King Ahaz was the king of Judah from approximately 732 BC to 716 BC. He was the son and successor of Jotham, king of Judah, and the eleventh king from the line of David. Ahaz’s reign is described in 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, and Isaiah 7 of the Bible.
Ahaz became king at the young age of 20 after the death of his father Jotham (2 Kings 16:2). He reigned in Jerusalem for 16 years. Ahaz was an evil king who did not follow the ways of the Lord. 2 Kings 16:2 says that “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.”
Early in his reign, Ahaz faced threats from Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Syria, who formed an alliance against him. Isaiah 7 records the famous prophecy given to Ahaz to trust in the Lord rather than making alliances with foreign kings. However, Ahaz refused to listen and instead appealed to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, for help. As a result, Judah became a vassal state under Assyria (2 Kings 16:7).
Ahaz introduced idolatrous worship practices in Judah after seeing them in Damascus. He constructed pagan altars and offered sacrifices at high places and under green trees (2 Kings 16:4). He even sacrificed his own son by fire (2 Kings 16:3). Ahaz also modified the design of the altar in the temple in Jerusalem to match an altar he saw in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-16).
During Ahaz’s reign, the kingdom of Judah suffered losses. The Edomites regained their independence (2 Kings 16:6). The Philistines raided cities in Judah and captured some of them (2 Chronicles 28:18). King Rezin of Syria reconquered the port city of Elath (2 Kings 16:6). The prophet Isaiah rebuked Ahaz for lacking faith in God and bringing judgment on himself and Judah (Isaiah 7-8).
In summary, King Ahaz of Judah:
- Was the son of Jotham and 11th king in the line of David
- Reigned in Jerusalem for 16 years starting around 732 BC
- Was an evil king who did not follow the Lord
- Faced threats from Israel and Syria early in his reign
- Refused to trust God and instead appealed to Assyria for help
- Introduced idol worship and pagan altars in Judah
- Sacrificed his own son by fire
- Modified the altar design in the Jerusalem temple
- Saw Judah suffer losses to Edom, Philistia, and Syria during his reign
- Was rebuked by Isaiah for lacking faith in God
Ahaz’s background
The Bible first introduces Ahaz in 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.” This places the start of his reign around the year 732 BC.
Ahaz was the son of Jotham, who was king of Judah for 16 years prior to Ahaz. Jotham was generally a good king, though he did not remove the high places where unlawful worship occurred (2 Kings 15:34-35). Ahaz had evil influences from his mother Abi, who was the daughter of Zechariah (2 Chronicles 29:1).
Ahaz began ruling Judah when he was 20 years old and reigned in Jerusalem for 16 years (2 Kings 16:2). Though Scripture does not provide many details about his family life, it appears he had at least one son, Hezekiah, who succeeded him as king of Judah (2 Kings 18:1).
Ahaz’s evil deeds and idolatry
The Bible’s primary characterization of Ahaz is that “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done” (2 Kings 16:2). David was considered the ideal king who wholeheartedly followed the Lord, but Ahaz completely failed to walk in his ways.
Early in his reign, Ahaz was threatened by an alliance formed against Judah by Pekah king of Israel and Rezin king of Syria (2 Kings 16:5; Isaiah 7:1). In response to this threat, the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to deliver a message to Ahaz to ask for a sign but trust in the Lord’s deliverance, not foreign kings (Isaiah 7:3-11). However, Ahaz refused to ask for a sign and did not trust in the Lord (Isaiah 7:12).
Instead, 2 Kings 16:7-9 describes how Ahaz sent envoys to King Tilgath-Pileser of Assyria appealing for help against the kings of Israel and Syria. As a result of this appeal, Judah came under Assyria’s control. The passage highlights Ahaz’s lack of faith by saying “he did not rely on the Lord, the God of Israel.”
After meeting with King Tilgath-Pileser in Damascus, Ahaz was so impressed by an altar he saw there that he sent detailed instructions to Uriah the priest to construct a replica altar at the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:10-16). Ahaz commanded that all offerings and sacrifices should be made on this new pagan altar, disregarding the bronze altar made by Solomon.
In addition, 2 Kings 16:3-4 and 2 Chronicles 28:2-4 describe some of the other evil acts and idolatrous practices Ahaz introduced in Judah:
- He sacrificed his own son by fire, following the abominable practices of the nations (2 Kings 16:3). This likely refers to child sacrifice to pagan gods like Molech.
- He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, hills, and trees – practices forbidden by God’s law (2 Kings 16:4).
- He made metal images of Baal idols and Asherah poles for worship (2 Chronicles 28:2).
- He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom where people sacrificed their children by fire (2 Chronicles 28:3).
- He offered pagan sacrifices and burned incense at every high hill and green tree shrine (2 Chronicles 28:4).
These practices displayed Ahaz’s blatant disregard for the commands of the Lord. His idolatry even went beyond the evil deeds of the kings of Israel.
Political struggles and losses during Ahaz’s reign
In addition to idolatry, Ahaz’s reign was characterized by a series of political struggles and losses of territory by Judah.
Early in his reign, Ahaz faced threats from Israel and Syria. As mentioned previously, their kings Pekah and Rezin sought to dethrone Ahaz and replace him with a king who would join their anti-Assyrian alliance (Isaiah 7:6). Ahaz instead submitted Judah to Assyria’s control for protection.
Though Ahaz escaped the threat from Israel and Syria, Judah still suffered losses during his reign:
- The Edomites revolted and regained their independence from Judah (2 Kings 16:6).
- The Philistines raided cities in the Negev and foothills of Judah, capturing and occupying some of them (2 Chronicles 28:18).
- Rezin king of Syria reconquered the port city of Elath, expelling all the Judeans from there and settling Syrians in it (2 Kings 16:6).
These territorial losses displayed weakness in Judah under Ahaz’s reign. God allowed Judah’s enemies to prevail because Ahaz did not rely on the Lord for deliverance.
2 Chronicles 28 gives more details about Judah being humbled by other nations during this time. For example, the army of Israel defeated Judah, killing 120,000 Judean troops and taking captives (2 Chronicles 28:6-8). The passage summarizes that “the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and been utterly unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:19).
Isaiah’s interaction with and prophecies about Ahaz
The prophet Isaiah played a prominent role during the reign of Ahaz. Isaiah 7-8 records Isaiah’s famous prophecy to Ahaz to trust in the Lord rather than foreign alliances. When Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign, Ahaz refuses under the guise of false humility (Isaiah 7:10-12). As a result, God declares he will give a sign anyway – the coming of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:13-14).
Isaiah 8 describes the birth of Isaiah’s own son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz as a sign that God would swiftly defeat Rezin and Pekah before the child could speak (Isaiah 8:3-4). Isaiah also warns that because Ahaz rejected God’s offer, Assyria would be the very nation that overwhelmed him instead of his deliverer (Isaiah 8:5-8).
Isaiah has many harsh rebukes for Ahaz’s lack of faith:
- “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9).
- “Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?” (Isaiah 7:13).
- “Ahaz…in his distress did not search for the Lord” (Isaiah 8:12,17).
Through Isaiah, God also pronounced coming judgment on Judah under Ahaz’s reign because of his great wickedness and unfaithfulness (Isaiah 8-9). Yet God’s promises to David ensured a remnant and future hope through the Messiah. So Ahaz’s failures provide the backdrop for some of Isaiah’s greatest messianic prophecies (Isaiah 9:1-7, 11:1-9).
Death and legacy
After reigning for 16 years in Jerusalem, Ahaz died at the age of 36 and was buried in the city of David (2 Kings 16:20). But he was not allowed to be buried in the royal tombs because of his great wickedness (2 Chronicles 28:27). His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king of Judah.
Though a few kings after him were more evil, Ahaz was undoubtedly one of the most ungodly kings of Judah. During his reign, the chronicler says “Ahaz made Judah act sinfully, and was very unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:19). The closing verse of 2 Kings 16 says Ahaz “walked in the way of the kings of Israel” and “caused Judah to sin” – stinging rebukes for an evil king of God’s chosen people.
Ahaz’s legacy serves as a warning about the disaster that results when fear and unbelief drive God’s people to trust in human resources and power rather than the Lord. Though God faithfully preserved his promises to David, Ahaz’s life illustrates the damage that can be done when those in leadership fail to walk in the ways of the Lord.
