International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(1) Daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, grand-daughter of Omri, 6th king of Israel. In her childhood the political relations of the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel had, after many years of strife, become friendly, and she was married to Jehoram, eldest son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (2Ki_8:18). The marriage was one of political expediency, and is a blot on the memory of Jehoshaphat.

When Jehoram was 32 years of age, he succeeded to the throne, and Athaliah became queen of Judah. She inherited her mother's strength of will, and like her developed a fanatical devotion to the cult of the Zidonian Baal. Elijah's blow at the worship of Baal in Samaria shortly before her accession to power did nothing to mitigate her zeal. It probably intensified it. The first recorded act of Jehoram's reign is the murder of his six younger brothers; some princes of the realm, who were known to be favorable to the ancient faith of the nation, were also destroyed (2Ch_21:4). There can be little doubt that these deeds of blood were supported, and perhaps instigated, by Athaliah, who was a much stronger character than her husband.

After eight years of royal life, Athaliah became a widow, and her son, Ahaziah, then 22 years of age (2Ki_8:26; not 42 as in 2Ch_22:2), ascended his father's throne. As queen-mother, Athaliah was now supreme in the councils of the nation, as well as in the royal palace. Within a single year, the young king fell (see JEHU), and the only persons who stood between Athaliah and the throne were her grandchildren. It is in such moments that ambition, fired by fanaticism, sees its opportunity, and the massacre of the royal seed was determined on. This was carried out: but one of them, Jehoash, a babe, escaped by the intervention of his aunt, Jehosheba (1Ki_11:2; 2Ch_22:11).

The palace being cleared of its royal occupants, Athaliah had herself proclaimed sovereign. No other woman, before or since, sat upon the throne of David, and it is a proof of her energy and ability that, in spite of her sex, she was able to keep it for six years. From 2Ch_24:7 we gather that a portion of the temple of Yahweh was pulled down, and the material used in the structure of a temple of Baal.

The high priest at this time was Jehoiada, who had married the daughter of Athaliah, Jehosheba (2Ch_22:11). His promotion to the primacy led to the undoing of the usurper, as Jehoiada proved staunchly, if secretly, true to the religion of Yahweh. For six years he and his wife concealed in their apartments, near the temple, the young child of Ahaziah. In the seventh year a counter-revolution was planned. The details are given with unusual fullness in Ki and Chronicles, the writings of which supplement one another. Thus, when the Chronicler wrote, it had become safe to give the names of five captains who led the military rising (2Ch_23:1). With the Book of Ki before him, it was not necessary to do more than extract from the ancient records such particulars as had not hitherto appeared. This it is which has chiefly given rise to the charge of variations in the two narratives. See JEHOASH.

Athaliah's usurpation lasted for six years (2Ki_11:3; 2Ki_12:1; 2Ch_22:12). Her 1st year synchronizes with the 1st of Jehu in Israel, and may be placed 846 bc (some put later). See CHRONOLOGY OF OLD TESTAMENT. The statement of 2Ki_12:1 is here understood in the sense that Jehoash began his public reign in the 7th year of Jehu, and that he reigned 40 years counting from the time of his father's death. A modern parallel is the dating of all official records and legal documents of the time of Charles II of England from the death of Charles I.

The only other reference to Athaliah is that above alluded to in 2Ch_24:7, where she is spoken of as “that wicked woman.”

(2) A Benjamite who dwelt in Jerusalem (1Ch_8:26, 1Ch_8:28).

(3) Father of Jeshaiah, who returned with Ezra (Ezr_8:7); called Gotholias in Apocrypha (1 Esdras 8:33).

Taken from: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia by James Orr, M.A., D.D., General Editor