Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 22

Verses 1-12

F. Ahaziah ch. 22

The house of Ahab also strongly influenced Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 22:3). His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Because of his apostasy, Jehu executed Ahaziah, along with his uncle Joram, the king of Israel. Ahaziah had no descendant who could succeed him on the throne when he died (2 Chronicles 22:9). His mother killed all his sons except one, whom the high priest and his wife hid away when he was only an infant (2 Chronicles 22:10-11).

"The fact that royal infants may regularly have been put into the care of wet nurses or foster mothers becomes the key to Jehosheba’s frustrating Athaliah’s plans; the suckling child was overlooked and could have escaped detection as he grew by mingling with other priests’ children or perhaps as a temple devotee like the young Samuel." [Note: Dillard, 2 Chronicles, pp. 179-80.]

The place where they hid him was evidently a bedding storeroom. [Note: Payne, p. 510.]