Illustration created for this project.

Ahaz

A faithless king of Judah who, threatened by Israel and Aram, refused Isaiah's offer of a sign and appealed to Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria instead, stripping the temple and palace to pay him. The alliance cost him his independence. He copied an altar he had seen at Damascus and had it built in Jerusalem, moved the bronze altar aside, cut up the temple furnishings, and burned his own son as an offering. It was to Ahaz that Isaiah nonetheless gave the promise of a child called Immanuel.

Role: King of Judah

Lived: c. 755 BC – c. 716 BC

Belonged to: Genealogy of Jesus, Kings of Judah, Tribe of Judah

Tribe/lineage: Judah

Born: Jerusalem

What we know — and how we know it

Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1 Archaeology — physical evidence · 1

Life, role & deeds

BibleA faithless king of Judah who appealed to Assyria for help against his enemies.

2 Kings 16:7

↳ Jerusalem

Unknown artistUnknown artist — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons) ArchaeologyAssyrian inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III list 'Jehoahaz of Judah' (Ahaz) among the kings paying him tribute.

Tiglath-Pileser III Summary Inscription 7 (ND 4301+4305) from Nimrud (Calah), listing 'Jehoahaz (Ia-u-ha-zi) of Judah' among tributaries; H. Tadmor, The Inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III King of Assyria (Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem, 1994).

Where in scripture

2 Kings Isaiah

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in Yahweh his God’s eyes, like David his father.
2 Kings 16:2 — Did not what was right

Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
Isaiah 7:10 — Refuses a sign

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.

2 Kings 16:2 Isaiah 7:10

Family

In their own words — 3 recorded sayings

“So Ahaz sent representatives to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son; come to my help against the kings of Aram and Israel who have taken up arms against me.” — 2 Kings 16:7

“And King Ahaz gave orders to Urijah the priest, saying, Make the morning burned offering and the evening meal offering and the king's burned offering and meal offering, with the burned offerings of all the people and their meal offerings and drink offerings, on the great altar, and put on it all the blood of the burned offerings and of the beasts which are offered; but the brass altar will be for my use to get directions from the Lord.” — 2 Kings 16:15