Ahaz
(possessor), eleventh king of Judah, son of Jotham, reigned 741-726, about sixteen years. At the time of his accession, Rezin king of Damascus and Pekah king of Israel had recently formed a league against Judah, and they proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem. Upon this Isaiah hastened to give advice and encouragement to Ahaz, and the allies failed in their attack on Jerusalem. Isai 7,8,9.
But, the allies inflicted a most severe injury on Judah by the capture of Elath, a flourishing port on the Red Sea, while the Philistines invaded the west and south. 2Kin 16; 2Chr 28. Ahaz, having forfeited God’s favor by his wickedness, sought deliverance from these numerous troubles by appealing to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, who forced him from his most formidable enemies. But Ahaz had to purchase this help at a costly price; he became tributary to Tiglath-pileser.
He was weak, a gross idolater, and sought safety in heathen ceremonies, making his son pass through the fire to Molech, consulting wizards and necromancers. (Isaiah 8:19) and other idolatrous practices. (2 Kings 23:12) His only service of permanent value was the introduction of the sun-dial. He died at the age of 36, but was refused a burial with the kings his ancestors. (2 Chronicles 28:27)
Son of Micah. (1 Chronicles 8:35,36; 9:42)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Ahaz
Ahaz a'-haz ('achaz, "he has grasped," 2Ki 16:1-20; 2Ch 28:1-27; Isa 7:10 ff; Achaz). ⇒See a list of verses on AHAZ in the Bible. 1. Name: The name is the same as Jehoahaz; hence appears on Tiglath-pileser's Assyrian inscription of 732 BC as Ia-u-ha-zi. The sacred historians may have dropped the first part of the name in consequence of the character of the king. ⇒See the definition of aha in the KJV Dictionary 2. The Accession: Ahaz was the son of Jotham, king of Judah. He succeeded to the throne at the age of 20 years (according to another reading 25). The chronology of his reign is difficult, as his son Hezekiah is stated to have been 25 years of age when he began to reign 16 years after (2Ki 18:2). If the accession of Ahaz be placed as early as 743 BC, his grandfather Uzziah, long unable to perform the functions of his office on account of his leprosy (2Ch 26:21), must still have been alive. (Others date Ahaz later, when Uzziah, for whom Jotham had acted as regent, was already dead.) ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia. 3. Early Idolatries: Although so young, A…
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Ahaz
Son and successor of .lothani king of Judah. His name is probably an abbreviated form of Jeho-ahaz (inx'iT), since it niipears on the Assyr. inseriiitions as la-u-tja-zi. 'I lie date of his accession has been fixed at 735 B.C. His age at this time is given as twentj' (2 K 10') ; but this is barely reconcilable with the ol her chrono- logical ilala, which allow sixteen years lo his reign, and state the age of his son Hezekiah at 04 AHAZ AHAZIAH his accession as twenty-five, since it woold make Ahaz a father at the age of eleven. The difficulty is increased if we suppose that the son passed through the fire by Aiiaz was his firstborn ; and if, with several authorities, we allow only eight years to his reign, it is quite insuperable. There can be little doubt that the figures need correc- tion. For twenty there is a slightly supported various reading, twenty - five, and this may be rifjht. It is possible that the age of Hezekiah sliould be reduced, since Ahaz seems from Is 3" to have been still youthful at the beginning of his reign. The date of his death is probably 715 B.C., though ma…
Fausset's Bible Dictionary on Ahaz
Ahaz ("possessor".) Son of Jotham; ascended the throne of Judah in his 20th year (2Ki 16:2), a transcriber's error for 25th year; as read in the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic (2Ch 28:1); for otherwise Hezekiah his son would be born when Ahaz was 11 years old. Rezin, king of Damascus, and Pekah of Israel leagued against Judah, to put on the throne the son of Tabeal, probably a Syrian (Isa 7:6). Isaiah and Shear-jashub his son (whose name means "the remnant shall return" was a pledge that, notwithstanding; heavy calamity, the whole nation should not perish), together met Ahaz by Jehovah's direction at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, and assured him that Rezin's and Pekah's evil counsel should not come to pass; nay, that within 65 years Ephraim (Israel) should cease to be a people. It is an undesigned propriety in Isaiah 7, and therefore a mark of truth, that the place of meeting was the pool; for there it was we know, from the independent history in Chronicles, that Hezekiah his son, subsequently in Sennacherib's invasion, with much people stopped the waters without the city…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia