2 Crônicas 22
Matthew Henry · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Crônicas 22
Henry: We have here an account of the reign of Ahaziah, a short reign (of one year only), yet long enough, unless it had been better. He was called Jeho-ahaz (2 Chron. 21:17); here he is called Ahaz-iah, which is the same name and of the same signification, only the words of which it is compounded are transposed. He is here said to be forty-two years old when he began to reign (2 Chron. 22:2), which could not be, for his father, his immediate predecessor, was but forty when he died, and it is said (2 Kgs. 8:26) that he was twenty-two years old when he began to reign. Some make this forty-two to be the age of his mother Athaliah, for in the original it is, he was the son of forty-two years, that is, the son of a mother that was of that age; and justly is her age put for his, in reproach to him, because she managed him, and did what she would—she, in effect, reigned, and he had little more than the title of king. Many good expositors are ready to allow that this, with some few more such difficulties, arise from the mistake of some transcriber, who put forty-two for twenty-two, and the copies by which the error should have been corrected might be lost. Many ancient translations read it here twentytwo. Few books are now printed without some errata, yet the authors do not therefore disown them, nor are the errors of the press imputed to the author, but the candid reader amends them by the sense, or by comparing them with some other part of the work, as we may easily do this. QUESTION - Was Ahaziah 22 years old (2 Kings 8:26) or 42 years old (2 Chronicles 22:2) when he started his reign? SEE VIDEO ANSWER - The books of Kings and Chronicles cover much of the same history of God’s chosen people. The books of 1 and 2 Kings take the perspective of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles focus more on the southern kingdom of Judah. But the same kings are mentioned in both histories. There is some question about King Ahaziah’s age when he started to reign (this is King Ahaziah of Judah, not King Ahaziah of Israel). One record (2 Kings 8:26) says Ahaziah was 22 years old at the start of his reign, but the other record (2 Chronicles 22:2) says he was 42 years old—at least in some translations. All translations of 2 Kings 8:26 are in agreement that Ahaziah of Judah was 22 years old at the start of his reign. And most translations of 2 Chronicles 22:2 also have his age at 22. However, some versions, such as the KJV, NKJV, ASV, and NRSV, state that Ahaziah acceded to the throne when he was 42 years old, not 22. There are several theories to explain the discrepancy between 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2. Here are four of them: 1. Second Kings 8:26 records when Ahaziah began co-ruling with his father Jehoram, while Second Chronicles 22:2 records when Ahaziah began ruling on his own once his father Jehoram died. 2. The 42-year age is that of Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah. This theory is based on the peculiar wording of the Hebrew in 2 Chronicles 22:2, which literally says that the king was “a son of forty-two years.” 3. The 42 years is a reference not to Ahaziah’s age but where he came in the history of his family’s dynasty. Ahaziah was in the family of King Ahab of Israel, which 2 Chronicles 22:2–3 points out. That dynasty began with his grandfather Omri. The lengths of the reigns of all the kings in this family are as follows: Omri — 6 years Ahab — 22 years Ahaziah (of Israel) — 2 years Joram (or Jehoram) — 12 years Total — 42 years Since Ahaziah began to reign in Judah in the last year of Joram’s reign in Israel (2 Kings 8:25), Ahaziah would have ascended the throne in the 42nd year of that dynasty in Israel, which explains his being called “a son of forty-two years.” Ahaziah was a “son” of the dynasty of Omri, which was in its 42nd year when he took the throne. If this theory is correct, then 2 Kings 8:26 gives us Ahaziah’s age, and 2 Chronicles 22:2 gives us the age of his family’s rule. 4. Somewhere in the centuries-long copying process, a scribe made an error, changing the “22 years” of 2 Chronicles 22:2 to “42 years.” Not all the Hebrew manuscripts reflect the error, as a couple of ancient translations, the Syriac and the Arabic, each have “22 years,” thus bringing 2 Chronicles 22:2 and 2 Kings 8:26 into perfect agreement. Adding support to this fourth theory is the biblical historian’s note in 2 Kings 8:17 that Ahaziah’s father, Joram, died at the age of 40. Therefore, Ahaziah could not have been 42 years old when he took over. Joram could not have had children before he himself was born, and so Ahaziah’s age when he began to reign must have been 22. The original manuscript of each book of the Bible, being directly inspired by God, was free from all error. However, a few copyist errors crept into the Hebrew manuscripts as they were passed down from one generation to the next. In this case, the numerical notations in question varied so slightly that a smudge of ink, a wrinkle, or a tear on one copy could have led a scribe to write “42” rather than “22.” The Bible today is just as authoritative as it was when originally written. We can completely trust the Bible as being God’s message to us. God’s Word endures forever, despite the occasional scribal mistake. Such errors are readily identified, and the issues they give rise to can be resolved. GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Who was Athaliah in the Bible? ED COMMENT - MENTIONS OF "ATHALIAH" 2 Ki. 8:26; 2 Ki. 11:1; 2 Ki. 11:2; 2 Ki. 11:3; 2 Ki. 11:13; 2 Ki. 11:14; 2 Ki. 11:20; 1 Chr. 8:26; 2 Chr. 22:2; 2 Chr. 22:10; 2 Chr. 22:11; 2 Chr. 22:12; 2 Chr. 23:12; 2 Chr. 23:13; 2 Chr. 23:21; 2 Chr. 24:7 ANSWER - Athaliah was queen of Judah from 841–835 BC and the only female monarch to sit on David’s throne in biblical history. Athaliah was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, and she married Jehoram, the eldest son of Judah’s King Jehoshophat. Her time as queen is nestled amid centuries of evil monarchs who reigned over Judah and Israel. An avid Baal zealot, Athaliah rivaled the wickedness of the kings who came before and after her. Her story can be found in 2 Kings 11 and 2 Chronicles 22–23. Athaliah’s husband, Jehoram, was king of Judah until his death in 841 BC. Unlike his father (KING JEHOSHAPHAT), Jehoram was a wicked king. Athaliah’s son, Ahaziah, at the age of 22, ascended to the throne, and proved himself just as evil as his father (2 Kings 8:18, 25–27). Athaliah counseled her son in his devilish schemes (2 Chronicles 22:3). Ahaziah served as king of Judah for less than one year, for he was assassinated along with Israel’s ailing king, Joram. Their assassin was Jehu, who had originally been a commander in King Ahab’s army (2 Kings 9:5, 25). The prophet Elisha had anointed Jehu as the new king of Israel and commissioned him as an instrument of the Lord to carry out God’s judgment on King Ahab and his entire idolatrous family (1 Kings 19:1–17; 2 Kings 9:1–13). Jehu’s mission of ending Ahab’s dynasty included putting Jezebel and her sons to death. Ahaziah happened to be visiting Joram when Jehu arrived to assassinate Joram, and Ahaziah (GRANDSON OF JEZEBEL) was killed, too. When Athaliah received word that her son was dead, she seized the opportunity to usurp the throne by murdering Ahaziah’s sons—her own grandsons—thus eradicating the entire royal family so she could take the throne. Unbeknownst to Athaliah, a single grandchild escaped the massacre. Jehosheba, the baby’s aunt and the wife of the high priest Jehoiada, took the infant Joash and hid him and his nurse in a bedroom. Joash was later smuggled out of the castle and taken to the temple, where he remained hidden for six years while Queen Athaliah reigned over the land (2 Kings 11:1–3). As queen, Athaliah used her influence to further establish Baal worship in Judah, installing priests and building altars for her idol in the very temple of the Lord (2 Kings 11:18; 2 Chronicles 24:7). In this way Athaliah followed the footsteps of her mother, Jezebel. Interestingly, the name Athaliah means either “God is exalted” or “dealt violently with by God.” Queen Athaliah did not exalt God with her life; instead, God dealt violently with her. After Athaliah had reigned six years, the high priest Jehoiada set guards around the temple and publicly crowned the young Joash as the rightful king. As the new king was anointed, “the people clapped their hands and shouted, ‘Long live the king!’” (2 Kings 11:12). Athaliah heard the commotion, realized what was happening, and ran out of the palace shouting, “Treason! Treason!” (2Ki 11:13). Jehoiada commanded the troops to capture Athaliah and execute her, and so they killed the queen “where the horses enter the palace grounds” (2Ki 11:16). Seven-year-old King Joash, under the direction of the faithful high priest Jehoiada, tore down the temple of Baal, smashed the altars and images of Baal, and killed the priest of Baal. And “all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain” (2Ki 11:20). GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Who was King Omri in the Bible? ANSWER - King Omri was the sixth king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Despite his precarious ascension to the throne, Omri ruled for twelve years (885–874 BC) before his son, King Ahab, succeeded him. As the others before him, Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, but Omri is noted in the Bible for being the worst of the kings to that point (1 Kings 16:25). mri’s reign began amidst turmoil. King Elah had reigned for two years before he was assassinated by one of his officials, Zimri (1 Kings 16:8–14). Zimri reigned for only seven days (1 Kings 16:15–20). The Israelites heard of Zimri’s plot against Elah and “proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp” (1 Kings 16:16). Omri and his men laid siege to the capital city of Tirzah. Upon seeing this, Zimri went into the royal palace and set it on fire, killing himself. Not everyone was sure they wanted Omri to be their king; the people of Israel were split over whom to support. Half of them rallied to Omri, but the other half preferred Tibni for king (1 Kings 16:21). “But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king” (1 Kings 16:22). Omri took undisputed control of Israel during the thirty-first year of King Asa’s reign in the southern kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 16:23). Omri died in the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign, which accounts for only eight years of the twelve that Omri ruled. This means that Omri must have first risen to power in the twenty-seventh year of Asa and then spent four years in conflict with Tibni. Omri ruled for six years in Tirzah, and during his reign he purchased a hill called Samaria, an easily defended natural stronghold (1 Kings 16:23–24). Samaria remained the capital of Israel for as long as the northern kingdom lasted. The city of Samaria and its surrounding area would later become the home of the despised Samaritans during Jesus’ time. As did the kings of the ten northern tribes of Israel before him, Omri committed the same sins as Jeroboam, and increasingly so. 1 Kings 16:25–26 says, “Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.” Ahab, Omri’s infamous son, went on to do even more evil in God’s eyes (1 Kings 16:30–33). The dynasty begun by Omri lasted four generations before God judged their wickedness and brought an end to Omri’s line. GotQuestions.org Gleason Archer - How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign (cf. 2 Kings 8:26 with 2 Chron. 22:2) and Jehoiachin when he began to reign (cf. 2 Kings 24:8 with 2 Chron. 36:9–10)? (New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties) Copyists were prone to making two types of scribal errors. One concerned the spelling of proper names (especially unfamiliar proper names), and the other had to do with numbers. Ideally, we might have wished that the Holy Spirit had restrained all copyists of Scripture over the centuries from making mistakes of any kind; but an errorless copy would have required a miracle, and this was not the way it worked out. It is beyond the capability of anyone to avoid any and every slip of the pen in copying page after page from any book—sacred or secular. Yet we may be sure that the original manuscript of each book of the Bible, being directly inspired by God, was free from all error. It is also true that no well-attested variation in the manuscript copies that have come down to us alter any doctrine of the Bible. To this extent, at least, the Holy Spirit has exercised a restraining influence in superintending the transmission of the text. These two examples of numerical discrepancy have to do with the decade in the number given. In 2 Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah is said to have been forty-two; in 2 Kings 8:26 he is said to have been twenty-two. Fortunately there is enough additional information in the biblical text to show that the correct number is twenty-two. 2 Kings 8:17 tells us that Ahaziah’s father Joram ben Ahab was thirty-two when he became king, and he died eight years later, at the age of forty. Therefore Ahaziah could not have been forty-two at the time of his father’s death at age forty! Similar is the case of Jehoiachin, whose age at accession is given by 2 Chronicles 36:9–10 as eight but by 2 Kings 24:8 as eighteen. There is enough information in the context to show that eight is wrong and eighteen is right. That is to say, Jehoiachin reigned only three months; yet he was obviously a responsible adult at the time, for he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” and was judged for it. Observe that in each case it is the decade number that varies. In Ahaziah’s case it is forty-two as against twenty-two. In Jehoiachin’s case it was eight as against eighteen. It is instructive to observe that the number notation used by the Jewish settlers in the Elephantine in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (fortunately we have a large file of documents in papyrus from this source) consisted of horizontal hooks to represent decades. Thus eight would be /III IIII, but eighteen would be /III IIII, with a horizontal hook over the Is. Similarly twenty-two would be I, followed by two horizontal hooks, one over the other; but forty-two would be /I, followed by two sets of horizontal hooks, one hook over the other in each set. If, then, the manuscript being copied out was blurred or smudged, one or more of the decade notations could be missed by the copyist. The same was probably the case with the date of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 B.C. This is stated in 2 Kings 18:13 to have occurred in the “fourteenth” year of Hezekiah, which implies that Hezekiah must have begun his reign in 715. Yet the other six references to Hezekiah’s chronology in 2 Kings make it clear that he was crowned as assistant king in 728 and became sole king in 725. Since Sennacherib did not become king in Assyria until 705 and the invasion occurred in the fourth year of his reign, the 701 date for the invasion is absolutely certain. Therefore we are to understand the “fourteen” in 2 Kings 18:13 as a miscopying of an original “twenty-four”. The difference in the Hebrew notation would have been as follows: fourteen was /III, with a horizontal hook over the Is, and twenty-four was /III, with two horizontal hooks over the Is, one over the other. A blurred manuscript probably confused the scribe of Isaiah 36:1, who originated the error; and it may have been that the later scribe of 2 Kings 18 was so impressed by the number fourteen with which he was familiar in the Isaiah text that he decided to “correct” v.13 to conform with it. At least that is the likeliest explanation I know of. (See also the discussion of Sennacherib’s invasion in Hezekiah’s fourteenth year at 2 Kings 18:13.) 2 Chronicles 22:3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. his mother: Ge 6:4,5 De 7:3,4 13:6-10 Jud 17:4,5 Ne 13:23-27 Mal 2:15 Mt 14:8-11 his counsellor: Ge 27:12,13 Mt 10:37 Ac 4:19 AZARIAH'S WICKED COUNSEL AND WICKED WAYS He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly - He lived and ruled just like the Ahab family had done, his mother training him in evil ways. One is reminded of the proverb which says "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Pr 22:6). In Athaliah's case "the way he should go" was into the way of wickedness, from which he did not depart! Clearly in taking counsel from his evil mother, Ahaziah ignored the wisdom of Proverbs 1:10, 12:5, 13:20. Note the term of explanation "for" which explains why Azariah walked in the same wicked ways of King Ahab of the northern kingdom. Mothers can exert a strong influence on their sons and this mother's influence was evil. Notice the transmission of evil ways from father Ahab, to daughter Athaliah, to son Azariah. 🙏 THOUGHT - What is your lineage, godly or ungodly? If godly, stop and thank God for this great gift! If you come from a lineage of men or women who have walked in wickedness, do not despair because God's grace can break into any lineage and bring forth righteous men and women by the power of His Gospel and His Spirit. And while there is no guarantee, the subsequent generations can also come forth as redeemed men and women in the eyes of the LORD. My father was a gambler, a womanizer and an alcoholic but was saved before he died and began praying for my salvation. I subsequently became a believer (age 39, I'm 77 now - my testimony). My son then became a believer. And in Dec, 2023 my teenage grandson, a strong believer, will be baptized. God's grace intervened in my family line, so be encouraged that He can do the same in any lineage!
2 Crônicas 22
Henry: Those that counsel us to do wickedly counsel us to our destruction; while they fawn, and flatter, and pretend friendship, they are really our worst enemies. Those that debauch young men destroy them. It was bad enough that they exposed him to the sword of the Syrians, drawing him in to join with Joram king of Israel in an expedition to Ramoth-Gilead, where Joram was wounded, an expedition that was not for his honour. Those that give us bad counsel in the affairs of religion, if regarded by us, may justly be made of God our counsellors to do foolishly in our own affairs. But that was not all: by engaging him in an intimacy with Joram king of Israel, they involved him in the common ruin of the house of Ahab. He came on a visit to Joram (2 Chron. 22:6) just at the time that Jehu was executing the judgment of God upon that idolatrous family, and so was cut off with them, 2 Chron. 22:7-9. Here, 1. See and dread the mischief of bad company—of joining in with sinners. If not the infection, yet let the destruction be feared. Come out from Babylon, that falling house, Rev. 18:4. 2. See and acknowledge the justice of God. His providence brought Ahaziah, just at this fatal juncture, to see Joram, that he might fall with him and be taken as in a snare. This we had an account of before, 2 Kgs. 9:27, 28. G Campbell Morgan -2 Chr 22.9. Ahaziah was the youngest son of Jehoram. Immediately succeeding his father, he reigned for the brief space of one year, during which he was completely under the evil influence of his mother, Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab. In these words of the chronicler we are reminded of a truth of invariable application, that, namely, of the powerlessness of evil. There are hours in human history when it seems as though evil were almost all-powerful. It entrenches itself in great strength; it builds up great ramparts; it inaugurates policies characterized by the utmost craft and cleverness. It seems to be able to bind together a kingdom which is invincible. All this is false seeming. There is no finality, no security, in the apparent might of iniquity. Sooner or later, irrevocably, inevitably, the trenches are broken through, the ramparts are flung down, the policies fail, and the kingdom which seemed so secure is dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel, by the strength of God, which is ever the strength of righteousness and goodness. Neither powerful autocrat, nor mighty confederacy of statesmen, can establish a kingdom or an empire by fraud, by violence, by corruption. Nothing will hold a kingdom or an empire or a commonwealth together in strength other than truth and justice and purity, the things of goodness, which are the things of God. Once again we have to say this is ancient history, but it is as modern as the break-up and disintegration of those great powers which in our day we have seen crumble to dust. Reconciling the Accounts of Ahaziah's Death Here is the record of Ahaziah's death in 2Ki 9:27-28+.. When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him too, in the chariot.” So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David. Warren