16 Facts About Ahaz

Ahaz was 20 when he became king of Judah and reigned for 16 years.

Ahaz is portrayed as an evil king in the Second Book of Kings.

Ahaz's reign commenced at the age of 20, in the 17th year of the reign of Pekah of Israel.

Immediately upon his accession, Ahaz had to meet a coalition formed by northern Israel, under Pekah, and Damascus, under Rezin.

Isaiah counsels Ahaz to trust in God rather than foreign allies, and tells him to ask for a sign to confirm that this is a true prophecy.

Isaiah replies that Ahaz will have a sign whether he asks for it or not, and the sign will be the birth of a child, and the child's mother will call it Immanuel, meaning "God-with-us".

Ahaz took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.

Ahaz yielded readily to the glamour and prestige of the Assyrians in religion as well as in politics.

Furthermore, Ahaz fitted up an astrological observatory with accompanying sacrifices, after the fashion of the ruling people.

In other ways Ahaz lowered the character of the national worship.

Ahaz's government is considered by the Deuteronomistic historian as having been disastrous for the religious state of the country, and a large part of the reforming work of his son Hezekiah was aimed at undoing the evil that Ahaz had done.

Ahaz died at the age of 36 and was succeeded by his son, Hezekiah.

Ahaz closed the schools and houses of worship so that no instruction should be possible, and the Shekinah should abandon the land.

Abi saved the life of her son Hezekiah, whom her godless husband, Ahaz, had designed as an offering to Moloch.

Ahaz's father was removed from responsibility by the pro-Assyrian faction at some time in the year that started in Tishri of 732 BC.

Furthermore, in 2015, Eilat Mazar discovered a royal bulla of the Judean king Hezekiah, biblical son of Ahaz, that reads "Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah", and dates to between 727 and 698 BC.