Really now, how old was Ahaziah when he beganto rule?

Question

2Kings 8:26 says he was Two and twenty years old [22]
but
2 Chronicles 22:2 says he was forty and two [42] if this aint a contradition i dont know what is.

Answer 1

Good point. Read "The Age of Reason" and you will find many more such contradictions. If the truth wasn't known at that time...then why should I believe any of it? This book is supposed to be written by God. I think he would have his facts better.

Answer 2

He was 22. If the age in 2Chron 22:2 was correct, he would have been two years older than his own father.

This is not a contradiction; it's a copyist error, as the numbers in Hebrew are nearly identical. There's a big difference between saying that the Bible is accurate and a particular copy of the Bible is accurate, or a translation is accurate. We can know, by comparing the different manuscripts, what the original said, even if a particular copy contains an error.

Answer 3

it appears there were two men with this name listed in the Bible.


Ahaziah
held by Jehovah. (1.) The son and successor of Ahab. He followed
the counsels of his mother Jezebel, and imitated in wickedness
the ways of his father. In his reign the Moabites revolted from
under his authority (2 Kings 3:5-7). He united with Jehoshaphat
in an attempt to revive maritime trade by the Red Sea, which
proved a failure (2 Chr. 20:35-37). His messengers, sent to
consult the god of Ekron regarding his recovery from the effects
of a fall from the roof-gallery of his palace, were met on the
way by Elijah, who sent them back to tell the king that he would
never rise from his bed (1 Kings 22:51; 2 Kings 1:18).

(2.) The son of Joram, or Jehoram, and sixth king of Judah.
Called Jehoahaz (2 Chr. 21:17; 25:23), and Azariah (2 Chr.
22:6). Guided by his idolatrous mother Athaliah, his reign was
disastrous (2 Kings 8:24-29; 9:29). He joined his uncle Jehoram,
king of Israel, in an expedition against Hazael, king of
Damascus; but was wounded at the pass of Gur when attempting to
escape, and had strength only to reach Megiddo, where he died (2
Kings 9:22-28). He reigned only one year.

Answer 4

He was 22; the Biblical translation of 42 is incorrect. This is attributed to a "copying error" and even appears in the Jewish Tanakh, so it's not a "crazy gentile" thing! Read this web page for more information:

http://www.carm.org/diff/2Kings8_26.htm

Peace.

Answer 5

Most conservative Christian scholars agree that there are issues like this, particularly in the OT. However, inerrancy in the _original_ manuscripts is typically what is emphasized.

I don't know the exact age, but that's not a key piece of doctrine, is it?

The essentials of Christianity are notably consistent throughout OT and NT, despite thousands of years.

Answer 6

Bible scholars admit that the Bible does contain errors; however, many followers are unaware of this fact.