Bible Strands
2 Kings 14:2
He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records the accession details of Amaziah, son of Joash, as he begins his rule over Judah. This chronological marker synchronizes his coronation with the second year of Jehoash’s reign over Israel to anchor the divided kingdoms in a shared timeline.
The words — The phrase בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה (ben-esrim ve-chamesh shanah) literally renders "a son of twenty-five years," the standard Hebrew idiom for age. The clause הָיָה בְמָלְכ֔וֹ (hayah be-malkho) places the verb before the prepositional phrase, marking the exact transition into his royal tenure without implying ongoing action.
The thread — Royal age and reign-length formulas recur in 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Kings 18:2. These chronological brackets consistently anchor Judahite kingship to the contemporary monarchs of Israel.
Why it lands — The verse demands precise historical placement of Amaziah before evaluating his moral conduct. It requires the reader to separate genealogical and chronological data from theological judgment, recognizing that royal longevity does not automatically guarantee covenant faithfulness.
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
He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.