- “Ahaziah Jehoram’s son was 22 years old when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem.” (II Kings 8:24-26)
- “Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah was 42 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem.” (II Chronicles 22:21-23)
Whoa! Mistake!!! Therefore proving the Bible is not infallible and not the inerrant word of God!
Only bias immediately jumps to a desired conclusion. It is beyond belief that this was a copying error missed by the multitude of scribes and translators over thousands of years.
At this point this is an inconsistency. And inconsistencies are the best clues to uncovering the truth by psychiatric providers and homicide detectives, so this is where it’s important to investigate instead of discard.
To account for the 20 years’ discrepancy in reported ages of King Ahaziah of Judah we must collect collateral background data.
Note that the biblical account rounds off lengths of reigns to years, so the end of one king’s reign may overlap with his successor’s beginning.
| Year | King of Israel | King of Judah | Comments |
| 1 | Omri | reigns 12 yrs, daughter Athaliah | |
| 12 | Ahab son of Omri | reigns 22 years, m. Jezebel | |
| 17 | Jehoshaphat | reigns 25 years, joins affinity w/ Ahab via promised betrothal of Ahab’s daughter to his son, who is born 14 years later in year 31. | |
| 34 | Ahaziah I son of Ahab | in 17th yr of Jehoshaphat, reigns only 2 yrs “before dying”, but confirms alliance w/ Jehoshaphat | |
| 36 | Jehoram brother of Ahaziah, both sons of Ahab | in 18th yr of Jehoshaphat, reigns 12 yrs | |
| 45 | Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat | age 32 when begins reign of 8 yrs, m. Athaliah the daughter of Ahab, | |
| 53 | 22 yr old Ahaziah son of Jehoram and Omri’s daughter42 yr old Ahaziah II is son of Ahab & Omri’s daughter / Ahab’s sister | “his mother’s name also was Athaliah,” |
The 22 yr old Ahaziah would have been born in year 31 of this chronology, i.e. the 14th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign, to Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat when he was 14 years old.
While not documented in scripture probably because so well known at the time, the ancient practices of espousing royal children to seal a political alliance was assuredly what happened here. Jehoram’s young age at the birth of his son Ahaziah is also consistent with the ancient practice of consummating the marriage as soon as possible to immediately ensure a joint heir of the now-joined kingdoms.
Additionally, fostering was another common practice to forge the strongest political alliances. with seven years old was regarded as the suitable age for its commencement. Fostering is specifically stated as a practice by Ahab: “And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria…with the great men of the city, which brought them up.” (II Kings 10:1)
It is impossible for Jehoram to have fathered a 42-year-old son, and that one his youngest son, as the text states, because Jehoram died at age 40.
The phrase “his mother’s name was “also” Athaliah establishes that the 42-yr old Ahaziah is a different person from the 22-year-old Ahaziah.
It is undoubtedly significant that he was born in year 11 of this chronology, the last year of the reign of Omri, immediately after which Omri dies and Ahab takes the throne.
“Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him…his might [same as] giant that he shewed” (I Kings 16:24-28)
Defining terms by biblical correlations rather than modern sensibilities / ignorance, we understand that Omri practiced hybridization. Even David’s “mighty men” should be biblically defined as giants who converted to YHVH, like Abraham’s Amorite allies. This was only about 200 years after Goliath and his incestuously produced giant brothers, well within a pagan nation’s giant family lineage timeline.
“Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him…he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.” (I Kings 16:30-31)
There is evidence of hybridized “giants, mighty men which were of old, men of renown” bred by Ahab.
“Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah in one day…120,000 men…And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren 200,000 women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.” (II Chronicles 28:6-8)
It is in fact unreasonable to imagine that the children of Omri did not follow the standard royal practice of the time of maintaining the gods’ lineage and expression through incest like the Egyptian pharaohs who practiced incest as a matter of course to retain the sacred bloodline.
The expectation is that Jezebel, as a Canaan queen, carried fallen angel genes in her bloodline which she passed to her offspring Ahab and Athaliah, whose incestuous mating produced 42-year-old Ahaziah whose genome carried giant genes from both parents, maximizing their effects.
It would have been easy to switch 22 year old Ahaziah son of Jehoram with the 42 year old changeling son of Ahab during the single year he was king of Judah because 22 yo Ahaziah was unknown to his killers, who themselves had just gotten into politics.
“In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem…And [during that year] he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead [which took some time]; and the Syrians wounded Joram. And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah…And Ahaziah…king of Judah went down [always means “down from Jerusalem” to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel.” (II Kings 8:25-29)
Meanwhile, while 22 yo Ahaziah is running around playing at war…
“Elisha the prophet called one of the children / students of the prophets, and said unto him…go to Ramothgilead [in Israel]…and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel…And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master…For the whole house of Ahab shall perish…
And Jehu said [to his band of warriors], If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it.” (II Kings 9:1-15)
“And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah…he slew them…and when they had slain [22 yo] Ahaziah, they buried him [without the ceremony accorded to kings].” (II Chronicles 22:5-9)
The most likely explanation is that Jehu did not realize that he had slain the wrong Ahaziah. The kings of Israel had practiced deception to evade death before.
“And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself…put thou on thy robes…And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it is the king of Israel.” (I Kings 22:30-32)
In any case the real King Ahaziah of Israel was indistinguishable from the other bandaged wounded soldiers, hoping to be bypassed as per rules of warfare, but Jehu had given the unusual order that everyone be killed.
And the transfer of the kingdom from David’s righteous lineage to Omri’s evil lineage is exactly what happened, even after the death of the seed royal.
“when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her [42-yr-old] son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal [from other wives] of the house of Judah.
And Athaliah did reign over the land.
But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, [half-sister of 22 yr-old] Ahaziah, took Joash the son of [22-yr-old] Ahaziah…[whose mother…was Zibiah of Beersheba…and they hid him…from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years.
And the seventh year [her husband the High Priest] Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds…And…did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD. And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.
And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD...and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.
But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword…Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.
And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD‘s people…Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign…And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” (II Kings 11:1-12:1)
Jehoiada [earning the honorable title of Barach-iah / Blessed of YHVH]…died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died [lived longer than Moses]. And they buried him in the city of David among the kings [as Melchizedek] because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.” (II Chronicles 24:15-16)
Kingdom Come 