2 Chronicles 22

Judah's King Ahaziah

1 Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, because the troops that had come with the Arabs to the camp had killed all the older sons.^[a] So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.

2 Ahaziah was 22^[b] years old when he became king; he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter^[c] of Omri.

3 He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother gave him evil advice.

4 So he did what was evil in the Lord's sight like the house of Ahab, for they were his advisers after the death of his father, to his destruction.

5 He also followed their advice and went with Joram^[d] son of Israel's King Ahab to fight against Hazael, king of Aram, in Ramoth-gilead. The Arameans^[e] wounded Joram,

6 so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they inflicted on him in Ramoth-gilead^[f] when he fought against Aram's King Hazael. Then Judah's King Ahaziah^[g] son of Jehoram went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab since Joram was ill.^[h]

7 With his going to Joram, Ahaziah's downfall was from God, for when Ahaziah went, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab.

8 So it happened when Jehu executed judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he killed them.

9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu's soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). Then they brought him to Jehu, and they killed him. They buried him, for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord with all his heart." So the house of Ahaziah had no one to exercise power over the kingdom.^[i]

Athaliah Usurps the Throne

10 When Athaliah, Ahaziah's mother, saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs^[j] of the house of Judah.

11 Jehoshabeath,^[k] the king's daughter, rescued Joash son of Ahaziah from the king's sons who were being killed and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Now Jehoshabeath was the daughter of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Since she was Ahaziah's sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she did not kill him.

12 While Athaliah ruled over the land, he was hiding with them in God's temple six years.^[l]

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit the former ones
• [b]. Some LXX mss, Syr; MT reads 42; 2 Kg 8:26
• [c]. Lit daughter
• [d]. Jehoram (also vv. 6-7)
• [e]. Lit Rammites; Arameans; 2 Kg 8:28
• [f]. Lit in Ramah
• [g]. Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read Azariah; 2 Kg 8:29
• [h]. 2 Kg 8:24-29
• [i]. 2 Kg 9:27-28
• [j]. Lit seed
• [k]. Jehosheba; 2 Kg 11:2
• [l]. 2 Kg 11:1-3

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.