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Ahaz

maleDivided Monarchy

Meaning: “He has grasped

A faithless king of Judah who sacrificed to idols and even his own son, refused God’s sign through Isaiah, and stripped the temple to buy Assyrian help.

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Biography

Ahaz was one of the most faithless kings of Judah. He "walked in the way of the kings of Israel," made molten images of Baal, and even "burnt his children in the fire" in pagan sacrifice (2 Chronicles 28:2–3).

Refusing the sign

When Syria and Israel threatened Jerusalem, the prophet Isaiah came to reassure Ahaz and offered him a sign from God. Ahaz piously refused — so the LORD Himself gave the sign: "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:10–14), a prophecy the New Testament applies to Christ.

Stripping the temple

Rather than trust God, Ahaz hired the king of Assyria with silver and gold taken from the temple and palace, then copied a pagan altar he saw in Damascus and shut up the house of the LORD (2 Kings 16:7–18). He was, ironically, the father of the great reformer Hezekiah, and is named "Achaz" in Christ's genealogy (Matthew 1:9).

Life Timeline

734 BC

Refuses God’s sign; the Immanuel prophecy is given

Isaiah 7:14
732 BC

Strips the temple to buy Assyrian help

2 Kings 16:8

On the Bible timeline

Ahaz belongs to the The Divided Monarchy era (c. 930 – 586 BC).

  1. c. 930 BCThe Kingdom Divides
  2. 722 BCThe Fall of Samaria
  3. 586 BCThe Fall of Jerusalem

Family Tree

AAhazDivided Monarchy
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Themes & lessons from Ahaz

Biblical themes that run through the passages where Ahaz appears.

Kings22×Tiglath-Pileser5×Altar of Burnt Offering, the4×Pekah4×Altars3×Ephraim, Tribe Of3×Remaliah3×Syria3×Temple, the First3×Altar2×Armies2×Time2×Ambassadors1×Isaiah1×Miracles Wrought Through Servants of God1×Prayer, Private1×Revivals, Religious1×Sun, the1×

People they appear with

Hezekiah7×
David5×
Uzziah4×
Isaiah3×
Manasseh1×
Amoz1×
Shear-Jashub1×
Jeroboam1×
Hosea1×
Micah1×

Places in their story

Damascus2×
Samaria2×

Things in their story

The Brazen Altar1×
The Bronze Laver1×

Scripture Appearances

36 verses in 6 books
2 Kings17 verses

2 Kings 15:38

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 16:1

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

2 Kings 16:2

Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.

2 Kings 16:5

Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.

2 Kings 16:7

So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.

2 Kings 16:8

And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

2 Kings 16:10

And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. Damascus: Heb. Dammesek

2 Kings 16:11

And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

2 Kings 16:15

And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.

2 Kings 16:16

Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

2 Kings 16:17

And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.

2 Kings 16:19

Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 16:20

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 17:1

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2 Kings 18:1

Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Hezekiah: he is called Ezekias

2 Kings 20:11

And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz. dial: Heb. degrees

2 Kings 23:12

And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. brake: or, ran from thence

2 Chronicles9 verses

2 Chronicles 27:9

And Jotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:

2 Chronicles 28:16

At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

2 Chronicles 28:19

For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

2 Chronicles 28:21

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

2 Chronicles 28:22

And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.

2 Chronicles 28:24

And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 28:27

And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 29:19

Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.

Isaiah7 verses

Isaiah 1:1

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah 7:1

And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

Isaiah 7:3

Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; Shearjashub: that is, The remnant shall return highway: or, causeway

Isaiah 7:10

Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Moreover: Heb. And the LORD added to speak

Isaiah 7:12

But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.

Isaiah 14:28

In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.

Isaiah 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down. sun dial: Heb. degrees by, or, with the sun

Hosea1 verse

Hosea 1:1

The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Micah1 verse

Micah 1:1

The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.

Matthew1 verse

Matthew 1:9

And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

Frequently asked about Ahaz

Who was Ahaz in the Bible?

A faithless king of Judah who sacrificed to idols and even his own son, refused God’s sign through Isaiah, and stripped the temple to buy Assyrian help.

What does the name Ahaz mean?

The name Ahaz means “He has grasped”.

What did Ahaz do in the Bible?

Ahaz served as king of judah, of the tribe of Judah.

Who were Ahaz's children?

Ahaz's children include Hezekiah.

Where does Ahaz appear in the Bible?

Ahaz is mentioned 36 times across 6 books: 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Matthew.

What can we learn from Ahaz?

The story of Ahaz touches on themes of kings, tiglath-pileser, altar of burnt offering, the, pekah — explore each to study the lessons drawn from Ahaz's life.

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