R.P. BenDedek
Who was Hezekiah's Father?
By R.P.BenDedek
Oct 24, 2007 - 12:30:02 AM

Who was Hezekiah's Father? Jotham or Ahaz? 

 Source Article 

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 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 BCE, backdating the personal data from 714 BCE, reveals an interesting situation.

By the standard of the 'King's Calendar',

• 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
• 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

Note also that this is before the current date set for The Syro-Ephraimitic War.   See   King Hezekiah of Judah

Also Note That 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
  Verse 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) and Hezekiah (ie. HZKH).

Whilst only speculation, 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', and 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 the age of sixteen years, 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

• Manasseh King of Judah - Son of Hezekiah
• Manasseh's Captivity
• List of KingsCalendar Academic Articles at Magic City

R.P.Bendedek

Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
_______________________________________________________
R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (www.kingscalendar.com), and is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China.

"The King's Calendar" 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.