Such scribal errors do not change Jewish or Christian beliefs in the least. According to 2 Chronicles 17: 1, Jehoshaphat’s reign began while Judah and Israel were still enemies. Both of the Ahaziah’s are said to have reigned for one year. 22:2). In 2 Kings 8:17 , Ahaziah’s father Joram reigned for 8 years after beginning his reign at age 32. We all know the obvious answer. She reigned seven years, coincident with the first seven years of the reign of Jehu in Israel. Furthermore, it is obvious that she intended to have influence over the throne, since she took the throne herself after the death of her son (2 Chronicles 22:10-12). 4. God is. Some claim that there is a contradiction in The Holy Bible in the age of king Ahaziah between 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2 In 2 Kings 8:26:”Ahaziah was a son of twenty two years when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Third, Ahaziah is said to be the son of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 22:9. They did this in a place called Gur, just outside of Ibleam, which is north of Samaria. II Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. A Case Study of Ahaziah's Age Assumptions 1. As per II Kings 8:26, Jehoram began ruling at 22 – when his father was deposed at the age of 40. A contradiction is a form of untruth. We can see that the difference in ages is 20 years. If the son was forty-two years old at the time, then he was two years older than his deceased father! Therefore, Ahaziah could not have been forty-two at the time of his father’s death at age forty.” (Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, page. No. How does one reconcile this seeming contradiction? John Davis, Biblical Numerology, Baker, 1968, p. 38). Ahaziah could not have been 42 years old biologically, because his father was only 40 years old when Ahaziah became king (See 2 Chron. The King James translators used the Masoretic text, but it should be noted that other texts, such as the Syriac and Arabic versions, have Ahaziah’s age as “Two and twenty years old” in both passages. Rather, they suggest that the expression depicts the sum of years that had passed since the founding of the dynasty of Omri, the father of Ahab (note the phrase “house of Ahab” v. 3), from whom Ahaziah was descended through his mother (v. 2b). He was only 22 years old (2 Kings 8:26–27). So, he was also Jehoshaphat’s stepson. Obviously a Regent ruled for the first 20 years of Ahaziah's reign. Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. When Jehoram died, Ahazaiah ascended to the throne (2 Chron. The younger Ahaziah ascends to the throne during the 12th year of Jehoram in Israel. As they stand in our common Bibles, there does appear to be a discrepancy. Solomon’s Basin and “Pi” — A Bible Error? Therefore, if Ahaziah were the literal offspring of Jehoshaphat, Jehoram would not have been the firstborn. 2 Chronicles 22- 2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 22:2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Answering a question about the supposed contradiction between 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2, and the age of Ahaziah when he began to reign. Under the influence of his mother Athaliah, Ahaziah introduced forms of worship that offended the Yahwistic party. If the seemingly conflicting statements address different things or employ their terminology in varying senses or if all of the facts are unknown or unclear, then it is not fair to charge a document with contradiction. We believe Ahaziah was indeed 22 years old, for his reign began immediately after his father’s death and his father, Jehoram, died when he was 40 years old. Shortly after the older Ahaziah takes the throne in Judah, Jehoram’s 22 year old son also takes the throne in Judah, since he is the heir by birth to the reigning king in Judah (evidently planning to have the older Ahaziah assume control of both Judah and Israel, like Jehoshaphat did). If the son was forty-two years old at the time, then he was two years older than his deceased father! Scripture is absolute truth. Yes, Ahaziah reigned over Judah. Obviously at face value these verses give two completely different ages. Who incited David to count the fighting men of Israel? Most manuscripts of the Septuagint have the number twenty, and one has twenty-two. CONTRADICTION REFUTED. II Kings 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Leading Hebraist Dr. John Gill listed several responses to this alleged contradiction in the 1700s: 1. ), very similar to Ahaziah, and Matthew (or a … Sunday Evening – 6PM To see this, we have to untangle some of the dates and names of kings in both Judah and Israel. Consequently, the 22 year old Ahaziah is the “son-in-law of the house of Ahab” (2 Kings 8:27). Ahaziah’s reign in Israel only lasts two years and he dies in 2 Kings 1: 7 & 17. It is at this time that he assumes control over both Israel and Judah and is therefore called the “king of Israel” (2 Chronicles 21: 2). Matthew, however, says that Joram was the father of Uzziah (Matt. There is a seeming contradiction concerning the chronology of King Ahaziah. The discrepancy in ages is due to a copyist error. 21:5, 20). Two solutions have been proffered by respectable scholars. That “ALSO” is very important when you consider that Jehoram’s wife and Jehoshaphat’s wife both go by the same name. 2 Kings 8:26 42 years old Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. Joram was 40 when he died, showing that Ahaziah could not have been 42, … Here, he marries Athaliah, the daughter of Omri (2 Chronicles 22:2) who happens to be Ahab’s sister (1 Kings 16:29). There is no problem to reconcile here because Ahaziah is adopted. Notice the differences in the deaths of the two Ahaziah’s. There are two kings by the same name ruling at the same time. The first Ahaziah is the son of Athaliah, the daughter of Omri. From the time of Omri, to that of Ahaziah, was some forty-two years. First of all, it is important to note that a true contradiction exists only when there is no possible way to reconcile two statements. - Ahaziah, the youngest son of Joram, ascended the throne in the twenty-second year of his age. 6. Therefore Ahaziah could not have been 42 at the time of his father’s death at age 40! He is a stepson. Joram died at age … * Athaliah the daughter of Omri. This is Jehoram’s youngest son (also called” Jehoahaz”), who reigns because his older brothers were killed by the Arabs (2 Chronicles 21: 17; 22: 1). This boy was 42 years old when he took the throne from Jehoram, king of Judah. Twenty-two is also reflected in the Syriac and the Arabic versions. I, p. 546), and in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. However, after Jehoshaphat got rich he “joined affinity with Ahab” (2 Chronicles 18: 1). And his mother's name was Athaliah the daughter of Omri, the king of Israel” Jehoshaphat co-reigns with Jehoram in Judah. They find that Ahaziah could not have been 42 years old biologically, because his father was only 40 years old when Ahaziah became king (II Chron 21:20). When Jehoram died, Ahazaiah ascended to the throne (2 Chron. ©2021. When asked to provide a step-by-step "scientific" account of creationism, the fundamentalist generally launches into the account in Genesis 1 — but when asked about why Genesis 2 has the order of creation irreconcilably different, they appear to suddenly have an epiphany that the minor details that matter so … Jehoshaphat actually reigns, for a period of time, over both Judah and Israel. No, its not a Bible contradiction. King Ahaziah immediately allied with his other uncle, King Joram, in a war against the king of Aram. Earlier in 2 Kings 8:17 the author mentions that Ahaziah's father Joram ben Ahab was 32 when he became King, and he died eight years later, at the age of 40. The 22 year old Ahaziah is the son of Jehoram, king of Judah, and Athaliah the daughter of Ahab (2 Kings 8:25, 18). Accordingly, some of the more current English translations have changed forty-two in 2 Chronicles 22:2 to twenty-two (NASB, NIV, ESV). This is the ... Judah died at age forty, that Ahaziah, being his youngest son (after the rest of his heirs ... Ahaziah was the legal son of Jehoram and in the same chapter we are told he is the son Ahaziah most likely reigned in Hebron at this age. a) God did (2 Samuel 24:1) b) Satan did (1 … How the 22 Year-old Ahaziah gets to the Throne. Is King Ahaziah’s age a Bible contradiction? 22:2). They know a son being born two years earlier than … Another solution most scholars believe is that the text in 2 Chronicles reflects a scribal error. Satan and man are at war against God and truth. For instance, he could be 22 biologically (fitting with the age of his father) and could also have assumed the age of his uncle Ahaziah (who had been king of Israel) in an attempt to bring the two kingdoms together. 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2 were two different historians giving two different viewpoints on the same thing. Ahaziah was able to flee in his chariot all the way to Megiddo, where he finally died. Following his death, his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him there in the sepulcher of his fathers. The first example of this occurring in Scripture is Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 2. The Bible itself provides enough information in other places to make it clear what the correct answer is – 18 for Jehoiachin and 22 for Ahaziah. Ahab dies and is succeeded by Ahaziah in Israel during the 17th year of Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:40, 51). II Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Ahaziah of Judah walked in the ways of his father, and because of this the Lord allowed him to reign less than one year in 841 BC. Why Does the Bible Contradict Itself? 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2 were two different historians giving two different viewpoints on the same thing. The reason that they said that they buried him was that “he is the son of Jehoshaphat.”. Sunday Preaching – 11AM “others to the age of Athaliah his mother, as if he was the son of one that was forty two, when he himself was but twenty two; but no instance is given of any such way of writing, nor any just reason for it; 3. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. The successor to the throne after Athaliah’s seven year reign, which coincides with Jehu’s first seven years as king over Israel, was Joash, who is the son of the 22 year old Ahaziah. Since there are two Athaliah’s, it is said of the mother of the 42 year old Ahaziah, “His mother’s name ALSO was Athaliah the daughter of Omri” (2 Chronicles 22:2). His father, however, lingered on in his suffering for another 20 years, and so Jehoram formally became king only at the age of 42. Now, what are the facts relative to these two passages? If it should be objected that God could have protected the scribes from any and all mistakes, one need only remind himself that such a precise oversight would have involved a miraculous influence on the scribes across the centuries. Yes, Ahaziah reigned over Judah. Hear for yourself! II Kings 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Omri began his reign in 884 B.C. 21:5, 20). See also John W. Haley’s, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible (p. 398), Robert Jamieson in the Jamieson, Fausette, & Brown Bible Commentary (Vol. He was only 22 years old (2 Kings 8:26–27). 2Ch 22:2 Forty and two years old [was] Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. Both of these men were killed by Jehu. 2 Chronicles 22:7-9 records the death of the older Ahaziah. Here you will see a solution to the problem of Ahaziah’s age found in 2 Chronicles 22:2 and 2 Kings 8:26. Before Jehoram in Judah dies, Athaliah (Jehoshaphat’s widow) puts her 42 year old son, Ahaziah, on the throne. Wednedsay Bible Club – 7PM, Copyright Bible Believers Baptist Church - All Rights Reserved. 7) How long did he (Jehoiachin) rule over Jerusalem? We learn this in 2 Chronicles 21:5 and 20, “ Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem … and departed without being desired. On the other hand, 2 Chronicles 22:2 indicates that Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he came to the throne. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. There is a king Jehoram reigning in Israel, and there is a king Jehoram reigning in Judah. One suggestion is that Ahaziah is not literally 42 years old but it was the amount of time from his great-grandfather via his mother Athaliah (who was his mother's paternal grandfather) Omri's reign up to his time actually totaled 42 years. Ahaziah was both 22 years old and 42 years old when he became king 2Ki 8:26 Two and twenty years old [was] Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. (Ahaziah ruled Judah around 841 B.C., and Jehoiachin almost 250 years later in 598 B.C.) Several of the letters in the Hebrew script are strikingly similar in appearance, and such is the case with the letters which represent twenty-two and forty-two. Rather, there was a letter-number system by which numbers were signified by letters of the Hebrew alphabet—though how far back this practice goes is speculation (cf. However we are told in 2 Chronicles that Ahaziah was 42 years old when he became king. Ahaziah’s true age when he became king of Judah is easy to discern by further research. The fact that a copyist made a mistake in these two cases is not an actual contradiction. Jehoshaphat’s Co-reign with the King of Judah and His Reign over Israel. Jehu himself followed after him and instructed his men to smite him while he was in his chariot. 4. Earlier, in 2 Kings 8:17, the author mentions that Ahaziah’s father (Jehoram) was 32 when he became king, and died eight years later at the age of 40 (2 Chronicles 21:5, 20). Jehoram, in Judah, begins to reign during the fifth year of Jehoram’s reign in Israel (2 Kings 8:16). “Affinity” means to establish a relationship by marriage. The second Ahaziah is the son of Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab. They caught him and brought him to Jehu. This child was born to her before she married Jehoshaphat. 1:8). In the former verse, he is said to be 42 years old and in the latter verse he is said to be 22 years old. And his mother's name [was] Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. Ahaziah most likely reigned in Hebron at this age. That’s why 2 Kings 8: 16 says” Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah.”  He isn’t dead yet. So, the Ahaziah of 2 Chronicles 22:1 is the 22 year old Ahaziah, who is the youngest son of Jehoram, king of Judah. The Older Ahaziah – Jehoshaphat’s Stepson. 2 Kings 9:27-28 records the death of the younger Ahaziah. Like the younger Ahaziah, he had gone to see Jehoram, king of Israel. One was shot in his chariot and fled to Megiddo. Jehoshaphat reigns for 25 years. The Two Athaliah’s – Mothers of the Two Kings. Hopefully, this helps resolve some contradiction for the age of Ahaziah. It is in the analysis of their deaths that you can see that there really are two Ahaziah’s reigning jointly in Judah. Judah’s King Ahaziah was related to King Ahaziah of Israel through his mother, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. She’s also called “Athaliah, the daughter of Omri, king of Israel,” in 2 Kings 8:26. How the 42 Year-old Ahaziah gets to the Throne. First, Jehoram is the “firstborn” son of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 21: 3). There are two kings by the same name ruling at the same time. You might read Lightfoot’s explanation as cited in Adam Clarke’s Commentary (at 2 Kings 8:26). This is done during the 11th year of Jehoram’s reign in Israel, just 6 to 7 years after Jehoram was put on the throne in Judah (but obviously before his death, since he reigned 8 years). 22:2 ). Ahaziah of Judah walked in the ways of his father, and because of this the Lord allowed him to reign less than one year in 841 BC. and Ahaziah began his reign on 842 B.C. "Is There a Bible Contradiction Regarding Ahaziah's Age?" When he dies at 40 (2 Chronicles 21: 20), Ahaziah is two years older than he is. In 2 Kings 8:17, we find that Joram, father of Ahaziah and son of Ahab, was 32 years old when he became king. All rights reserved. One age could be biological and the other could be assumed (in the name of someone else). Vlog 254: Was Ahaziah 22 or 42 when he began to reign? So, three problems are immediately solved. Ahaziah's father was only 40 years old when he died (2 Chron 21:5, 20) making his son's age of 42 at the beginning of his reign impossible; As listed in the footnotes of the NIV to 2 Chron 22:2, the Syriac say "22 years old", while the LXX has "20 years old". Technical Support. Any account of these contradictions is dutifully met with denial, slippery slope allegations and/or ignorance of the topic. These are obviously not the same man. Clearly, that was not Jehovah’s plan for the exercise of miraculous phenomena. Reign of Ahaziah of Judah (cf. How is the matter to be resolved? Clearly, then, there is a problem with the numeral “forty-two” in this passage, as such appears in our standard texts. The other was caught and brought to Jehu, where he was slain before him and buried. He was then taken by his servants back to Jerusalem to be buried. Jehu’s men found Ahaziah when they were looking for him, while he was hidden in Samaria. A narrative should be treated as credible unless it can be shown conclusively not to be. Therefore, Jehoshaphat still has two to three years left on his reign. Some claim that there is a contradiction in The Holy Bible in the age of king Ahaziah between 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2 In 2 Kings 8:26:”Ahaziah was a son of twenty two years when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. ... Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign. Many modern translations have realized this and adjusted their translation to use the correct information. The seeming contradiction can be explained by the different perspective of the respective historian of each book. 2 Kings 8:26 claims that Ahaziah was 22… When they killed him, THEY buried him. There are two Ahaziah’s. “Some refer this to Jehoram, that he was forty two when Ahaziah began to reign, but he was but forty when he died; 2. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.. In the first place, Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah, died at the age of forty years (2 Chron. Ahaziah was the youngest son of Jehoram of Judah. admin 2019-03-30T14:43:03-04:00. It is reconciled by the Seder Olam. The Ahaziah of 2 Chronicles 22:2 is the 42 year old son of Athaliah, who was also the stepson of Jehoshaphat. He was 22 years old when he took the throne of Jehoram, king of Judah. God promised to destroy the wisdom Also, the term where Ahaziah of Judah is called the "son-in-law" of the house of Ahab may be easily reconciled by this one - Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat was the son-in-law of Ahab since he married Ahab's daughter Athaliah. 2 Chronicles 22:1-6). Both of these Ahaziah’s were killed by Jehu and they were succeeded in their reign by Athaliah, the widow of Jehoshaphat. Here are the verses that show that the above facts are true. 206-207.) It should be no surprise that Athaliah would promote her own son to the throne of Judah. 3, p. 269). One account (2 Kings) measures it to when the Regent was named for Ahaziah at age 22, the other (2 Chronicles) measures it to when Azahiah took personal control at age 42 after a 20 year Regency by a Regent. However, she is his granddaughter. Ahaziah's Age at Royal Ascension The same problem exists with the age Ahaziah ascended the throne. According to 2 Chronicles 21:16–17, his older brothers had been carried off in a Philistine and Arab raid. One solution offered is that the Hebrew text of 2 Chronicles 22:2 literally describes Ahaziah as a “son of forty-two years.” Some scholars have argued that this phrase does not mean that he as an individual was forty-two years old when he came to the throne. 21:20 - 2 Chron. When it says in 2 Chronicles 22:2 that Ahaziah was 42 years old when he began to reign, this refers to his age as the last member of the reigning dynasty of the house of Ahab. A very slight stroke of the pen could blur the distinction. God bless you all! This would explain the contradiction in the verses. 2 Chronicles 22:2 - Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. The confusing thing is that she is also called “the daughter of Omri.”  In fact, she was his granddaughter. The historian who wrote 2 Kings decided to start Ahaziah’s reign when he became co-regent with his father Jehoram at the age of 22. No, its not a Bible contradiction. Therefore Ahaziah could not have been 42 at the time of his father's death at age 40! Contact Us. Second, Jehoram is said to have killed all of his brethren with his sword (2 Chronicles 21: 4), who were of his father’s house (2 Chronicles 21: 13). The historian who wrote 2 Kings decided to start Ahaziah’s reign when he became co-regent with his father Jehoram at the age of 22. ISSN: 1559-2235. It is important to note that since Jehoshaphat only reigns 25 years, and he is succeeded by Jehoram who reigns 8 years, any child that Jehoshaphat has by Athaliah could not possibly be more than 33 years old (25 years for Jehoshaphat’s reign plus 8 years for Jehoram’s reign equal 33 years) by the time Jehu begins to reign in Israel. a contradiction, within the passages of 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2. Ahaziah's father was only 40 years old when he died (2 Chron 21:5, 20) making his son's age of 42 at the beginning of his reign impossible; As listed in the footnotes of the NIV to 2 Chron 22:2, the Syriac say "22 years old", while the LXX has "20 years old". The statement in 2 Chronicles 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. Right after Jehu shot Jehoram, king of Israel, Ahaziah fled by the way of the garden house. Here's a bonus contradiction - not just Jehoiachin's age but also Ahaziah have variant ages at which they are said to have become king. Most modern translators speculate that the Masoretic text is in error, seeing that 2 Kings 8:26 says that Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign. In the first place, Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah, died at the age of forty years (2 Chron. 2. Jehoram, in Judah, gets sick with an incurable disease during the last two years of his reign in Judah. Solution: This is clearly a copyist error, and there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to reign in Judah.