Women of the Genealogy of Christ - 06-21-09

Here I shall prove that Jezebel was NOT the mother of Athaliah, the queen of Judah, in spite of the fact that Ahab was her father. This is sometimes confusing because there are two men named Jehoram, sometimes spelled Joram, a son of Ahab and a son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. There are also two men named Ahaziah, a son of Ahab and a grandson of Jehoshaphat, the son of Jehoram king of Judah. So when we mention Jehoram or Ahaziah, we always better check to make certain we have the correct one.

First, the beginning of the rule of Ahab:

1 Kings 16:29 And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

Here it is important to note that Ahab did not take Jezebel to wife until after he became king. Ahab ruled for 22 years before he died, as we also read in that passage. He was succeeded by two sons, who evidently were the sons of Jezebel. The Scripture portrays these sons as being of age, grown or nearly grown men, at the time when they come to rule.

EDIT: in 1 Kings 16:31 it is also manifest that Ahab's marriage to Jezebel was sinful. I just noticed the implications. 

2 Chronicles 22 :49 Ahaziah 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.

1 Kings 22: 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber. 49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. 51 Ahaziah 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.

2 Kings 3:1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

The ages of Ahab’s sons are not given in Scripture. Ahaziah must have been Ahab’s older son with Jezebel. If he was 20 when he came to rule, he would have been born 2 years into Ahab’s reign. The passage we have just cited surely indicates that Ahaziah was of age when he became king, since before he became king he was able to send servants abroad.

Ahaziah the son of Ahab died, and Jehoram, or Joram, the son of Ahab succeeded him. He ruled for twelve years. He was old enough to lead troops in battle, as we see later in 2 Kings chapter 3, so he too must have been of age. If he was 20, then he was born two years after his brother, around the 4th year of Ahab’s rule.

Both sons of Ahab may have been younger, but as Scripture portrays them, they could not have been much younger. Then, having been sons of Jezebel they could not have been much older.

But my point here, which is an important part of my conclusion, is this: Ahab married Jezebel after he became king, and in the early years of her marriage, she was giving birth to these sons.

Now we shall discuss the house of Judah at this same time:

1 Kings 22:41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

The death of Ahab would have been in the 17th or 18th year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. Then after the death of Ahab and Jehoshaphat:

2 Chronicles 21:5 Jehoram was thirty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

This Jehoram was 32 years old when his father Jehoshaphat died. So since his father was king for 25 years, and Ahab was already king of Israel 4 years, this Jehoram was at least 3 years old when Ahab had become king of Israel, and 7 when his father became king of Judah.

Then after the death of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat:

2 Kings 8:25 In the twelfth year of Joram [Jehoram] the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

2 Kings 9:29 And in the eleventh year of Joram [Jehoram] the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

But there is some confusion in the Scriptures when we read the corresponding passage in 2 Chronicles:

2 Chronicles 22:1 And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned. 2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri. 3 He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab: for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly. 4 Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father to his destruction.

Here it is highly unlikely that Ahaziah was 42 when he began to reign. First, 2 Kings 8:25 says he was 22. Secondly, 2 Chronicles 21:5 says that Ahaziah’s father died at age 40. So how could Ahaziah have been 42 when his father died? He must have been only 22.

Therefore Athaliah became pregnant with Ahaziah when Jehoram his father was 19 or 20, at least 12 years before he was king. This is 37 years after Ahab had become king, that Ahaziah is 22 years old. So Ahaziah was born in the 15th year of Ahab’s reign.

If Jehoshaphat ruled from the 4th year of Ahab for 25 years, he died in what would have been the 29th year of Ahab’s rule. Then his son Jehoram ruled 8 years when 22-year-old Ahaziah, the son of Athaliah, became king, which would have been the 37th year of Ahab’s rule. So Ahaziah must have been born in the 15th year of Ahab’s rule.

If Athaliah was the very first child and daughter of Jezebel, then she could not have been older than 10 or 11 when Ahaziah was born. Did Athaliah have a son at 10 or 11?

I would make the assertion that if Athaliah had a child in the 15th year of Ahab’s rule, then she must have been at least 16 years old, and therefore she was born before Ahab took Jezebel to wife.

2 Kings 10:1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria.

If Ahab had seventy sons, were these all from Jezebel? Or did he have many wives? Then if he had many wives, there is a fifty percent chance that he also had seventy daughters. Were these all from Jezebel? Ahab must have had many wive, and Athaliah must have been born before Ahab took Jezebel to wife.

Conclusion: Athaliah could not possibly have been the daughter of Jezebel, and Scripture never states that she was.

This makes fools out of generations of Bible "scholars", but they are all wrong, plain and simple.