Athaliah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Athaliah |
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Athaliah from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
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| Queen of Judah | |
| Reign | c. 841 – 835 BCE |
| Predecessor | Ahaziah, her son |
| Successor | Joash, her grandson |
| Born | Samaria, Kingdom of Israel |
| Died | c. 836 BCE Jerusalem, Kingdom of Judah |
| Consort | Jehoram, King of Judah |
| Issue | Ahaziah, King of Judah |
| Dynasty | House of Omri |
| Father | Ahab, King of Israel |
| Mother | Jezebel |
| Religion | Baalism; Yahwism |
Athaliah (Hebrew: עֲתַלְיָה, Standard [ʻAtalya] Error: {{Transliteration}}: unrecognized transliteration standard: (help) Tiberian ʿAṯalyā, Greek: Γοθολία Gotholía; Latin: Athalia) was a powerful queen in ancient times. She was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel.
Athaliah became the queen of Judah when she married King Jehoram. Later, she ruled Judah as queen herself from about 841 to 835 BCE.
Athaliah's Story in the Bible
You can read about Athaliah's life in the Bible, specifically in the books of 2 Kings (chapters 8-11) and 2 Chronicles (chapters 22-23). Most people believe she was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel from Israel.
Athaliah married Jehoram of Judah. This marriage helped create a peace agreement between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Jehoram became king of Judah and ruled for eight years.
Jehoram's father and grandfather were good kings who followed Yahweh, the God of Israel. But Jehoram did not follow their example. He married Athaliah and did not worship Yahweh. During his rule, some areas like Edom became independent from Judah.
After Jehoram died, their youngest son, Ahaziah, became king of Judah. Athaliah then became the queen mother. Ahaziah ruled for only one year. He was killed while visiting Israel.
When Athaliah heard that her son Ahaziah had died, she took control of the throne in Judah. She tried to get rid of anyone else who could become king. This included other members of the royal family.
However, Ahaziah's sister, Jehosheba, secretly saved Athaliah's grandson, Jehoash. Jehoash was only one year old. Jehosheba and her husband, a priest named Jehoiada, raised Jehoash in secret.
As queen, Athaliah encouraged the worship of Baal in Judah. Baal was a god worshipped by the Canaanites. Six years later, Jehoiada surprised Athaliah by revealing that Jehoash was alive. He then announced Jehoash as the new king of Judah. Athaliah tried to stop this, but she was captured and put to death.
Athaliah in Books and Music
Athaliah's story has inspired many artists.
In 1691, a French writer named Jean Racine wrote a play about her called Athalie. Later, the German composer Felix Mendelssohn wrote music for this play in 1845. One famous part of his music is called "War March of the Priests."
In 1733, the composer Handel created an oratorio (a type of musical story) about her life. He called it Athalia. He described her as a "Baalite Queen of Judah Daughter of Jezebel."
Family Tree
| Jezebel | Ahab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ahaziah | Athaliah | Jehoram | |||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Atalía para niños
