Athaliah: Bible
Queen Athaliah is the only woman in
the Hebrew Bible reported as having reigned as a monarch within Israel/Judah.
She is the daughter of either Omri, king of Israel (2 Kgs 8:26; 2 Chr 22:2),
or, more probably, of his son King Ahab (2 Kgs 8:18; 2 Chr 21:6; the
Jewish historian Josephus cites this in Antiquities), who ruled from 873
to 852 b.c.e. There is no evidence that she was the daughter of Ahab’s chief
wife, Jezebel. Athaliah married Jehoram (reigned 851–843 b.c.e.) of Judah (2
Kgs 8:18; 2 Chr 21:6). After Jehoram’s death, their son Ahaziah reigned
for one year, and “his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly” (2 Chr
22:3).
After
Ahaziah is killed in a dynastic struggle (2 Kings 9), Athaliah sets out
to kill the rest of the royal dynasty and seizes the throne of Judah in
Jerusalem (2 Kings 9; 2 Chr 22:10–23:21). She manages to remain sole monarch
for six years (842–836 b.c.e.). In the seventh year a revolution led by
Jehoiada the priest puts on the throne the seven-year-old Joash, Ahaziah’s
child who was rescued by his paternal aunt (and Jehoiada’s wife) Jehosheba from
the royal bloodbath six years earlier. The overthrow takes place in the
Jerusalem temple. Athaliah is killed in what she terms “treason” (2 Kgs 11:14;
2 Chr 23:13) against her reign.
The
biblical evaluation of her rule is negative. Both 2 Kings 11 and 1 Chronicles
(especially chap. 24) connect Athaliah with Baal worship, even though her name
contains the theophoric element yah[u] (yhwh), like the names of other
figures in the story. The priestly objection to her could also be motivated by
hatred for a non-Davidic ruler and, particularly, a woman ruler. However, that
she managed to sustain her reign for six years can be attributed to her
successful use of various sources of power: her royal origins and connections,
involvement in her husband’s and son’s reigns, economic independence, personal
ability, and political knowledge—all of which are not mentioned, apart from
notes on her wicked influence on her husband and son.
