2 Crónicas 22

VBL · Chapter 22/36

1El pueblo de Jerusalén nombró a Ocozías, el hijo menor de Joram, rey en sucesión de su padre, ya que los invasores que habían entrado en el campamento con los árabes habían matado a todos los hijos mayores. Así que Ocozías, hijo de Joram, se convirtió en rey de Judá.

2Ocozías tenía veintidós años cuando llegó a ser rey, y reinó en Jerusalén durante un año. Su madre se llamaba Atalía, nieta de Omri.

3Ocozías también siguió los malos caminos de la familia de Acab, pues su madre lo animaba a hacer cosas malas.

4Hizo lo que era malo a los ojos del Señor, tal como lo había hecho la familia de Acab. Pues después de la muerte de su padre ellos fueron sus consejeros, para su ruina.

5También siguió su consejo al unirse a Joram, hijo de Acab, rey de Israel, para atacar a Hazael, rey de Harán, en Ramot de Galaad. Los arameos hirieron a Joram,

6y éste regresó a Jezreel para recuperarse de las heridas que había recibido en Ramá luchando contra Hazael, rey de Harán. Ocozías, hijo de Joram, rey de Judá, fue a Jezreel a visitar a Joram, hijo de Acab, porque éste estaba herido.

7La caída de Azarías vino de Dios cuando fue a ver a Joram. Cuando Azarías llegó allí, fue con Joram a encontrarse con Jehú, hijo de Nimri. El Señor había ungido a Jehú para que destruyera a Acab y a su familia.

8Mientras Jehú llevaba a cabo el juicio sobre la familia de Acab, se encontró con los líderes de Judá y los parientes de Azarías que ayudaban a Ocozías, y los mató.

9Entonces Jehú fue en busca de Ocozías. Sus hombres lo encontraron en Samaria y lo capturaron, y lo llevaron a Jehú, donde lo mataron. Lo enterraron, pues dijeron: “Es el nieto de Josafat, que se comprometió completamente a seguir al Señor”. No quedó nadie de la familia de Ocozías para gobernar el reino.

10Cuando la madre de Ocozías se enteró de que su hijo había muerto, procedió a matar a todos los que quedaban de la familia real de Judá.

11Pero Josabet, hija del rey Joram, agarró a Joás, hijo de Ocozías, y lo apartó de los hijos del rey que estaban a punto de ser asesinados, y lo colocó a él y a su nodriza en un dormitorio. Como Josabet, hija del rey Joram y esposa del sacerdote Joiada, era hermana de Ocozías, escondió a Joás de Atalía para que no pudiera matarlo.

12Y mantuvieron a Joás escondido con ellos en el Templo de Dios durante seis años, mientras Atalía gobernaba el país.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Ahaziah, son of Jehoram, reigns briefly under the strong influence of his idolatrous mother Athaliah and dies in a conflict connected to the house of Ahab. After his death, Athaliah seizes the throne by force, ordering the entire royal family to be killed, but one infant, Joash, is hidden and saved by his aunt Jehoshabeath.

Explanation

This is one of the most tense moments in the Davidic history: Athaliah, determined to eliminate any threat to her own power, tries to completely wipe out David's royal line, which would have meant the definitive end of the promise of an eternal throne made centuries before. Jehoshabeath's courageous intervention, hiding the infant Joash and his nurse for six years inside the temple itself, is the single thread that preserves the continuity of the Davidic dynasty at this critical moment. This episode shows how, even in the darkest moments of biblical history, the quiet, courageous actions of ordinary individuals can preserve the greater purposes of God that seemed about to be completely destroyed.

Fun facts

  • Jehoshabeath, who saves the infant Joash, was the wife of the high priest Jehoiada, a connection that explains why she had both the access and the courage to hide the child within the temple grounds for six entire years.
  • This episode is considered by biblical scholars a crucial moment of messianic tension: had Athaliah succeeded in wiping out the entire Davidic line, the promise of an eternal descendant of David, later associated with Jesus Christ, would have appeared to be cut off.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Crónicas 22:1Because the Arabian invaders had killed Jehoram’s older sons, the people of Jerusalem crown Ahaziah, the youngest son left, as the new king.
  2. 2 Crónicas 22:2Ahaziah reigned only one year in Jerusalem; his mother, Athaliah, was a granddaughter of Omri, tying him directly to the dynasty of Ahab in the northern kingdom.
  3. 2 Crónicas 22:3Ahaziah follows the same evil ways as the house of Ahab, because his own mother counseled him to act wickedly.
  4. 2 Crónicas 22:4The Chronicler repeats the verdict: Ahaziah did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the counsel of Ahab’s family after his father’s death, which only made his situation worse.
  5. 2 Crónicas 22:5Following this bad advice, Ahaziah joins Joram, king of Israel, in a war against Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-gilead, where Joram ends up wounded.
  6. 2 Crónicas 22:6Joram returns to Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah goes down there to visit him — a visit that will cost him dearly before the chapter ends.
  7. 2 Crónicas 22:7This visit of Ahaziah to Joram is part of God’s plan: it was precisely there that he became entangled with Jehu, the man anointed to put an end to the whole house of Ahab.
  8. 2 Crónicas 22:8When Jehu carries out judgment against the house of Ahab, he also finds the officials of Judah and relatives of Ahaziah who were serving him, and kills them as well.
  9. 2 Crónicas 22:9Ahaziah tries to hide in Samaria, but he is found, brought to Jehu, and put to death; he receives a decent burial only because he was Jehoshaphat’s grandson, remembered for seeking the Lord with all his heart.
  10. 2 Crónicas 22:10Athaliah, mother of the slain king Ahaziah, kills the entire royal family in order to seize the throne for herself — including her own grandsons. It is one of the most violent moments in the book, a woman of the court nearly wiping out the line of David entirely.
  11. 2 Crónicas 22:11An aunt manages to hide the baby Joash in the temple for six years, saving him from Athaliah’s massacre. It is because of this hidden child that David’s line, which nearly ends in this chapter, survives long enough to be restored in the next one.
  12. 2 Crónicas 22:12The boy Joash stays hidden in the temple for six years, while Athaliah rules the kingdom without knowing that a legitimate heir is still alive.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.