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AHAZIAH

(Heb. ʾăḥazyâ, ʾăḥazyāhû)

1. King of Judah, who succeeded his father Jehoram (Joram) at the age of 22 and reigned one year (843/842 b.c.e.). Ahaziah’s mother was Athaliah, making him the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Kgs. 8:25-27). The statement in Chronicles that Ahaziah began to reign at the age of 42 must be incorrect, because his father was only 40 when he died (2 Chr 21:20–22:2). Because of his relationship to the northern kingdom, Ahaziah was considered a wicked king (2 Kgs. 8:27). He allied with Jehoram (Joram) of Israel, participating with him in battles against the Syrian king Hazael. While Jehoram was recovering in Jezreel from wounds sustained in a battle with the Syrians, Ahaziah came to visit him (2 Kgs. 8:28, 29). After Elisha anointed Jehu as the next king of Israel (2 Kgs. 9:1-13), Jehu traveled to Jezreel and there he killed Jehoram and fatally wounded Ahaziah as well; Ahaziah was taken to Megiddo where he died (2 Kgs. 9:17-29). Jehu then continued his purge by killing various relatives of Ahaziah as well (2 Kgs. 10:13, 14; cf. the sequence of events in 2 Chr. 22:7-9). In keeping with his doctrine of retribution, the Chronicler attributes Ahaziah’s death to his association with Jehoram of Israel (2 Chr. 22:7a).

An Aramaic inscription, fragments of which were discovered at Tel Dan in 1993 and 1994, was apparently commissioned by Hazael; in it he claims to have killed [Jeho]ram king of Israel and [Ahaz]iah king of Judah. The biblical and epigraphic data seem to be in conflict, but there is biblical evidence of some sort of alliance between Hazael and Jehu (1 Kgs. 19:17).

Following Ahaziah’s death, Athaliah killed the remaining members of the royal family in Judah and actually assumed the throne herself. Ahaziah’s sister Jehosheba was able to save one of Ahaziah’s sons, Jehoash (Joash). Seven years later Athaliah was deposed and killed, and Jehoash was crowned king (2 Kgs. 11:1-21; 2 Chr. 22:10–23:21).

2. Son and successor of King Ahab of Israel; he reigned ca. two years (850-849; 1 Kgs. 22:40, 51). The Deuteronomistic editor criticized Ahaziah for his aberrant religious practices, particularly his worship of Baal (1 Kgs. 22:53). According to the Chronicler, Ahaziah of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah jointly produced several ships at Ezion-geber. Jehoshaphat’s collaboration with Ahaziah aroused the ire of Eliezer son of Dodavahu, who correctly prophesied that the ships would be destroyed (2 Chr. 20:35-37). Though the parallel pericope in Kings affirms that the ships were destroyed, it denies that Jehoshaphat collaborated with Ahaziah in building them (1 Kgs. 22:48, 49).

According to a narrative in the Elijah cycle, Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to “Baal-zebub,” the god of Ekron, to learn whether or not he would recover. Intercepted and rebuked by Elijah, these messengers were told that Ahaziah would not recover. After finally consenting to appear before the king, Elijah rebuked Ahaziah for attempting to consult a deity other than Yahweh and again stated that the king would not recover. Ahaziah was succeeded as king of Israel by his brother Jehoram (2 Kgs. 1:2-18).

Bibliography. A. Biran and J. Naveh, “The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment,” IEJ 45 (1995): 1-18; M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings. AB 11 (Garden City, 1988); J. M. Miller and J. H. Hayes, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah (Philadelphia, 1986).

Chris A. Rollston

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

AHAZIAH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)