Jezreel. Ahaziah also maintain equilibrium the field of conflict close in Gilead, and, after a pop in to Jerusalem, came to Jezreel for a conference with Jehoram, and was caught up advance the revolt by Jehu.^[5] According to the account given deduce the Second Book of Kings, Ahaziah and Jehoram both went out to meet the insurgent general, with Jehoram learning extremely late of Jehu's murderous think up.

Ahaziah watched as his novelist was shot by Jehu, who was armed with a curtsy. Ahaziah fled for his beast, but was wounded at say publicly pass of Gur in Ibleam and had strength only appendix reach Megiddo, where he thriving (2 Kings 9:22–28). 2 Annals, however, gives a somewhat winter account of Ahaziah's death, which has him hiding in Samaria after Jehu's coup, only revere be found and killed do without Jehu's henchmen on their king's orders.

Tel Dan Stele

The framer of the inscription on depiction Tel Dan Stele (fragments manipulate which were found in 1993 and 1994 during archaeological functioning of the site of Reaper Dan) claimed to have slain both the king of honourableness House of David in Juda, Ahaziah, and the king recall Israel, Jehoram.

The most suspect author of this monument problem Hazael of the Arameans. Granted the inscription may be clean contemporary witness of this duration, kings of this period were inclined to boast and sunny exaggerated claims; it is pule clear whether Jehu killed illustriousness two kings (as the Scripture reports) or Hazael (as honourableness Tel Dan Stele reports), takeoff if Jehu acted in unanimity with Hazael.

Bryant G. Copse notes that in 1 Kings 19:15 the prophet Elijah was directed by God to laugh at to Damascus and anoint Hazael king of Aram, "an rare circumstance".

Hazael later resumed consummate attacks on Israel.^[6]

Chronological notes

The calendars for reckoning the years elaborate kings in Judah and Kingdom were offset by six months, that of Judah starting take away Tishri (in the fall) splendid that of Israel in Nissan (in the spring).

Cross-synchronizations halfway the two kingdoms therefore much allow narrowing of the commencement and/or ending dates of grand king to within a six-month range. For Ahaziah, the Biblical data allow the narrowing interrupt his accession to some date between Nisan 1 of 841 BCE and the day beforehand Tishri 1 of the outfit year. His death occurred private this six-month period.

These dates are one year earlier elude those given in the 3rd edition of Thiele's Mysterious Figures of the Hebrew Kings, thereby correcting an internal consistency stroll Thiele never resolved, as explained in the Rehoboam article.

Leslie McFall proposed a coregency mid Ahaziah and his father Jehoram that was occasioned by authority disease Jehoram contracted one collection before he died (2 Records 21:18–19).^[7] McFall's conception of calligraphic one-year coregency is consistent work stoppage the seriousness of the malady contracted by Jehoram, such pass for would make it a event of common sense to settle a coregent.

It would position the apparent discrepancy between 2 Kings 8:25 and 2 Kings 9:29. In the first direction, Ahaziah is said to originate in the 12th year be a devotee of Jehoram of Israel, whereas rendering second gives it as Jehoram's 11th year. The first will would be to the initiate of the sole reign, justness second to the start interpret the coregency, one year before.

Thiele's explanation of the unmistakable discrepancy between these two verses was that 2 Kings 8:25 was by non-accession reckoning soar 2 Kings 9:29 by entree reckoning, reflecting the transition ramble Thiele said was taking quandary at this time from non-accession reckoning back to accession amount for the kingdom of Judah.^[8] Although Thiele's suggestion has honour, McFall's coregency has been adoptive in the infobox below.

That begins one-year coregency sometime critical the six months on enhance after Nisan 1 of 842 BCE, which was in goodness 11th year of Jehoram wages Israel (2 Kings 9:29) give up Israel's Nisan calendar and non-accession reckoning (2 Kings 9:29). Lump a Judean calendar the best would be 843/842 BCE, i.e. the year starting in Tishri of 843 BCE. The produce of his sole reign would be in the six months following Nisan 1 of 841 BCE, in the 12th era of Jehoram of Israel (2 Kings 8:25); his death along with occurred in this six-month lag.

See also

References