King Amaziah of Judah began his reign doing right, but not with a perfect heart. After a successful campaign against Edom, he turned to idolatry, provoking the Lord's anger. His subsequent challenge to King Joash of Israel led to Judah's defeat, Amaziah's capture, and Jerusalem's wall being breached. Ultimately, a conspiracy formed against him, and he was assassinated in Lachish.
Amatzyahu was twenty-five years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim. His mother's name was Y'ho'adan, from Yerushalayim.
But he did not put their children to death; rather, he acted according to what is written in the Torah, in the scroll of Moshe, as ADONAI ordered when he said, "Fathers are not to die for the children, nor are the children to die for the fathers; every person will die for his own sin."
Amatzyahu assembled Y'hudah together and put them in order by clans under captains of thousands and captains of hundreds - all Y'hudah and Binyamin. He registered everyone twenty years old and older, and found that there were 300,000 select troops able to go to war, capable of using spears and shields.
But a man of God came to him and said, "King, don't let the army of Isra'el go with you; because ADONAI is not with Isra'el or with any of the people of Efrayim.
And if you do go, then no matter how fiercely you fight, God will cause you to fail before the enemy. For God has the power to help and to cause failure."
Amatzyahu said to the man of God, "But what do we do about the three-and-a-third tons [of silver] I paid for Isra'el's army?"The man of God answered, "ADONAI can give you far more than that!"
Then Amatzyahu separated out the battalion that had come to him from Efrayim and told them to go back home - which made their anger burn hotly against Y'hudah, and they returned home enraged.
The people of Y'hudah took another 10,000 away alive, brought them to the top of the Rock and threw them off the top of the Rock, so that they were all dashed to pieces.
Meanwhile, the men in the army that Amatzyahu had sent back and hadn't allowed to join him in battle fell on the cities of Y'hudah, all the way from Shomron to Beit-Horon, killed 3,000 of them and took much spoil.
After Amatzyahu returned from the slaughter of the people from Edom, he brought the gods of the people of Se'ir and set them up as his own gods, prostrating himself before them and offering incense to them.
As a result, the anger of ADONAI blazed up against Amatzyah, and he sent him a prophet, who said to him, "Why have you sought out the gods of those people, when they couldn't even rescue their own people from you?"
But as [the prophet] was speaking to him, he interrupted him: "Were you made an adviser to the king? You had better stop before you get yourself killed!" So the prophet stopped, but he added, "I know that God is planning to destroy you for having done this and for refusing to listen to my advice."
Then, after taking counsel, Amatzyah king of Y'hudah sent a challenge to Yo'ash the son of Y'ho'achaz, the son of Yehu, king of Isra'el: "Come on, let's have it out face-to-face."
Yo'ash the king of Isra'el sent this reply to Amatzyah king of Y'hudah: "Once, in the L'vanon, the thistle sent a message to the cedar: 'Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' But a wild animal passed by the thistle and squashed it.
You say you defeated Edom, which is true; so you're excited and itching for more glory. But now, stay home! Why provoke calamity, to your own ruin, yours and Y'hudah's too?"
Yo'ash king of Isra'el took Amatzyah king of Y'hudah, the son of Yo'ash the son of Y'ho'achaz, prisoner at Beit-Shemesh. Then he brought him to Yerushalayim and demolished the wall of Yerushalayim between the Gate of Efrayim and the Corner Gate, a section 600 feet long.
[He took] all the gold and silver, all the articles he could find in the house of God, with 'Oved-Edom, and the treasures of the royal palace, together with hostages; then he returned to Shomron.
From the time that Amatzyahu turned away from following ADONAI, they formed a conspiracy against him in Yerushalayim. So he fled to Lakhish; but they followed him to Lakhish and killed him there.
They brought his body back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the City of Y'hudah.
Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 25
Verse 2
The phrase “not with a perfect heart” (or 'sincerely') is the Chronicler’s evaluation, indicating that Amaziah’s obedience was superficial or conditional, foreshadowing his later dramatic spiritual failure.
Verse 4
Amaziah upheld the specific requirement of Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 24:16), ensuring individual accountability for murder and rejecting the common ancient practice of collective punishment.
Verse 6
Hiring 100,000 mercenaries from the Northern Kingdom demonstrated a reliance on military strength and a lack of full trust in God, a temptation common to the kings of Judah.
Verse 7
The prophet's intervention clarifies that military alliances with the apostate Northern Kingdom (Israel/Ephraim) are illegitimate because God had withdrawn his favor from them.
Verse 9
Amaziah’s concern over the lost 'hundred talents' (a massive sum) is answered by the prophet's assurance that God’s blessing far outweighs any financial loss. This served as a test of obedience and faith.
Verse 12
The extreme cruelty shown to the captives, casting them from a high cliff, reflects the brutality typical of ancient warfare and the deep, historic animosity between Judah and Edom (Seir).
Verse 13
The dismissed Israelite soldiers, angered by the rejection, retaliated by raiding Judahite cities. This provided a bitter financial and human cost for Amaziah's obedience, further testing his resolve.
Verse 14
This is the turning point of Amaziah’s reign. It is deeply ironic that he adopts the gods of the Edomites, whom he had just decisively defeated, demonstrating profound spiritual corruption.
Verse 15
The prophet confronts Amaziah with a challenge based on logical absurdity: Why worship weak gods who could not save their own nation from defeat? Amaziah’s idolatry was irrational.
Verse 16
Amaziah rejects the divine warning and silences the prophet. The prophet's response confirms that because Amaziah rejected counsel, God had determined to destroy him.
Verse 18
King Joash’s parable (the thistle and the cedar) is a mocking rejection of Amaziah’s challenge, characterizing Judah as a weak, easily crushed plant inflated by a recent minor victory.
Verse 20
The Chronicler attributes Amaziah's stubbornness directly to divine judgment. God allowed Amaziah to proceed to his ruin because he had sought the counsel of the Edomite gods.
Verse 23
The defeat at Beth-shemesh led to Amaziah’s capture and the destruction of 400 cubits (about 600 feet) of Jerusalem's city wall, severely weakening the capital’s defenses and humiliating Judah.
Verse 24
Joash looted not only the royal palace but also the Temple treasures, reversing the progress made by previous righteous kings and demonstrating Israel's utter dominance.
Verse 27
Amaziah’s assassination occurred years after his defeat by Israel and is explicitly linked to the time when he 'did turn away from following the LORD,' showing the long-term, political consequences of his spiritual failure.
Use ←→ arrow keys to navigate
Settings
Reading Style
Typeface
Font Size px
The Calling of Disciples
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Reading Width chars
Options
Choose a Book
Study Note
Bible Version
Recent History
Get the App
Add TrulyRandomVerse to your home screen for instant access
TRV