*H And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ochozias his youngest son king in his place: for the rovers of the Arabians, who had broke in upon the camp, had killed all that were his elder brothers. So Ochozias the son of Joram king of Juda reigned.
Ver. 1. Arabians and Philistines. C. xxi. 17. H.
* Footnote * 4_Kings 8 : 24
And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David, and Ochozias, his son, reigned in his stead.*H Ochozias was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Athalia the daughter of Amri.
Ver. 2. Forty-two, &c. Divers Greek Bibles read twenty-two, agreeably to 4 K. viii. 18. (Ch.) with the Syr. and Arab. The Rom. (C.) and Alex. Sept. have "twenty." H. — Ochozias was the youngest son, and his father died at forty years of age. C. xxi. 20. C. — Others would date from the birth of Amri, (Broughton) or of Athalia. But is most probable that we should read 22, as 4 K. C. — The contradiction has so much perplexed the commentators, that Walton (prol. 36) puts it among the quædam απορα; and De Dieu says, "I would rather plainly confess that this difficulty is to us inexplicable." The error here, "is plainly owing to a mistake of one of the Heb. numeral letters," c, being put instead of m, which was formerly more similar than it is now. "In Origen's Hexapla, one of the Greek copies (probably that found in Caracalla's time) reads here cb, by rendering the number 22, εικοσι και δυο, all which proofs make the mistake indubitable, and strongly recommend this method of correcting it." Kennicott. — Mariana, T. &c. had already suggested this plan, (H.) which is very plausible. D. — Ochozias might reign twenty years with his father, and only one alone. 4 K. viii. 26. W.
*H He also walked in the ways of the house of Achab: for his mother pushed him on to do wickedly.
Ver. 3. Pushed. Heb. and Sept. "was his counsellor to," &c.
*H And he returned to be healed in Jezrahel: for he received many wounds in the foresaid battle. And Ochozias the son of Joram king of Juda, went down to visit Joram the son of Achab in Jezrahel where he lay sick.
Ver. 6. Ochozias. So all the versions read. Heb. "Azarias," is probably incorrect, unless this man had three names. C.
*H For it was the will of God against Ochozias that he should come to Joram: and when he was come should go out also against Jehu the son of Namsi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Achab.
Ver. 7. For. Prot. "and the destruction of Ahaziah was of God, by coming to Joram." God had decreed to punish him by the hand of Jehu. 4 K. ix.
*H So when Jehu was rooting out the house of Achab, he found the princes of Juda, and the sons of the brethren of Ochozias, who served him, and he slew them.
Ver. 8. Out. Heb. "exercising judgment with." — Brethren, who had been themselves slain by the rovers. Ochozias employed his nephews at court, and they expected that he would make some stay at Jezrahel.
*H And he sought for Ochozias himself, and took him lying hid in Samaria: and when he was brought to him, he killed him, and they buried him: because he was the son of Josaphat, who had sought the Lord with all his heart. And there was no more hope that any one should reign of the race of Ochozias.
Ver. 9. Hid in the kingdom of Samaria, (Malvenda) at Mageddo, where he was wounded; though he was perhaps put to death at Jezrahel. 4 K. ix. 27. — Buried him, at Jerusalem. — Reign. Heb. "the house of Ochozias had no one to bear the weight of the kingdom." The children of the deceased were too young, particularly as most of the princes were slain. C. — Human hope failed, but God's providence kept David's issue on the throne, till Christ appeared. W.
*H For Athalia his mother, seeing that her son was dead, rose up, and killed all the royal family of the house of Joram.
Ver. 10. All, except Joas, (v. 11, and 4 K. xi. 1. C.) ninety-five years after Solomon's death. Mariana. D.
* Footnote * 4_Kings 11 : 1
Now Athalia, the mother of Ochozias, seeing that her son was dead, arose and slew all the royal seed.*H But Josabeth the king's daughter took Joas the son of Ochozias, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain. And she hid him with his nurse in a bedchamber: now Josabeth that hid him, was daughter of king Joram, wife of Joiada the high priest, and sister of Ochozias, and therefore Athalia did not kill him.
Ver. 11. High is not expressed in Heb. or Sept. but he is supposed to have been the pontiff. H.