2 Chronicles 22

1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his stead; for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the elder sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah reigned.

2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old {another text: twenty-two} when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri.

3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly.

4 Therefore, he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counsellors, after the death of his father, to his destruction.

5 And He walked after their counsel and went with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, to war against Hazael, king of Syria at Ramothgilead, where the Syrians smote Joram.

6 And he returned to be healed in Jezreel because of the wounds which were given him at Ramah, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah, the son of Jehoram, king of Judah went down to see Jehoram, the son of Ahab, at Jezreel, because he was there sick.

7 But this was of God so that Ahaziah would be tread under foot by coming to Joram; for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram to encounter Jehu, the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

8 And it came to pass that when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab and found the princes of Judah and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.

9 And he sought Ahaziah, and they caught him (for he had hid himself in Samaria) and brought him to Jehu; and when they had slain him, they buried him, Because, they said, He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no strength to be able to retain the kingdom.

10 So when Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal seed of the house of Judah.

11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were being slain, and kept him and his nurse in the bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada, the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.

12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years; and Athaliah reigned over the land.

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.

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.