2Chronicles 22

 

וַיַּמְלִיכוּ יוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם אֶת־אֲחַזְיָהוּ בְנוֹ הַקָּטֹן תַּחְתָּיו כִּי כָל־הָרִאשֹׁנִים הָרַג הַגְּדוּד הַבָּא בָעַרְבִים   22:1

 לַמַּחֲנֶה וַיִּמְלֹךְ אֲחַזְיָהוּ בֶן־יְהוֹרָם מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה׃

2Chr. 22:1   Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place (as the band who had come with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the older, so Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king, king of Judah.

In 2Chr. 21:17, Ahaziah’s name was given as Jehoahaz.  Interestingly, both Hebrew names have the same meaning:  the Lord has seized.

בֶּן־אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה אֲחַזְיָהוּ בְמָלְכוֹ וְשָׁנָה אַחַת מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ עֲתַלְיָהוּ בַּת־עָמְרִי׃   22:2

2Chr. 22:2   Ahaziah was forty-two years of age on his becoming king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri.

This verse appears in 2Kin.8:26, but Ahaziah’s age is given there as twenty-two, Athaliah’s name is spelled as Thaliah, and her father, Omri, is identified as the king of Israel.  The discrepancy in the age of Ahaziah is explained in this way:  In this verse, the chronicler reckons Ahaziah’s age from the date of the rise of the house of Omri.  I have to ask, is the chronicler of this chapter different from that of Chapter 21?  How are we to know?  More strangeness!

גַּם־הוּא הָלַךְ בְּדַרְכֵי בֵּית אַחְאָב כִּי אִמּוֹ הָיְתָה יוֹעַצְתּוֹ לְהַרְשִׁיעַ׃   22:3

2Chr. 22:3   He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother had been counseling him to act wickedly.

This verse and the next three, vss. 22:3 to 22:6, also appear in 2Kin. 8:27 to 8:29.

וַיַּעַשׂ הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה כְּבֵית אַחְאָב כִּי־הֵמָּה הָיוּ־לוֹ יוֹעֲצִים אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אָבִיו לְמַשְׁחִית לוֹ׃   22:4

2Chr. 22:4   So he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord like the house of Ahab, for they were counseling to him after the death of his father, to his ruin.

גַּם בַּעֲצָתָם הָלַךְ וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶת־יְהוֹרָם בֶּן־אַחְאָב מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־חֲזָאֵל מֶלֶךְ־אֲרָם בְּרָמוֹת   22:5

 גִּלְעָד וַיַּכּוּ הָרַמִּים אֶת־יוֹרָם׃

2Chr. 22:5   He also walked in their counsel, and he went with Jehoram son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram.

וַיָּשָׁב לְהִתְרַפֵּא בְיִזְרְעֶאל כִּי הַמַּכִּים אֲשֶׁר הִכֻּהוּ בָרָמָה בְּהִלָּחֲמוֹ אֶת־חֲזָהאֵל מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם וַעֲזַרְיָהוּ   22:6

בֶן־יְהוֹרָם מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה יָרַד לִרְאוֹת אֶת־יְהוֹרָם בֶּן־אַחְאָב בְּיִזְרְעֶאל כִּי־חֹלֶה הוּא׃

2Chr. 22:6   And he returned to be healed at Jezreel because of the wounds that they had inflicted on him at Ramah during his battle with Hazael, king of Aram.  And Azariah son of Jehoram, king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Two strange discrepancies are found in this verse:  First, in 2Kin. 8:29 (and throughout this chapter) Azariah’s name is Ahaziah.  See also 2Chr. 23:1 for the same odd misidentification.  Second, the name Jehoram son of Ahab is misidentified here.  It is supposed to be Joram son of Ahab, as mentioned also in 2Kin. 8:29.

                                                                                                                               [Return to 2Chr. 23:1]

וּמֵאֱלֹהִים הָיְתָה תְּבוּסַת אֲחַזְיָהוּ לָבוֹא אֶל־יוֹרָם וּבְבֹאוֹ יָצָא עִם־יְהוֹרָם אֶל־יֵהוּא בֶן־נִמְשִׁי אֲשֶׁר   22:7

 מְשָׁחוֹ יְהוָה לְהַכְרִית אֶת־בֵּית אַחְאָב׃

2Chr. 22:7   And the downfall of Ahaziah for coming to Joram was from God, and in his coming, he went out with Jehoram to Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

וַיְהִי כְּהִשָּׁפֵט יֵהוּא עִם־בֵּית אַחְאָב וַיִּמְצָא אֶת־שָׂרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבְנֵי אֲחֵי אֲחַזְיָהוּ מְשָׁרְתִים לַאֲחַזְיָהוּ   22:8

 וַיַּהַרְגֵם׃

2Chr. 22:8   And it was when Jehu was judging against the house of Ahab that he found the princes of Judah and the children of the brothers of Ahaziah ministering to Ahaziah, and he slew them.

וַיְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־אֲחַזְיָהוּ וַיִּלְכְּדֻהוּ וְהוּא מִתְחַבֵּא בְשֹׁמְרוֹן וַיְבִאֻהוּ אֶל־יֵהוּא וַיְמִתֻהוּ וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ כִּי אָמְרוּ   22:9

בֶּן־יְהוֹשָׁפָט הוּא אֲשֶׁר־דָּרַשׁ אֶת־יְהוָה בְּכָל־לְבָבוֹ וְאֵין לְבֵית אֲחַזְיָהוּ לַעְצֹר כֹּחַ לְמַמְלָכָה׃

2Chr. 22:9   Then he sought to find Ahaziah, and they caught him, though he had been hiding in Samaria, and they brought him to Jehu and they slew him, and they buried him, for they said, “He was the son of Jehoshaphat, who had sought the Lord with his whole heart. “  And there was no one belonging to the house of Ahaziah retaining enough power to reign.

וַעֲתַלְיָהוּ אֵם אֲחַזְיָהוּ רָאֲתָה כִּי מֵת בְּנָהּ וַתָּקָם וַתְּדַבֵּר אֶת־כָּל־זֶרַע הַמַּמְלָכָה לְבֵית יְהוּדָה׃   22:10

2Chr. 22:10   When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she rose up and destroyed all the offspring of the kingdom belonging to the house of Judah.

This verse and the next two are reminiscent of 2Kin. 11:1 to 11:3.

וַתִּקַּח יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת בַּת־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־אֲחַזְיָהוּ וַתִּגְנֹב אֹתוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמּוּמָתִים וַתִּתֵּן   22:11

אֹתוֹ וְאֶת־מֵינִקְתּוֹ בַּחֲדַר הַמִּטּוֹת וַתַּסְתִּירֵהוּ יְהוֹשַׁבְעַת בַּת־הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹרָם אֵשֶׁת יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן כִּי הִיא

הָיְתָה אֲחוֹת אֲחַזְיָהוּ מִפְּנֵי עֲתַלְיָהוּ וְלֹא הֱמִיתָתְהוּ׃

2Chr. 22:11   But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from the midst of the sons of the king who were to be slain and put him and his nurse in the innermost bed chambers.  So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada, the priest (as she was a sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah that she did not kill him.

In 2Kin, 11:2 the name of Jehoshabeath is spelled as Jehosheba.

וַיְהִי אִתָּם בְּבֵית הָאֱלֹהִים מִתְחַבֵּא שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים וַעֲתַלְיָה מֹלֶכֶת עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃   22:12

2Chr. 22:12   And he remained with them hidden in the house of God six years while Athaliah ruled over the land.

 

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