Bible Strands
2 Kings 11:21
Joash was seven years old when he became king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records Joash’s accession immediately following the city’s quiet and Athaliah’s death. It states the factual age of the new king at the moment the people rejoiced.
The words — The Hebrew phrase בֶּן־שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים (ben-sheva shanim) literally translates to "son of seven years." This construction functions as a standard ancient idiom indicating a person's age at a specific event.
The thread — The same accession formula appears in 2 Chronicles 24:1, which adds his forty-year reign and mother’s name. A parallel coronation record for Josiah in 2 Kings 22:1 notes he was eight years old when he became king.
Why it lands — The text establishes that royal authority transferred to a minor during a period of restored civic order. It requires the reader to recognize that the narrative prioritizes factual succession over political commentary.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 24:1 Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.
- 2 Kings 11:4 Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and had them brought into the house of the LORD. There he made a covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the king’s son
- 2 Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.