Nadene Goldfoot
9.Amaziah: 9th King of Judah, reigned from (796-780 BCE) He succeeded his father, Joash, on his assassination, and put his murderers to death. He executed the officials who murdered his father, Joash, but spared their children in accordance with the Law of Moses.
He reigned for 29 years. His mother was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem, and his son and successor was Azariah (also known as Uzziah).
- He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, though not wholeheartedly like King David, and he left the local high places intact.
Amaziah pursued a vigorous policy and gained a victory over Edom, but challenging Samaria, was heavily defeated and held prisoner for a time. Conflict with Israel: Emboldened by his victory, he challenged King Jehoash (or Joash) of Israel to war. Judah was routed at Beth-shemesh, Amaziah was captured, and Jehoash broke down 600 feet of Jerusalem's wall and plundered the Temple and royal palace.
Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and was founded in 880 BCE by King Omri of Israel on a hill bought from Shemer (Kings 16:24). The site, 7 miles NW of Shechem (Nablus) was on an isolated elevation dominating a wide countryside. It was close to Judah. The city occupied 25 acres.
“So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand” (Numbers 20:20, NKJV).[i] In response to their evil, we read, “Says the Lord. Yet Jacob I have loved; But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness” (Malachi 1:2-3). “And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly. Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city” (Numbers 24:18-19). Jacob becomes the House of David who rule Judah.
- Edomite Campaign: He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela (renaming it Joktheel), but later brought back Edomite idols to worship.
The Edomites continued to attack Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, looting the First Temple at the time of its destruction and blocking the escape of the Jewish people, causing many to die. Interestingly, it is believed that the Edomites were eventually forced to convert to Judaism by John Hyrcanus (Maccabean leader, 2nd century B.C.). King Herod is considered one of their descendants, as is the prophet Obadiah. It is also believed that descendants from Edom settled in Rome. Thus, the current exile of the Jewish people instigated by the Roman Empire is called “the Exile of Edom.”
- Death: After living 15 years past Jehoash's death, a conspiracy formed against him in Jerusalem. He fled to Lachish, where assassins tracked and killed him. He was killed in a palace revolution.
- His body was brought back on horseback and buried with his ancestors in the City of David.10. The King Uzziah Stricken with Leprosy, by Rembrandt, 1635.
- Uzziah/Azariah 10th king of Judah (780-740 BCE) succeeding to the throne at the age of 16, (also called Azariah) was the 10th king of the ancient Kingdom of Judah, reigning for 52 years from approximately (780 to 740 BCE.)
- Family: Son of King Amaziah and Jecoliah of Jerusalem; father of Jotham. Contemporaries: Prophets Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Jonah. Alternate Name: Referred to as Azariah in parts of the biblical text (such as 2 Kings 15).
- Military Power: Won campaigns against the Philistines (demolishing the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod), Arabs, and Meunites, and forced the Ammonites to pay tribute. He also headed a league of kings who opposed Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria.
- Infrastructure & Fortification: Rebuilt Elath, reinforced Jerusalem's walls with towers, constructed desert cisterns, and developed early siege engines to shoot arrows and hurl stones. Uzziah rebuilt the Red Sea Port of Elath, and under his reign, Judah reached the zenith of its development. Economic Growth: Promoted cattle-breeding, farming, and viticulture, leading to widespread national prosperity.
- Army: Maintained a large, trained standing army of over 307,500 troops,
- Downfall and Death
- Transgression: Grown proud of his success, Uzziah attempted to enter the Temple of Jerusalem to burn incense on the altar—a duty strictly reserved for the Levitical priests.
- Divine Judgment: When he opposed the priests who confronted him, he was suddenly struck with leprosy on his forehead. Toward the end of his life, he suffered from leprosy and had to hand over power to his son, Jotham.
- Final Years: He lived in enforced isolation outside the royal palace until his death, while his son Jotham co-governed and later succeeded him. He was buried in a nearby field rather than the royal tombs.
- An inscription has been discovered in Jerusalem relating that Uzziah's remains were transferred outside the city upon the construction of the 3rd Wall in the time of Agrippa I.
- 11. Jotham, 11th King of Judah (740 -735 BCE) of the House of David. Family: Son of King Uzziah (Azariah) and Queen Jerusha (daughter of Zadok); father of King Ahaz, her brother, who was also a king of Judah, son of Jotham who ruled from 735-.720 BCE). His reign commenced during the lifetime of his father Uzziah who had fallen sick with Leprosy. Jotham fought and defeated the Ammonites and resisted the pressure of the king of Aram to join an anti--Assyrian alliance.
- So let us get this straight; king 1. Jotham (740- 735 BCE) was the son of King Uzziah (780-740) and his mother was Jerusah, whose father had a son, 2. Ahaz king of Judah from (735-720 BCE). King Jotham and King Ahaz were brothers.
- His kingdom was attacked by Israel and Syria, while the Edomites and Philistines harried his southern territory. Despite the opposition of the prophet Isaiah, Ahaz sought the aid of Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria, who then invaded Syria and Israel in 733 BCE. Judah, however, became an Assyrian vassal and was also subjected by Ahaz to Assyrian idolatry.
- Character: Described as a righteous king who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," unlike his father, he avoided trespassing into the Temple to burn incense. However, the general public still practiced corruption and failed to remove local high places of worship.
- His reign commenced during the lifetime of his father Uzziah who had fallen sick with Leprosy. Jotham fought and defeated the Ammonites and resisted the pressure of the king of Aram to join an anti--Assyrian alliance.
Resource:
Wikipedia
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
descendants from Edom settled in Rome. Thus, the current exile of the Jewish people instigated by the Roman Empire is called “the Exile of Edom.”[iii]
