Das geteilte KönigreichKing of Judahc. 865–842 BC (reigned c. 843/842 BC)
Ahaziah, son of King Joram of Judah and Athaliah from Omri's dynasty, was the sixth king of Judah after the kingdom split. He came to power as the youngest of Joram's sons after all his older brothers died during a Philistine-Arabian attack, and he reigned only one year in Jerusalem. Under strong influence from his mother and advisors linked to Ahab's house, he pursued a policy marked by idolatry and Baal worship, continuing the destructive alliance between Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel's royal line. When he visited his relative King Joram of Israel at Jezreel, he was caught up in Jehu's divinely sanctioned revolt against Ahab's dynasty and killed. His sudden death had far-reaching consequences for Judah, as it paved the way for his mother Athaliah to seize power—the only known case of a female sole ruler on David's throne—and nearly wiped out the Davidic royal line.
Brothers killed – Ahaziah becomes heir to the throne
The Philistines and Arabs attacked Judah and killed all of Jehoram's older sons. Only the youngest, Ahaziah (also called Jehoahaz), survived and became heir to the throne.
17They came up against Judah, broke into it, and carried off all the possessions found in the king's palace, together with his sons and his wives. Not a son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest.
26Ahaziah 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.[^1]
[^1]: Hebrew: "daughter of Omri"; the Hebrew word can also mean a more distant female descendant. Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab, Omri's son.
1The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram's youngest son, king in his place, since the raiding band that came with the Arabs against the camp had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
2Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri. [Footnote: The parallel account and some ancient witnesses read twenty-two years old.]
27He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to the house of Ahab.
29So King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah in his battle with Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab, because he was ill.
Ahaziah went down to Jezreel to visit King Joram of Israel, who had been wounded. This visit placed him right in the middle of Jehu's revolt against Ahab's house.
During Jehu's revolt against Ahab's house, Ahaziah tried to flee. He was mortally wounded at the ascent to Gur near Ibleam and died in Megiddo. His servants then brought him to Jerusalem for burial. The books of Chronicles provide a supplementary account stating that Ahaziah was found while hiding in Samaria.
27When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what was happening, he fled up the road toward Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, "Shoot him down too!" They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam. He fled to Megiddo and died there.
7Ahaziah's downfall came from God through this visit to Joram. For when he arrived, he went out with Jehoram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
8While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he came upon the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah's brothers, who served Ahaziah, and he killed them.
9Then he searched for Ahaziah, and they captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. They brought him to Jehu and put him to death, but they buried him, for they said, "He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart." And the house of Ahaziah had no one strong enough to hold the kingdom.