Amaziah of Judah

Amaziah of Judah (אמציה) was the king of Judah, and son and successor of Joash (2 Kings 14:1-4). He took the throne at the age of 25 (2 Chronicles 25:1). William F. Albright has dated his reign to 800 BC-783 BC, while E. R. Thiele offers the dates 796 BC-767 BC.

Amaziah began his reign by punishing the murderers of his father ("2 Kings" 5-7; 2 Chronicles 25:3-5). He was the first to employ a mercenary army of 100,000 Israelite soldiers, which he did in his attempt to bring the Edomites again under the yoke of Judah (2 Chr. 25:5, 6). He was commanded by an unnamed prophet to send back the mercenaries, to whom he acquiesced (2 Chr. 25:7-10, 13), much to the annoyance of the mercenaries. His obedience to this command was followed by a decisive victory over the Edomites (2 Chr. 25:14-16). Amaziah began to worship some of the idols he took from the Edomites, which the author of "Chronicles" believes led to his ruin and his defeat by Jehoash, king of Israel whom he had challenged to battle. His defeat was followed by a conspiracy that took his life ("2 Kings" 14:8-14, 19). He was slain at Lachish, to which he had fled, and his body was brought upon horses to Jerusalem, where it was buried in the royal sepulchre ("2 Kings" 14:19, 20; 2 Chr. 25:27, 28).