2 Kings 8:27 kjv
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: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
2 Kings 8:27 nkjv
And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab, for he was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
2 Kings 8:27 niv
He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab's family.
2 Kings 8:27 esv
He also walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was son-in-law to the house of Ahab.
2 Kings 8:27 nlt
Ahaziah followed the evil example of King Ahab's family. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, just as Ahab's family had done, for he was related by marriage to the family of Ahab.
2 Kings 8 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 9:27 | But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house… | Describes Ahaziah's flight and death. |
| 2 Kgs 8:16 | In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel...Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. | Example of synchronistic dating for Judah's king. |
| 2 Kgs 8:18 | And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife… | Jehoram's ungodly marriage to Athaliah, leading to Ahaziah. |
| 2 Chr 22:2 | Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem… | Parallel account giving age and reign duration. |
| 2 Chr 22:3-4 | He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh… | Highlights Ahaziah's wickedness and connection to Ahab's house. |
| 2 Chr 22:5 | He also walked after their counsel and went with Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel to make war against Hazael king of Syria… | Explains his alliance with Joram of Israel. |
| 1 Kgs 16:29 | In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel… | Earlier example of synchronized reigns between Judah and Israel. |
| 1 Kgs 21:20-22 | …have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil… | Prophecy against Ahab and his house, fulfilled through Jehu. |
| Deut 7:3-4 | You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons… | Warning against ungodly alliances and intermarriage. |
| Josh 23:12-13 | For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations…then know for certain that Yahweh your God will not continue to drive them out… | Warning against associating with pagan nations. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry… | Explains consequences of disobedience leading to rejection. |
| Prov 13:20 | Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. | Illustrates the danger of bad associations. |
| Prov 22:24-25 | Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man… | Wisdom teaching against dangerous companionships. |
| Psa 1:1 | Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked… | Contrast to Ahaziah, who followed wicked counsel. |
| Rom 1:28-32 | And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up… | Describes the general consequence of unrighteousness. |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? | NT caution against unholy alliances. |
| Eph 5:11 | Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. | NT call to separate from evil. |
| Jam 4:4 | You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? | Warning against alliance with the world's systems. |
| Rev 18:4 | Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins… | Call for spiritual separation from ungodly systems. |
| Jer 32:32-35 | because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah…who committed their evil to provoke Me to anger. | Prophetic word highlighting Israel's and Judah's shared apostasy. |
| Hos 8:4 | They set up kings, but not by Me. They made princes, but I knew it not… | Reflection on kingships established without God's will. |
| Zeph 1:4 | I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem… | Prophecy against Judah's sin, connecting to divine judgment. |
2 Kings 8 verses
2 Kings 8 27 Meaning
2 Kings chapter 8 verse 27 marks the beginning of Ahaziah's reign as king of Judah. This verse synchronizes his ascension to the throne with the twelfth year of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel. It serves as a chronological marker, setting the stage for the events immediately following in the biblical narrative, where Ahaziah becomes deeply intertwined with the fate of Joram and the house of Ahab. This seemingly simple statement of succession carries significant weight due to Ahaziah's character and his unholy alliance with the wicked northern kingdom of Israel.
2 Kings 8 27 Context
2 Kings 8:27 establishes a key chronological point within the biblical narrative of the divided kingdom. The preceding verses (2 Kgs 8:25-26) introduced Ahaziah's father, Jehoram, king of Judah, and his unrighteous reign. Verse 27 specifically states that Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, began his reign in Judah during the twelfth year of Joram, son of Ahab, king of Israel. This synchronistic dating immediately ties the southern kingdom of Judah to the northern kingdom of Israel under the reign of the Omride dynasty.
The broader historical context is critical. Jehoram, Ahaziah's father, married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, rulers infamous for their Baal worship. This unholy alliance corrupted the Davidic line in Judah, introducing deep idolatry and political entanglement with the house of Ahab. Ahaziah's brief reign (one year, 2 Kgs 9:27; 2 Chr 22:2) is cut short because he continued the ungodly practices of the house of Ahab, largely influenced by his mother Athaliah (2 Chr 22:3). This verse, therefore, directly precedes and sets up the events in 2 Kings 9, where Jehu is anointed by Elisha's prophet to exterminate the house of Ahab, and Ahaziah, due to his visit to an injured Joram (2 Kgs 8:29) and his association with him, is swept up in God's judgment upon the wicked dynasty of Israel. The very mention of Ahaziah's accession in relation to Joram of Israel immediately signals a continuation of Judah's ungodly ties that will lead to catastrophic consequences.
2 Kings 8 27 Word analysis
- And in the twelfth year: This phrase (
וּבִשְׁנַת שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה) signifies precise historical dating. Ancient Near Eastern scribal practices often synchronized the reigns of contemporary monarchs to establish a reliable chronology across kingdoms, reflecting meticulous record-keeping. It roots the biblical narrative in a specific historical timeframe, confirming its grounding in real-world events. - of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel: This identifies the reigning monarch of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. Joram was the last Omride king to sit on the throne, carrying the infamous legacy of his father, Ahab, and mother, Jezebel. The mention of "son of Ahab" immediately signals connection to a family notorious for widespread idolatry (Baal worship) and rebellion against Yahweh, as extensively documented in 1 Kings. His reign was part of a divine plan to bring judgment upon the house of Ahab (1 Kgs 21:20-24).
- began Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah to reign: This details the new king of the Southern Kingdom, Judah, and his lineage.
- Ahaziah (
אֲחַזְיָהוּ- ’Ăḥazyahū), meaning "Yahweh has grasped/held." Irony exists in his name, as his life was anything but an example of divine guidance; instead, he embraced wickedness. - the son of Jehoram: Ahaziah's direct lineage from the Davidic dynasty. However, his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab. This direct link between the Davidic line and the idolatrous Omride line, established through Jehoram's marriage (2 Kgs 8:18), was a spiritual catastrophe for Judah, ultimately leading to Ahaziah's own corrupt reign and involvement in Israel's downfall.
- king of Judah: Denotes his rule over the southern kingdom, established from the line of David. This kingdom retained the legitimate priestly worship and Jerusalem as its capital, yet frequently fell into apostasy due to foreign influences and alliances. His very succession foreshadows Judah's continued spiritual decline.
- Ahaziah (
- Words-group analysis:
- "In the twelfth year of Joram... began Ahaziah... to reign": This temporal synchronization serves not only chronological accuracy but also foreshadowing. It implicitly connects Ahaziah's brief, wicked reign in Judah to the turbulent final days of Joram's idolatrous rule in Israel. This timing sets the stage for Jehu's revolution, where both kings would meet their end together, fulfilling prophecies of judgment on the house of Ahab. It emphasizes that Ahaziah’s reign was providentially timed to overlap with the execution of God's judgment against the Omrides.
- "Joram the son of Ahab... Ahaziah the son of Jehoram": The clear naming of paternal lineage for both kings underlines their family ties and, critically, their inherited spiritual state. Joram is defined by Ahab's legacy of Baal worship. Ahaziah, though a son of Jehoram (from David's line), is practically identified with the house of Ahab through his mother Athaliah, cementing Judah's apostasy through this unholy alliance. This dual lineage highlights the tragic corruption of the Davidic throne by the idolatry of the Omrides.
2 Kings 8 27 Bonus section
- Textual Variation: It is worth noting that some modern English translations (e.g., ESV, NASB, NIV) omit 2 Kings 8:27 entirely. This is because they follow Hebrew textual traditions and critical editions (like the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia) that include the information in earlier or later verses (often 2 Kings 8:25-26 or 2 Kings 9:29 in a slightly different structure). Translations like the KJV and NKJV retain it. Regardless, the historical information regarding Ahaziah's reign starting in Joram's 12th year is widely accepted and present across Bible versions.
- The Problem of Ungodly Alliances: The brief reign of Ahaziah (and his swift demise alongside Joram) powerfully illustrates the biblical principle that compromising alliances with those opposed to God's will bring judgment, even upon a king of the blessed Davidic line. His involvement with Joram's military campaign, rather than ruling righteously in Judah, directly leads to his death as a participant in the purging of Ahab's house, despite not being a direct member of that family by paternal lineage. This highlights God's zero-tolerance for His people associating with severe wickedness.
- Ahaziah's Age Discrepancy: While 2 Kings 8:26 states Ahaziah was 22 when he began to reign, the parallel account in 2 Chronicles 22:2 states he was 42. Scholars generally consider 22 to be the more accurate age, given his father Jehoram died at 40 (2 Kgs 8:17), making 42 years old impossible for the son to ascend after the father. The discrepancy in Chronicles is widely regarded as a scribal error (transposition of Hebrew numerals) rather than a historical one, though the verse being analyzed (2 Kgs 8:27) does not state his age.
2 Kings 8 27 Commentary
2 Kings 8:27, while a concise chronological entry, holds significant theological weight by immediately preceding Ahaziah's participation in the events that lead to his demise. The very synchronicity between Ahaziah's ascent to Judah's throne and Joram's continued rule in Israel underlines Judah's deep entanglement with the corrupt northern kingdom. Ahaziah's reign, influenced by his Omride mother Athaliah, continued his father Jehoram's wicked ways, confirming Judah's departure from Yahweh. This verse is thus not merely a factual record but a crucial setup for divine judgment, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of ungodly alliances that extended the rot of Ahab's house into the divinely appointed Davidic line, culminating in the simultaneous destruction of both kings by Jehu. It quietly announces the stage upon which God's justice against apostasy will swiftly unfold.