2 Kings 8 26

2 Kings 8:26 kjv

Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

2 Kings 8:26 nkjv

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel.

2 Kings 8:26 niv

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

2 Kings 8:26 esv

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah; she was a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.

2 Kings 8:26 nlt

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.

2 Kings 8 verses

2 Kings 8 26 Meaning

2 Kings 8:26 introduces Ahaziah, king of Judah, stating he began his reign at twenty-two years old and ruled for one year in Jerusalem. The verse critically identifies his mother as Athaliah, described as a "granddaughter" (more accurately, daughter) of Omri, king of Israel. This detail immediately signals the deep corruption that had infiltrated the Davidic line in Judah through this notorious intermarriage, directly linking Judah's royal family to the wicked Omride dynasty, known for its intense Baal worship and apostasy in the Northern Kingdom.

2 Kings 8 26 Context

2 Kings 8:26 immediately follows the account of King Jehoram of Judah's death (2 Kgs 8:24) and his burial with his ancestors. The broader context of 2 Kings 8 focuses on the continuation of Elisha's prophetic ministry in Israel and Judah, which foreshadows and includes Jehu's divinely ordained purge against the house of Ahab. This verse introduces Ahaziah as the new king, setting the stage for his involvement in Jehu's destructive mission. Historically, this period marks a deep spiritual decline for Judah, exacerbated by the strategic (and religiously disastrous) alliance between the Davidic dynasty and the Omride dynasty of the Northern Kingdom through marriage, beginning with Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram marrying Ahab's daughter, Athaliah. The verse explains the pedigree of the corruption that grips Judah's throne, ultimately leading to a violent internal purge that affects both kingdoms.

2 Kings 8 26 Word analysis

• Ahaziah (אֲחַזְיָהוּ, ’Aẖaẕyāhû): Meaning "Yahweh has grasped" or "Yahweh has sustained." This name is tragically ironic, as Ahaziah's reign was short and ended violently, largely due to his refusal to be sustained by Yahweh's ways, choosing instead the idolatry of his mother's lineage.

• was twenty-two years old (עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה, ‘eśrîm ûštayim šānâ): This age signifies his youth at ascension. There is a notable textual discrepancy with 2 Chronicles 22:2, which states he was "forty-two years old." Scholars largely favor "twenty-two" as the more historically consistent figure when considering his father Jehoram's age at death and the sequence of events. The "forty-two" in Chronicles is often considered a scribal error or possibly refers to the dynasty's commencement (e.g., from Omri's accession) rather than the king's birth age.

• and he reigned one year (שָׁנָה אֶחָת, šānâ ’eḥāṯ): This concise statement underscores the brevity and therefore the divine disfavor and lack of significance of his rule in God's eyes. It suggests a reign quickly cut short by divine judgment.

• in Jerusalem (בִּירוּשָׁלָ‍ִם, bîrūšālāyim): The capital of Judah, the city where God's Temple stood and where the Davidic covenant kings were meant to rule. This detail highlights that the spiritual rot of the Omride house had now fully infiltrated the sacred city and the lineage of David.

• His mother's name was Athaliah (וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ עֲתַלְיָהוּ, wəšēm ’immō ‘Ăṯalyâ): Athaliah's name means "Yahweh is exalted." Similar to Ahaziah, her name is in stark contrast to her character and actions, especially her attempt to exterminate the Davidic line. Her identification is crucial, as her influence and actions shape Judah's destiny in the following narrative.

• a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel (בַת־אֹמְרִי מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, baṯ-’Ōmrî melek Yiśrā’ēl): Literally "daughter of Omri." In Hebrew idiom, "daughter" can refer to a granddaughter or a female descendant. Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, who was the son of Omri (1 Kgs 16:31; 2 Kgs 8:18). This specific phrasing emphasizes the deep, foundational wickedness inherited from Omri, the founder of the Omride dynasty, rather than merely identifying her through her immediate father, Ahab. Omri established a powerful but idolatrous dynasty, intensifying the sin introduced by Jeroboam I. Attributing her to Omri signifies the extent of the unholy union and the direct transmission of corrupt religious practices and political tyranny into the very heart of Judah.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year": This phrase paints a picture of a youthful, brief, and ineffective reign, strongly implying a king lacking divine favor and destined for a swift, tragic end. It emphasizes the transience of human authority apart from God's blessing.
  • "His mother's name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel": This core phrase reveals the insidious influence that corrupted the Davidic line. It identifies the root cause of Ahaziah's spiritual failure: his mother, a product of the most notorious idolatrous dynasty in Israel. It foreshadows the destruction of the Omride house and Judah's near-catastrophe under Athaliah's own usurpation, highlighting the disastrous consequences of intermarriage and foreign religious influence on God's chosen people.

2 Kings 8 26 Bonus section

The textual discrepancy between 2 Kings 8:26 (Ahaziah was twenty-two years old) and 2 Chronicles 22:2 (forty-two years old) is a significant point of discussion among biblical scholars. While various theories exist (such as different methods of calculating reign, co-regency, or referring to Omri's dynastic age), the "twenty-two" in 2 Kings is generally preferred for consistency with surrounding biblical chronology, particularly Jehoram of Judah's death at 40 (2 Kgs 8:17), which would make him too young to have a 42-year-old son. This is typically attributed to a common type of scribal error where similar-looking Hebrew numerical symbols (e.g., kaph for 20 and mem for 40) were interchanged, a minor variation that does not undermine the overall theological integrity or historical accuracy of the narrative but rather highlights the meticulous nature of textual preservation and criticism.

The repeated emphasis on Omri's line in describing Athaliah functions as a polemic against the pervasive spiritual compromises of the time. It serves to attribute Judah's deep moral and spiritual decline directly to its unholy alliance with and absorption of practices from the Northern Kingdom, particularly the highly corrupt Omride dynasty. This underscores the Old Testament's consistent condemnation of idolatry and foreign influences that lead away from fidelity to Yahweh, illustrating the grave consequences of ignoring God's commands regarding separation and purity.

2 Kings 8 26 Commentary

2 Kings 8:26 serves as a concise yet profoundly significant genealogical and chronological statement concerning King Ahaziah of Judah. His youth and extremely brief reign underscore his unsuitability for the throne and the divine disapproval upon his rule, which paralleled the wickedness of the northern kings. The most critical detail, however, is the direct identification of his mother, Athaliah, as "a granddaughter of Omri." While Athaliah was actually the daughter of Ahab (Omri's son), referring to her as Omri's "granddaughter" highlights the comprehensive and systemic nature of the wickedness of that lineage. Omri founded a dynasty notoriously devoted to Baal worship, intensifying Israel's apostasy. This intermarriage of Athaliah into the Davidic line, initially formed for political alliance (between Jehoshaphat and Ahab), had spiritually devastating consequences. It allowed the severe idolatry and perverse practices of the Omride house to infiltrate Judah, contaminating the covenant line established through David. This verse thus lays the foundation for understanding Ahaziah's wicked path (as elaborated in 2 Chron 22:3-4), his entanglement in Jehu's judgment against the house of Ahab, and the subsequent traumatic reign of Athaliah herself in Judah, where she nearly wiped out the Davidic line, illustrating the grave spiritual dangers of unholy alliances and persistent rebellion against the Lord.