2 Chronicles 22

1 The people living in Yerushalayim made Achazyah his youngest son king in place of him, since the raiding party that had invaded the camp with the Arabs had killed all the older ones. So Achazyah the son of Y'horam king of Y'hudah reigned.

2 Achazyah was forty-two years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for one year in Yerushalayim. His mother's name was 'Atalyahu the daughter of 'Omri.

3 He too lived after the example of the house of Ach'av, because his mother was his counselor in acting wickedly.

4 So he did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, as had the house of Ach'av; because, to his destruction, they were his counselors after his father died;

5 and he lived his life by their advice. With Y'horam the son of Ach'av, king of Isra'el, he went to war against Haza'el king of Aram at Ramot-Gil'ad, where the Aramim wounded Yoram.

6 He returned to Yizre'el to be healed of the wounds which they had inflicted on him at Ramah while fighting Haza'el king of Aram. Achazyah the son of Y'horam, king of Y'hudah, went down to visit Y'horam the son of Ach'av in Yizre'el, because he was not feeling well.

7 Through Achazyah's visit to Yoram, God brought about his downfall. After he arrived, he accompanied Yoram against Yehu the son of Nimshi, whom ADONAI had anointed to cut off the house of Ach'av.

8 But it happened that when Yehu was executing judgment on the house of Ach'av, he found the leading men of Y'hudah and Achazyah's nephews in attendance on Achazyah and killed them.

9 Then he went searching for Achazyah; they caught him where he had been hiding in Shomron, brought him to Yehu and killed him. But [his subjects] buried him, because they said, "He was the [grand]son of Y'hoshafat, who sought ADONAI with all his heart." At this point there was no one in the house of Achazyah strong enough to rule the kingdom.

10 When 'Atalyah the mother of Achazyah saw that her son was dead, she set about destroying the entire royal family of the house of Y'hudah.

11 But Y'hoshav'at the daughter of the king took Yo'ash the son of Achazyah, stole him away from among the princes who were being slaughtered, and sequestered him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Y'hoshav'at the daughter of King Y'horam, wife of Y'hoyada the cohen and sister of Achazyah, hid him from 'Atalyah, so that he was not killed.

12 He remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years; during this time 'Atalyah ruled the land.

2 Chronicles 22 Commentary

Chapter 22

The reign of Ahaziah, Athaliah destroys the royal family.

- The counsel of the ungodly ruins many young persons when they are setting out in the world. Ahaziah gave himself up to be led by evil men. Those who advise us to do wickedly, counsel us to our destruction; while they pretend to be friends, they are our worst enemies. See and dread the mischief of bad company. If not the infection, yet let the destruction be feared, ( Revelation 18:4 ) . We have here, a wicked woman endeavouring to destroy the house of David, and a good woman preserving it. No word of God shall fall to the ground. The whole truth of the prophecies that the Messiah was to come from David, and thereby the salvation of the world, appeared to be now hung upon the brittle thread of the life of a single infant, to destroy whom was the interest of the reigning power. But God had purposed, and vain were the efforts of earth and hell.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 22

In this chapter we have an account of the wicked reign of Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, 2Ch 22:1-4 of his death, the occasion and manner of it, 2Ch 22:5-9 and of his mother Athaliah destroying all the royal seed, excepting one, who was hid by the king's sister, and assuming the government to herself, 2Ch 22:10-12.