Question 1

Who is Ahaziah in this passage and how did he become king?

Accepted Answer

Ahaziah is the youngest son of Jehoram, king of Judah. A band of men who came with the Arabians went against the camp and killed Jehoram’s older sons. This left Ahaziah as the only surviving son. After Jehoram died, the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah king in his place, so he became king as the remaining heir of the royal family of Judah.

Question 2

What is the meaning of Ahaziah’s age when he began to reign?

Accepted Answer

The passage states that Ahaziah was forty‑two years old when he began to reign, and that he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Another biblical account gives his age as twenty‑two at the start of his reign, and the difference between these numbers has been explained in various ways by interpreters. The passage itself does not explain the difference, but it does make clear that his reign in Jerusalem lasted only one year.

Question 3

How did Athaliah influence Ahaziah’s choices as king?

Accepted Answer

Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother and the daughter of Omri, is called his counsellor to do wickedly. Her counsel helped shape the way he ruled. Because of her influence, he walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and followed the pattern of life and rule associated with that family, rather than turning from their path.

Question 4

What does it mean that Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab?

Accepted Answer

When the passage says Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, it means he followed the same course as that family. He ordered his life and reign according to their pattern. He listened to the guidance of those connected with that house, so that his conduct is described as being like theirs.

Question 5

Why does the passage say Ahaziah did evil in the sight of the Lord?

Accepted Answer

The passage says Ahaziah did evil in the sight of the Lord because his ways were like the house of Ahab. He followed their counsel after the death of his father, and his behaviour is summed up as evil from the Lord’s point of view. The text measures him by what is right before the Lord, not by human opinion.

Question 6

How did bad counsel lead to Ahaziah’s destruction?

Accepted Answer

After Jehoram’s death, those linked with the house of Ahab became Ahaziah’s counsellors. The passage states that they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction. Their advice guided his steps so that he walked in their ways and did evil in the Lord’s sight, and this counsel is directly connected with the ruin that followed.

Question 7

What does this passage show about the influence of counsellors?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that the people who advise a ruler can strongly shape his path. Ahaziah’s mother and those tied to the house of Ahab were his counsellors, and he walked after their counsel. Because their guidance was wicked, it led him into evil and, in the end, to his destruction.

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 eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.

Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

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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 eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.

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Ahaziah Reigns in Judah

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

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