Question 1

Who is King Amaziah in this passage and how is his reign described?

Accepted Answer

Amaziah is the son of Joash, king of Judah, who begins to reign at twenty-five years old and rules for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. The passage says he did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like David. His devotion is more like his father Joash at the start of his reign. He keeps up proper worship at the temple, yet he does not remove the high places where people still offer sacrifices. So he is presented as a king who begins well, but whose obedience to God is only partial.

Question 2

What does it mean that Amaziah did what was right but not like David?

Accepted Answer

When the text says Amaziah did what was right in the Lord’s sight but not like David, it shows a difference in the depth of their obedience. David is held up as a model of wholehearted devotion. Amaziah follows God in outward ways, such as respecting the law and continuing temple worship, but he does not match David’s full-hearted zeal. This can be seen in the way he allows the high places to remain. So his reign is good in some ways, but falls short of the stronger example set by David.

Question 3

Why were the high places not taken away during Amaziah’s reign?

Accepted Answer

The high places were local worship sites where people offered sacrifices and burned incense. Even though Amaziah did what was right in many ways, he did not remove these places. The passage hints that they had been used for a long time and people were still attached to them. Habits that have been around for generations can be hard to change. Amaziah keeps official worship at the temple going, but he does not fully confront these long-standing practices, so the people continue sacrificing on the high places.

Question 4

Why did Amaziah kill his father’s murderers but spare their children?

Accepted Answer

After Amaziah’s throne was secure, he dealt with the servants who had murdered his father the king. He had them put to death, which was a proper act of justice for murder and treason. But he refused to execute their children. He did this because he was following God’s written law, which says fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers. Each person is to die for their own sin. Amaziah’s choice shows respect for God’s command and a refusal to punish the innocent.

Question 5

What is the meaning of the phrase “every man shall be put to death for his own sin”?

Accepted Answer

This phrase sums up a principle in God’s law: each person is responsible for their own guilt. In this story, it means the men who carried out the murder of the king are punished, but their children, who did not commit the crime, are not. It does not deny that sin can affect families, but it does say human judges must not execute someone for what another person did. In Amaziah’s case, he resists the urge for broad revenge and follows this rule, showing that justice should match the actual offender.

Question 6

What happened in the Valley of Salt when Amaziah fought Edom?

Accepted Answer

The passage tells that Amaziah fought against Edom in the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand Edomites. This valley lies in the region near the Salt Sea and had been a place of other battles. Edom had broken away from Judah in earlier days, and Amaziah now goes out to bring them back under control. With his army, he gains a strong victory there. The verse focuses on the number defeated and the location to show that God allowed Judah, under Amaziah, to win clearly over their enemies at that time.

Question 7

What is Selah, and why did Amaziah rename it Joktheel?

Accepted Answer

Selah is a strong city connected with Edom, whose name means “rock.” Amaziah captures it in war after defeating Edom in the Valley of Salt. Once he takes the city, he renames it Joktheel. The name Joktheel carries the idea of God’s help or obedience to God. By giving the city a new name, Amaziah marks the victory as tied to God’s work and to his choice to listen to God’s direction in this campaign. The text notes that the new name was still used at the time the account was written.

Question 8

What does this passage show about God’s view of justice and mercy?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God cares about justice that is both firm and fair. Murderers of the king are punished, which fits the seriousness of their crime. At the same time, innocent children are not harmed, because God’s law says people are not to be executed for someone else’s sin. The king’s obedience to this law, even when it might have felt safer to wipe out whole families, points to a God who values truth, personal responsibility, and mercy toward those who have not done wrong.

Question 9

How can the story of Amaziah’s early reign speak to readers today?

Accepted Answer

This account can nudge readers to think about how they obey God. Amaziah starts well and respects God’s law in clear ways, like how he judges his father’s killers. Yet he leaves the high places in place, showing a kind of halfway obedience. That tension can help someone ask, “Are there areas where I obey God in some things but hold back in others?” It also encourages a fair view of justice, treating each person by their own actions, rather than being ruled by anger or fear.

2 Kings 14:1

In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

Cross References

2 Kings 14:1

In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.

Share Options

All Verses

Verse + Context

Current Verse

Amaziah Reigns in Judah

Cross References