2 Chronicles 22:1–12
22 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 22:2Ahaziah was twenty-two 1 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. 3 22:3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. 4 22:4He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. 5 22:5He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth-gilead. And the Syrians wounded Joram, 6 22:6and he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that he had received at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was wounded.
7 22:7But it was ordained by 2 God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. For when he came there, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8 22:8And when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he met the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers, who attended Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9 22:9He searched for Ahaziah, and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, and he was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the Lord with all his heart.” And the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom.
10 22:10Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah. 11 22:11But Jehoshabeath, 3 the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest, because she was a sister of Ahaziah, hid him 4 from Athaliah, so that she did not put him to death. 12 22:12And he remained with them six years, hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land.
Section Overview
The future of the Davidic throne seemed precarious: the crisis that had brought Ahaziah to the throne is highlighted by repetition of the circumstances that led to only the “youngest son” surviving (2 Chron. 22:1). Further, his reign was brief (v. 2), and the Chronicler emphasizes that “he also” followed the “ways of the house of Ahab” (v. 3). Policies leading to disaster continued. By the end of the chapter a glimmer of hope is expressed in the contrast between a very young royal child “hidden in the house of God” and a cruel, idolatrous daughter of Ahab, Athaliah, “reign[ing] over the land” (v. 12). Human plans and actions are evident throughout, but central in the chapter are references to God’s activity (v. 7).
The opening section (vv. 1–6) matches 2 Kings 8:24b–29. The Chronicler’s threefold use of “counsel(or)” in his additions to 2 Kings 8:27 emphasize how much Ahaziah acted as part of the “house of Ahab”: “He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done. For after the death of his father they were his counselors, to his undoing. He even followed their counsel and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab” (2 Chron. 22:3–5). Even more than his father, Ahaziah acted as part of the “house of Ahab”; they had the sole influence on him, and he took part in their battle.
The following section (vv. 7–9) shows awareness of details in 2 Kings 9:1–10:36 but deals very briefly with Jehu’s purge of the house of Ahab. The Chronicler simply summarizes how it came about that “the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom” (his addition). This outcome was due not merely to human scheming or folly: “It was ordained by God [lit., “It was from God”] that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about. . . . [For] the Lord had anointed [Jehu] to destroy the house of Ahab” (cf. 2 Kings 9:1–13).
Any hope for the future seemed dashed as Athaliah took charge, killing any remaining potential claimant to the throne (2 Chron. 22:10). A dramatic change is described, however, as Joash, a baby son of Ahaziah, was “hidden in the house of God, while Athaliah reigned over the land” (vv. 11–12). There was still a potential Davidic ruler. The “lamp” (21:7) had not been extinguished.
Section Outline
- III.D. Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Athaliah: Intertwined with the House of Ahab (21:1–23:21) . . .
- 2. Ahaziah’s Brief Reign and Athaliah’s Purge (22:1–12)
Response
The future of the Davidic kingdom being centered in a baby, rescued from a murderous ruler by a young woman, finds an echo in the young Son of David being rescued by his parents from the paranoid King Herod, a time at which several innocent children were killed (Matt. 2:13–18). It also seemed on the cross that this “King of the Jews” had been permanently killed by the rulers of his day (Matt. 27:11–37). The cosmic significance is vividly described in the revelation given to John in the sign of a woman, a great red dragon, and a male child (Rev. 12:1–6).6
The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee that, despite appearances, the time will certainly come when we can state, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15). In the interim, from the early days of the church to the present, threats to survival through imprisonment, torture, death, and attempts to eradicate groups that bear the name of Christ continue. The risky brave action of Jehoshabeath at the time of Athaliah is encouragement in dark periods. God keeps his word.
1 Hebrew bat (“daughter”) matching the use of the masculine ben (“son”) can signify generally a female descendant. Cf. 21:6: “daughter of Ahab.” Omri was the founder of the dynasty (1 Kings 16:23).
2 Also “Joram”; cf. note 375.
3 The MT’s “Azariah” is generally regarded as a scribal error; LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and 2 Kings 8:29: “Ahaziah.”
4 Boda, 1–2 Chronicles, 343.
5 For a detailed discussion of the differences, see Dillard, 2 Chronicles, 172–173.
6 Chad Bird, “When a Dragon Tried to Eat Jesus: The Nativity Story We Don’t Talk About,” December 17, 2016, http://www.chadbird.com/blog/2016/12/17/when-a-dragon-tried-to-eat-jesus-the-nativity-story-we-dont-talk-about.