Bible Strands
2 Kings 8:25
In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative voice records a chronological marker at the moment Judah’s monarchy passes from Jehoram to his son Ahaziah following Jehoram’s burial in the City of David. This moment establishes the regnal synchronization between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.
The words — The phrase בִּ/שְׁנַת (bi/sh.Nat) combined with שְׁתֵּים (she.teim-) and עֶשְׂרֵה ('es.Reh) literally renders "in the year two-ten," functioning as the fixed temporal anchor for the dynastic succession. These terms ground the political shift in a precise chronological framework rather than a theological commentary.
The thread — This regnal synchronization appears again in 2 Kings 9:29, which records the event in the eleventh year of Joram’s reign, while 2 Kings 8:16 and 2 Chronicles 21:20 frame the broader timeline of Jehoram’s eight-year rule. The difference in the recorded year count reflects ancient administrative methods for calculating partial regnal years across rival courts.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that dynastic transitions are recorded through administrative chronology, not moral evaluation. A reader must track the overlapping reigns to understand the political continuity between the houses of Ahab and Jehoshaphat.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 9:29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)
- 2 Kings 8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat succeeded his father as king of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.