2 Chronicles 25 Study Notes

25:16 When God sent another prophet to rebuke the king, Amaziah reacted defensively and threatened to kill the prophet (cp. 32:25-26), but the prophet managed to get in the last word and told Amaziah his destruction was assured.

25:17 Jehoash: Twelfth king of Israel; son of Jehoahaz; defeated Amaziah of Judah in response to Amaziah’s challenge. Once again, it is essential to keep track of the names of the kings because of the duplication of names in the northern and southern kingdoms. Jehoahaz of Israel was the son of Jehu, who had killed Ahab and made himself king of Israel. Jehoash was Jehoahaz’s son. Jehoash was the king of Israel contemporary with Amaziah of Judah. When Amaziah had returned home after his campaign against Edom and had learned of the damage done by the mercenaries from the north, he called for a show-down with Jehoash (though it would be difficult to prove that he was responsible for the way these men had behaved).

25:18-20 Amaziah had acquired an inflated sense of his military prowess, so when Jehoash tried to talk him out of going to war, Amaziah persisted with his plan to invade the northern kingdom. The Chronicler once again makes it clear that in the final analysis, this foolish action by the king was a part of God’s plan to bring about his downfall (cp. 10:15; Jdg 14:4; 2Sm 17:14).

25:21-24 When Jehoash realized that Amaziah was not going to let up, he marched with his army into Judah, and Amaziah got the opportunity for the military confrontation that he wanted. Jehoash decimated the army of Judah and captured Amaziah. The Jehoahaz referred to here (v. 23) is Amaziah’s grandfather, usually called Ahaziah who, again, is not identical with the northern king of the same name. Jehoash used Amaziah as a hostage to allow him to head straight to Jerusalem, where he destroyed two hundred yards of the city wall and then plundered all the valuables from the palace and the temple, as well as taking hostages. Obed-edom stems from the name of the Levite who played in the musical ensemble when the ark was moved, and who was made a guard of one of the gates of God’s house while his sons were put in charge of the storehouse (1Ch 26:15). Apparently from that time on the gatekeepers were called “Obed-edom” in honor of this man, and thus it was by this name that the Chronicler referred to them as he described Jehoash’s plundering.

25:25-28 Amaziah continued as king for many years, but just as his father Joash had done, he lost the confidence of his people. Eventually, because of an assassination plot against him, he had to flee Jerusalem and seek safety in the citadel of Lachish, thirty miles southwest of Jerusalem. His pursuers caught up with him there and killed him. At least he was accorded a proper burial in the royal tombs in Jerusalem.