Amaziah of Judah
| Amaziah | |
|---|---|
Amaziah from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553 | |
| King of Judah | |
| Reign | 796–792 BCE (over Judah) 796–767 BCE (entire reign) |
| Predecessor | Joash |
| Successor | Uzziah |
| Born | c. 822 BCE |
| Died | c. 767 BCE |
| Spouse | Jecoliah |
| Issue | Uzziah |
| House | House of David |
| Father | Joash |
| Mother | Jehoaddan of Jerusalem |
Amaziah of Judah (pronounced /æməˈzaɪ.ə/, Hebrew: אֲמַצְיָהוּ, ʼĂmaṣyāhū, meaning "the strength of the Lord", "strengthened by Yahweh", or "Yahweh is mighty"; Greek: Αμασίας; Latin: Amasias), was the ninth king of Judah and the son and successor of Joash. His mother was Jehoaddan (2 Kings 14:1–4) and his son was Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:1). He took the throne at the age of 25, after the assassination of his father, and reigned for 29 years (2 Kings 14:2 2 Chronicles 25:1), 24 years of which were with the co-regency of his son. The second Book of Kings and the second Book of Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible consider him a righteous king, but with some hesitation. He is praised for killing the assassins of his father only and sparing their children, as dictated by the Mosaic Law.
Edwin R. Thiele dates Amaziah's reign from 797/796 to 768/767 BCE. Thiele's chronology has his son Uzziah becoming co-regent with him in the fifth year of his reign, in 792/791 BCE, when Uzziah was 16 years old.