1 And the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem H3389 made H4427 Ahaziah H274 his youngest H6996 son H1121 king H4427 in his stead: for the band of men H1416 that came H935 with the Arabians H6163 to the camp H4264 had slain H2026 all the eldest. H7223 So Ahaziah H274 the son H1121 of Jehoram H3088 king H4428 of Judah H3063 reigned. H4427
2 Forty H705 and two H8147 years H8141 old H1121 was Ahaziah H274 when he began to reign, H4427 and he reigned H4427 one H259 year H8141 in Jerusalem. H3389 His mother's H517 name H8034 also was Athaliah H6271 the daughter H1323 of Omri. H6018
3 He also walked H1980 in the ways H1870 of the house H1004 of Ahab: H256 for his mother H517 was his counsellor H3289 to do wickedly. H7561
4 Wherefore he did H6213 evil H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD H3068 like the house H1004 of Ahab: H256 for they were his counsellors H3289 after H310 the death H4194 of his father H1 to his destruction. H4889
5 He walked H1980 also after their counsel, H6098 and went H3212 with Jehoram H3088 the son H1121 of Ahab H256 king H4428 of Israel H3478 to war H4421 against Hazael H2371 king H4428 of Syria H758 at Ramothgilead: H7433 H1568 and the Syrians H7421 smote H5221 Joram. H3141
6 And he returned H7725 to be healed H7495 in Jezreel H3157 because of the wounds H4347 which were given H5221 him at Ramah, H7414 when he fought H3898 with Hazael H2371 king H4428 of Syria. H758 And Azariah H5838 the son H1121 of Jehoram H3088 king H4428 of Judah H3063 went down H3381 to see H7200 Jehoram H3088 the son H1121 of Ahab H256 at Jezreel, H3157 because he was sick. H2470
7 And the destruction H8395 of Ahaziah H274 was of God H430 by coming H935 to Joram: H3141 for when he was come, H935 he went out H3318 with Jehoram H3088 against Jehu H3058 the son H1121 of Nimshi, H5250 whom the LORD H3068 had anointed H4886 to cut off H3772 the house H1004 of Ahab. H256
8 And it came to pass, that, when Jehu H3058 was executing judgment H8199 upon the house H1004 of Ahab, H256 and found H4672 the princes H8269 of Judah, H3063 and the sons H1121 of the brethren H251 of Ahaziah, H274 that ministered H8334 to Ahaziah, H274 he slew H2026 them.
9 And he sought H1245 Ahaziah: H274 and they caught H3920 him, (for he was hid H2244 in Samaria,) H8111 and brought H935 him to Jehu: H3058 and when they had slain H4191 him, they buried H6912 him: Because, said H559 they, he is the son H1121 of Jehoshaphat, H3092 who sought H1875 the LORD H3068 with all his heart. H3824 So the house H1004 of Ahaziah H274 had no power H3581 to keep H6113 still the kingdom. H4467
10 But when Athaliah H6271 the mother H517 of Ahaziah H274 saw H7200 that her son H1121 was dead, H4191 she arose H6965 and destroyed H1696 all the seed H2233 royal H4467 of the house H1004 of Judah. H3063
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 22
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
2Ch 22:1-9. Ahaziah Succeeding Jehoram, Reigns Wickedly.
1. the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah … king—or Jehoahaz (2Ch 21:17). All his older brothers having been slaughtered by the Arab marauders, the throne of Judah rightfully belonged to him as the only legitimate heir.
2. Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign—(Compare 2Ki 8:26). According to that passage, the commencement of his reign is dated in the twenty-second year of his age, and, according to this, in the forty-second year of the kingdom of his mother's family [Lightfoot]. "If Ahaziah ascended the throne in the twenty-second year of his life, he must have been born in his father's nineteenth year. Hence, it may seem strange that he had older brothers; but in the East they marry early, and royal princes had, besides the wife of the first rank, usually concubines, as Jehoram had (2Ch 21:17); he might, therefore, in the nineteenth year of his age, very well have several sons" [Keil] (compare 2Ch 21:20; 2Ki 8:17).
Athaliah the daughter of Omri—more properly, "granddaughter." The expression is used loosely, as the statement was made simply for the purpose of intimating that she belonged to that idolatrous race.
3, 4. his mother was his counsellor … they were his counsellors—The facile king surrendered himself wholly to the influence of his mother and her relatives. Athaliah and her son introduced a universal corruption of morals and made idolatry the religion of the court and the nation. By them he was induced not only to conform to the religion of the northern kingdom, but to join a new expedition against Ramoth-gilead (see 2Ki 9:10).
5. went … to war against Hazael, king of Syria—It may be mentioned as a very minute and therefore important confirmation of this part of the sacred history that the names of Jehu and Hazael, his contemporary, have both been found on Assyrian sculptures; and there is also a notice of Ithbaal, king of Sidon, who was the father of Jezebel.
6. Azariah went down—that is, from Ramoth-gilead, to visit the king of Israel, who was lying ill of his wounds at Jezreel, and who had fled there on the alarm of Jehu's rebellion.
9. he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (for he was hid in Samaria)—(compare 2Ki 9:27-29). The two accounts are easily reconciled. "Ahaziah fled first to the garden house and escaped to Samaria; but was here, where he had hid himself, taken by Jehu's men who pursued him, brought to Jehu, who was still near or in Jezreel, and at his command slain at the hill Gur, beside Ibleam, in his chariot; that is, mortally wounded with an arrow, so that he, again fleeing, expired at Megiddo" [Keil]. Jehu left the corpse at the disposal of the king of Judah's attendants, who conveyed it to Jerusalem, and out of respect to his grandfather Jehoshaphat's memory, gave him an honorable interment in the tombs of the kings.
So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom—His children were too young to assume the reins of government, and all the other royal princes had been massacred by Jehu (2Ch 22:8).
2Ch 22:10-12. Athaliah, Destroying the Seed Royal Save Joash, Usurps the Kingdom.
10. Athaliah … arose and destroyed all the seed royal—(See on 2Ki 11:1-3). Maddened by the massacre of the royal family of Ahab, she resolved that the royal house of David should have the same fate. Knowing the commission which Jehu had received to extirpate the whole of Ahab's posterity, she expected that he would extend his sword to her. Anticipating his movements, she resolved, as her only defense and security, to usurp the throne and destroy "the seed royal," both because they were hostile to the Phœnician worship of Baal, which she was determined to uphold, and because, if one of the young princes became king, his mother would supersede Athaliah in the dignity of queen mother.
12. he was with them hid in the house of God—Certain persons connected with the priesthood had a right to occupy the buildings in the outer wall, and all within the outer wall was often called the temple. Jehoiada and his family resided in one of these apartments.