I received this detailed study on the age of Ahaziah via email today. Just in case you aren’t familiar, it is one of the many charges of biblical contradictions. Take a look:
2 Kings 8:26/2 Chronicles 22:2, King Ahaziah 22 or 42?
Introduction
This explanation draws from the material published by Dr Gerardus Bouw, The Book of Bible Problems, p 112ff, Dr Peter S. Ruckman, Problem Texts, p 241ff and the late Dr Dennis Spackman from New Zealand, The Stand, Oct/Nov 2007, p 35ff. All three accounts differ in some respects and this account differs slightly from any of theirs.
But I am very grateful for their efforts. All three writers are agreed that the KJB is correct with respect to the above passages and therefore cannot be charged with error or inconsistency.
I’m equating cardinal and ordinal numbers, mostly, in this study, for simplicity, though this introduces an approximation. However, that shouldn’t materially affect the final results.
Ahab and Jehoshaphat
The starting point is the reign over Israel of Ahab, son of Omri, 1 Kings 16:29. His reign starts in the 38th year of Asa king of Judah and lasts 22 years.
King Asa reigns 41 years and is succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat, in the 3rd year of Ahab’s reign. Jehoshaphat reigns 25 years and is 35 when he comes to the throne of Judah, 1 Kings 15:9, 10, 24, 2 Chronicles 20:31.
That is, the reigns of Ahab and Jehoshaphat overlap considerably and furnish basic timelines for the explanation that follows.
Ahaziah of Israel, Jehoram of Israel, Jehoram of Judah
Ahab has a son Ahaziah who comes to the throne in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat, the 20th year of Ahab and reigns 2 years, 1 Kings 22:51. The end of his reign coincides with the 2nd year of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, 2 Kings 1:17. Clearly, both Israel and Judah have co-regencies, understandable because life was precarious in those days.
Jehoram is 32 when he becomes king and reigns a total of 8 years, some of which is contemporaneous with his father Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 21:5. He also marries an unnamed daughter of Ahab, 2 Chronicles 21:6.
We need to look more closely at this overlap. It provides some essential pieces of data.
Jehoram the son of Ahab, i.e. another Jehoram, begins to reign over Israel in the 18th year of Jehoshaphat, 2 Kings 3:1. He reigns 12 years, i.e. 5 years beyond the death of Jehoshaphat. One year of Jehoram of Israel’s reign is contemporaneous with Ahaziah son of Ahab who dies in the 19th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign, 1 Kings 22:51, 2 Kings 1:17.
Filed under: Religion | Tagged: Bible, Religion, LorMarie, Alan O'Reilly, Ahaziah, Biblical Contradictions, Dr Gerardus Bouw | 11 Comments »
