2 Kings 8:25

2Ki 8:25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.

Ver. 25. In the twelfth year.] In the end of the eleventh, {2Ki 9:29} and beginning of the twelfth.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki_8:25-29

In the twelfth year of Joram.

Kinghood: the conventional and the true

Looking at King Ahaziah, as here sketched, two points strike our attention.

I. A king by physical heredity. This man came from the lineage of kings.

1. This arrangement is not Divine. All that can be said is that God permitted, not ordained their existence.

2. This arrangement is absurd. That a man should become a ruler because of his birth is an outrage on common sense. They only will be future kings who are royal in character, in intelligence, and philanthropy. The greatest man of the community will become its king. What is called loyalty is a debased and selfish flunkeyism, not a devout homage for the good. Are we not commanded to honour the king? Yes, but it is implied that he is honour-worthy. Are we to honour such men as Henry VIII., Charles II., and other such monarchical monsters, which, alas! abound in history? No; denounce them, hurl them from their thrones.

II. A monster by moral descent. He was the descendant of one of the most ruthless and most corrupt of that Hebrew people who were fast filling up the measure of their iniquities. This man, like the offspring of all wicked parents, would inherit the spirit, imbibe the principles, and imitate the example of his parents. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

AHAZIAH’S REIGN, 2Ki_8:25-29.

25. Ahaziah the son of Jehoram — His youngest son, called also Jehoahaz (2 Chronicles 21:27) and Azariah, (2Ki_23:6.) All the older sons of Jehoram were carried off by the Philistines and Arabians.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8:25 twelfth year of the reign of Joram: The year of Ahaziah’s accession to the throne of Judah (841 BC) was pivotal in ancient Near Eastern history. Before the year was out, both Joram and Ahaziah lay dead, Hazael was confirmed as king of Damascus, and Shalmaneser III of Assyria dominated the region.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

As among common persons there are some that we call little men, who make no figure, are little regarded, as less valued, so among kings there are some whom, in comparison with others, we may call little kings. This Ahaziah was one of these; he looks mean in the history, and in God's account vile, because wicked. It is too plain an evidence of the affinity between Jehoshaphat and Ahab that they had the same names in their families at the same time, in which, we may suppose, they designed to compliment one another. Ahab had two sons, Ahaziah and Jehoram, who reigned successively; Jehoshaphat had a son and grandson names Jehoshaphat had a son and grandson names Jehoram and Ahaziah, who, in like manner, reigned successively. Names indeed do not make natures, but it was a bad omen to Jehoshaphat's family to borrow names from Ahab's; or, if he lent the names to that wretched family, he could not communicate with them the devotion of their significations, Ahaziah - Taking hold of the Lord, and Jehoram - The Lord exalted. Ahaziah king of Israel had reigned but two years, Ahaziah king of Judah reigned but one. We are here told that his relation to Ahab's family was the occasion, 1. Of his wickedness (Kg2 8:27): He walked in the way of the house of Ahab, that idolatrous bloody house; for his mother was Ahab's daughter (Kg2 8:26), so that he sucked in wickedness with his milk. Partus sequitur ventrem - The child may be expected to resemble the mother. When men choose wives for themselves they must remember they are choosing mothers for their children, and are concerned to choose accordingly. 2. Of his fall. Joram, his mother's brother, courted him to join with him for the recovery of Ramoth-Gilead, an attempt fatal to Ahab; so it was to Joram his son, for in that expedition he was wounded (Kg2 8:28), and returned to Jezreel to be cured, leaving his army there in possession of the place. Ahaziah likewise returned, but went to Jezreel to see how Jehoram did, Kg2 8:29. Providence so ordered it, that he who had been debauched by the house of Ahab might be cut off with them, when the measure of their iniquity was full, as we shall find in the next chapter. Those who partake with sinners in their sins must expect to partake with them in their plagues.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(25-29) The reign of Ahaziah king of Judah. His expedition with Joram of Israel against Hazael at Ramoth-gilead. (Comp. 2Ch_22:1-6.)

Two-and-twenty years old.—He was Jehoram’a youngest son (2Ch_21:17; 2Ch_22:1), and, as his father died at the age of thirty-nine or forty (2Ki_8:17), he must have been begotten in Jehoram’s seventeenth or eighteenth year. There is no difficulty in this, nor even in the supposition that Jehoram had begotten sons before Ahaziah, as Thenius seems to imagine. He may have become a father at thirteen or fourteen, and Athaliah was certainly not his only wife.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25–29. Reign of Ahaziah king of Judah. His war against Hazael king of Syria. Joram king of Israel helps Ahaziah and is wounded (2Ch_22:1-6)

25. Joram … Jehoram] To prevent confusion it will be convenient to adopt the orthography of this verse for these names, Joram king of Israel, and Jehoram king of Judah. They are but different forms of the same name, and given in the Bible narrative indiscriminately to each.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab,.... Worshipping the calves, and Baal also:

for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab; he was the son of Jehoram, who was son-in-law to Ahab, having married his daughter, which accounts for his being guilty of the same idolatrous practices.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Twelfth, more correctly than "the eleventh," chap. ix. 29. (Houbigant)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

In the twelfth year of Joram.

Object. It was in the eleventh year of Joram, 2Ki 9:29.

Answ. Either, first, He began to reign in the confines of Joram’s eleventh and twelfth year, in the very end of his eleventh year, or towards the beginning of the twelfth, whence it is indifferently ascribed to the one or the other. Or, secondly, The one year of Ahaziah did concur with the latter half of Joram’s eleventh year, and the former half of his twelfth year: and if he could not be said to

begin to reign in both these years, yet he might unquestionably be said to reign in both of them; and the Hebrew word, both here and 2Ki 9:29, properly signifies he reigned, and not he began to reign, as it is translated. Or, thirdly, Ahaziah began to reign with his father, and during his life, according to the late examples both in Judah and Israel, there being also special occasion for it, by reason of Joram’s cruel and long sickness, 2Ch 21:18, &c.; and this was in Joram’s eleventh ear, and then his father died, and he began his single reign in Joram’s twelfth year.

Ahaziah, called also Jehoahaz, 2Ch 21:17, and Azariah, 2Ch 22:6.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vers. 25-29. THE WICKED REIGN OF AHAZIAH IN JUDAH. The writer continues the history of Judah through another reign a very short one-almost to its close. He describes the wickedness of Ahaziah, for the most part, in general terms, attributes it to his connection with the "house of Ahab," and notes his alliance with Joram of Israel against the Syrians, and his visit to his brother monarch at Samaria, which led on to his death.

In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab King of Israel. in 2Ki_9:29 the year of Ahaziah"s accession is said to have been Joram"s eleventh year. It is conjectured that he began to reign as viceroy to his father during his severe illness in Joram"s eleventh year, and became sole king at his father"s death in the year following. Did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram King of Judah begin to reign; i.e. begin to be full king.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Reign of Ahaziah of Judah (cf. Ch2 22:1-6). - Ahaziah, the youngest son of Joram, ascended the throne in the twenty-second year of his age. The statement in Ch2 22:2, that he was forty-two years old when he became king, rests upon a copyist's error, namely, a confusion of כ twenty with מ forty. Now, since his father became king at the age of thirty-two, and reigned eight years, Ahaziah must have been born in the nineteenth year of his age. Consequently it may appear strange that Ahaziah had brothers still older than himself (Ch2 21:17); but as early marriages are common in the East, and the royal princes had generally concubines along with their wife of the first rank, as is expressly stated of Joram in Ch2 21:17, he might have had some sons in his nineteenth year. His mother was called Athaliah, and was a daughter of the idolatrous Jezebel. In Kg2 8:26 and Ch2 22:2 she is called the daughter, i.e., grand-daughter, of Omri; for, according to Kg2 8:18, she was a daughter of Ahab. Omri, the grand-father, is mentioned in Kg2 8:26 as the founder of the dynasty which brought so much trouble upon Israel and Judah through its idolatry.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

Ahaziah becomes king of Judah.

In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel

This describes the time that Ahaziah began to reign as king of Judah by stating how long Joram, the current king of Israel, had reigned. AT: "in the twelfth year that Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

twelfth year

"12th year" (See: Ordinal Numbers)

twenty-two years

"22 years" (See: Numbers)

Athaliah ... Omri

Athaliah is the name of a woman. Omri is the name of a man. (See: How to Translate Names)

Ahaziah walked in the ways of

Here "walking" refers his behavior or the way in which he lived. AT: "Ahaziah lived the same way as the others in" (See: Idiom)

the house of Ahab

Here the "house" of Ahab refers to his family. AT: "the family of Ahab" (See: Metonymy)

what was evil in the sight of Yahweh

The sight of Yahweh represents Yahweh's judgment or evaluation. AT: "what was evil in Yahweh's judgment" or "what Yahweh considers to be evil" (See: Metaphor)

a son-in-law to the house of Ahab

This explains Ahaziah's family relationship to Ahab. Ahaziah's father was married to Ahab's daughter. The meaning of this can be made clear. AT: "the son of Ahab's son-in-law" or "a grandson of King Ahab" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Joram

Ahab

kingdom of Israel

kingdom of Judah

reign

walk

house

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.