Bible Strands
2 Kings 14:23
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash over Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria forty-one years.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The chronicler records a chronological marker during the divided monarchy, synchronizing the accession of Jeroboam II in Israel with the reign of Amaziah in Judah. The passage functions as a historical anchor point between Judah's territorial restoration and Israel's subsequent spiritual decline.
The words — בִּ/שְׁנַת (bi/sh.Nat) and שָׁנָה (sha.Nah) both denote "year," establishing the precise regnal synchronism for the dual kingdoms. מֶ֣לֶךְ (Me.lekh) literally means "king," marking Jeroboam's formal assumption of the throne over Israel.
The thread — This regnal dating formula recurs in 2 Kings 15:1–2 and 15:8–13, where Judah and Israel timelines are repeatedly cross-referenced. The narrative thread of Israel's preservation despite its kings' failures aligns with the covenant guarantee in 2 Kings 14:27.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to track political transitions within a fixed historical framework without moral justification for the rulers. It demands attention to how the steady progression of royal lines sets the stage for the nations' eventual covenant consequences.
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
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 14:27 and since the LORD had said that He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
- Hosea 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
- Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
- Amos 7:9 The high places of Isaac will be deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with My sword.”