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Portrait of Ahaziah (of Israel)

Ahaziah was the son of Ahab and reigned two years over Israel from Samaria, serving Baal as his father and mother had done. When Jehoshaphat of Judah joined him in building ships at Ezion-geber to sail to Tarshish, a prophet condemned the alliance and the ships were broken. After Ahaziah fell through a lattice in his upper chamber and was injured, he sent messengers to ask Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether he would recover. Elijah met them with a question - 'Is it not because there is not a God in Israel?' - and the word that the king would die. Ahaziah sent three companies of fifty soldiers to seize the prophet, and fire from heaven consumed the first two. He died as Elijah had said and, having no son, was succeeded by his brother Jehoram (Joram).

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Biography

Occupation
King of Israel
Father
Ahab
Mother
Jezebel
Era
Divided Kingdom
Nationality
Israelite

Family

Parents
↓
Ahaziah (of Israel)
Old Testament Divided Kingdom King 1 Kings

Did You Know?

1

When his messengers described the man who met them as 'an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather,' Ahaziah knew at once: 'It is Elijah the Tishbite' (2 Kings 1:8).

2

Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron he tried to consult, is usually understood to mean 'lord of the flies'; by New Testament times Beelzebub had become a name for 'the prince of the devils' (Matthew 12:24).

3

1 Kings 22:49 records that Jehoshaphat refused Ahaziah's offer to send servants with his ships, while 2 Chronicles 20:35-37 tells of a joint fleet that was broken; read together, they may mean Jehoshaphat declined further partnership after the first ships were wrecked.

Key Chapters

Key Passages

Ahaziah's Evil Reign

1 Kings 22:51-53

Ahaziah carries on the worship of Baal, following both his father and his mother.

A51haziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.

52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: 53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

Read full chapter: 1 Kings 22 →

Enquiring of Baal-zebub

2 Kings 1:2-4

In a crisis the king of Israel turns to a Philistine idol, and God answers through Elijah instead.

A2nd Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

Read full chapter: 2 Kings 1 →

Fire on the Captains

2 Kings 1:9-12

The king tries to command the prophet by force, but the God of Elijah cannot be summoned by royal order.

T9hen the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

Read full chapter: 2 Kings 1 →

He Died According to the Word

2 Kings 1:15-17

Elijah delivers the sentence to the king's face, and it comes true exactly.

A15nd the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.

Read full chapter: 2 Kings 1 →

The Broken Ships

2 Chronicles 20:35-37

Jehoshaphat's partnership with Ahaziah, 'who did very wickedly,' ends in failure as a prophet had warned.

A35nd after this did Jehoshaphat king of Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly:

36 And he joined himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish: and they made the ships in Eziongaber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

Read full chapter: 2 Chronicles 20 →