Amon, son of King Manasseh, reigned over Judah for only two years (ca. 642–640 B.C.) after being installed as king at the age of twenty-two. He followed in his father’s early footsteps by worshiping the idols that Manasseh had set up and abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers. The Books of Chronicles highlight a sharp theological contrast: while Manasseh humbled himself before the Lord toward the end of his life and experienced restoration, Amon refused to humble himself and instead intensified sin. His reign was abruptly ended when his own servants conspired against him and killed him in his own house. However, the people of the land (am ha-arets) crushed the rebellion, punished the conspirators, and installed Amon’s young son Josiah as king—thereby securing the continuity of the Davidic dynasty during a turbulent time. Amon’s short and dark reign forms a grim backdrop for the great reform that his son Josiah later carried out.
Amon became king over Judah at the age of twenty-two, following the death of his father Manasseh. His mother was Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz from Jotbah.
19Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah.
Amon did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as his father Manasseh had done. He worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made, abandoning the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
Unlike his father Manasseh, who humbled himself before the Lord in his distress and experienced His mercy, Amon did not humble himself. Instead, he increased his sin—a testimony that God's grace must be received personally and cannot be inherited.
22He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon sacrificed to all the idols his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.
The people of the land killed all who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place, thereby securing the continuation of the Davidic dynasty during a politically turbulent time.