Who was Hezekiah's Father?
Jotham or Ahaz?
This article is adapted from an Article at KingsCalendar.com. The King's Calendar operates on two fundamental premises.
1. The chronological records contained in the Bible are Artificial.
2. That the Old Testament records are a reliable and trustworthy History of Israel.
Bible Chronology for Hezekiah
Just about everything to do with King Hezekiah of Judah is interesting and perplexing, because Bible chronology for that period of time (745 BCE to 701 BCE) is screwed up.
Every man and his dog has tried to figure out the chronology of events for this period of time, and everyone comes up with different results.
According to 2 Kings 15:33 Jotham was 25 years of age when he commenced to reign and reigned 16 years. A total age of 41 years.
2 Kings 16:2 states that Ahaz was 20 years old when he commenced to reign, and reigned 16 years, a total age of 36 years,
According to 2 Kings 18:2, Hezekiah was 25 years old when he commenced to reign, reigning 29 years to the age of 54 years.
Since Hezekiah's first year commences in 714 BCE1 , backdating the personal data from 714 BCE, reveals an interesting situation.
By the standard of the 'King's Calendar' 2
Hezekiah was born in 737/36 BCE
During Jotham's 7th/8th regnal year,
At which time, Ahaz was only Eleven/twelve years of age,
And Jotham was thirty/thirty-one years of age.
Therefore, Ahaz was not Hezekiah's father
Five Points to Note:
1. Ahaz was either Jotham's son or brother.
2. For the Isaianic prophecy (Isaiah 7:10-16) to relate to Judean oppression at the hands of Rezin and Pekah, the prophecy was given to Jotham, not Ahaz,
3. The Prophecy must be dated prior to 737 BCE. for it to relate to Hezekiah's birth
4. This is before the current date set for The Syro-Ephraimitic War. See King Hezekiah of Judah
5. At the time Hezekiah was born, Jotham was 32 years of age, but only if the reference to his age is calculated from his sole and independent reign
Many would argue that he was 25 when he commenced his co-regency
Isaiah 7:10-16 The Prophecy of Hezekiah's Birth
Verse 1
And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it; but could not prevail against it.
Biblically and historically incorrect
Verse 10
And the LORD spoke again unto Ahaz, saying (:14) - Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel
The Redactorial Error
The contention of the King's Calendar is that the redactors confused the Hebrew names of:
- Jotham (Jehoahaz ie. JHHZ)
Ahaz (Ahaziah ie. HZH)
Hezekiah (ie. HZKH).
The significance of the prophecy announcing Hezekiah's birth, may be tied up with 2 Chronicles 28:7, in which it is specifically stated that Pekah of Israel killed Ahaz' (read Jotham's) son Maaseiah. If Ahaz was Jotham's brother, and Jotham's son had been killed, then he had no heir other than Ahaz. So the prophecy was reassurance that an heir would be provided.
Isaiah's prophecy concerning the 'child born of a young woman of marriageable age, was given very shortly after Pekah and Rezin teamed up.
Verse one appears to be a summary introducing the story.
Verse two links Isaiah's prophecy to the initial discovery of the conspiracy; "When the house of David was told, 'Syria is in league with Ephraim'.
Verse fourteen provides the promise of a child, 'A young woman shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel'
Verse sixteen indicates the time span before the downfall of the two kings, 'For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted'.
Certainly by 732 BCE when Hezekiah was five years old, Damascus was in ruins, and by time he was sixteen years of age, so too was Samaria (722 BCE).
Summary:
- Jotham and Ahaz were brothers
- Jotham's son was dead
- A prophecy of an heir was given
- Hezekiah was the son of Jotham not Ahaz
Also See
Footnotes:
1 Hezekiah's 14th year was 701 BCE. The year that Sennacherib invaded Judah.
2 Click to See the computer generated chart of the Synchronous Chronology for this time period.
R.P.Bendedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
R.P.BenDedek is the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' and a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News.
"The King's Calendar" [ on sale - while the economic recession is on], is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls. See Chapter Precis page.
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