How can the son be 2 years older than the father according to the Bible?

Question

According to 2 Chronicles 21:20 (King James Version)

"Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings."

The above verses say the Father of Ahaziah died at 40 years of age.

But according to Chronicles 22:1-2 (King James Version)

it says

"1And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his stead: for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.

2Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri."

According to the above verses Ahaziah was 42 years old. The verses clearly mention he was made king after the death of his father.

How can the son be 2 years older than his father?

Conundrum the Bible does not say that the Son was 2 years older at Death than his Father. Can you include which verse in the Bible says that?

I got this information while listening to one of Dr.Zakir Naik's videos. I am amazed to see the interesting answers.

Answer 1

jumping into conclusion right away. as always.
bible verses add to each other. they do not contradict.
except in mistranslation. it doesn't say there that he began to reign right after his father's death.
another explanation, it doesn't say there he was 40yrs old when he died. he just ruled JERUSALEM for 8 years.
research further then you may be able to reunite those verses

Answer 2

you missed understood, Jehoram was the oldest, and reigned , he was 32 when he died, and the inhabitants made his son Ahaziah the king, it doesent give a time table on how long it took to crown Ahaziah the king, he was 42 when he took the thrown, so thats a 10 year span. Ahaziah was not 2 years older than his daddy, his daddy had been dead for quite a few years before the son took over. It also said that the daddy was sick back in chapter 21 for being a wicked man that liked to sleep with whores, so its a bit of telling how long it was before the other took over the thrown.

Answer 3

My Bible ( Holman Christian Standard) says Ahaziah was 22 years old. A footnote says some other manuscripts read 42.

In 2 Kings 8:26 it says Ahaziah was 22. There is no footnote there.

ADD: I just checked different versions at biblegateway and found that most of them except for the King James and NKJV list 22 years old in 2 Chron 22:1-2

Answer 4

You answered your own Question..
The above verses say the Father of Ahaziah died at 40 years of age. ... 40.


Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri."


The Son was 2 years older at Death than his Father.. whats the Mystery?

Answer 5

2 Kings:

8:24 Jehoram died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.
8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah
8:26 at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel

I believe this version is the good one

Answer 6

Ahaziah was 42 when he reigned in Jerusalem. When his father died he reigned over Judah. So there was a time when he reigned in Judah after his dad died, then after some years passed he reigned in Jerusalem.

Answer 7

What version are you looking at. My bible (NLT) says his father was 32 when he became king and his son Ahaziah was 22 when he became King. And it doesn't say whether there was a gap inbetween when Jehoram died and when Ahaziah became King. 2 Kings 8: 26 also says Ahaziah was 22 when he became King. 2 Kings 8: 17 Jehoram (Ahaziah's father) was 32 when he became King and ruled for 8 years, meaning he died when he was 40.

Answer 8

it is not possible obviusly there was some translation problems or mistack when it was written. posible it was his brother or the son did not come to raing for 12 years or more.

Answer 9

All it shows is yet another Biblical contradiction.

Answer 10

Obviously another man made error in the Bible! Allah (God) knows best!