Bible Strands
2 Kings 23:31
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The biblical chronicler records Jehoahaz’s accession immediately after the people of the land anoint him following Josiah’s death. The narrative shifts from royal burial to royal succession without addressing a specific audience.
The words — The text specifies עֶשְׂרִ֨ים ('esrim) = twenty and חֳדָשִׁ֔ים (chodashim) = months to mark the brevity of the reign. These terms quantify the exact duration of Jehoahaz’s rule in Jerusalem.
The thread — Royal succession formulas appear in 1 Chronicles 3:15 listing Josiah’s sons and in 2 Kings 24:18 detailing Zedekiah’s age and reign length. Jeremiah 22:11 also references Shallum, another name for Jehoahaz, in a prophetic judgment against his line.
Why it lands — The verse establishes a factual baseline of age and reign length before the chronicler records Jehoahaz’s evil deeds in the following passage. It requires the reader to note how quickly a new monarch’s tenure ends and how the text prepares for immediate divine evaluation.
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
Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah.
- 1 Chronicles 3:15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth.
- Jeremiah 22:11 For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never return,