Amaziah

About Amaziah Written by AI

Amaziah was a priest who served at the sanctuary in Bethel during the reign of Jeroboam II, king of Israel. When the prophet Amos came to Bethel and prophesied against the kingdom of Israel, Amaziah opposed him. He sent a message to King Jeroboam, accusing Amos of conspiracy and claiming that the land could not bear his words. Amaziah also told Amos to flee to the land of Judah, eat bread there, and prophesy there, but not to prophesy anymore at Bethel, as it was the king's sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom. Amos responded by affirming that he was not a professional prophet, but a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs, and that the Lord had called him to prophesy to Israel.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Amaziah, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

Strengthened by Jehovah. (1.) A Levite, son of Hilkiah, of the descendants of Ethan the Merarite (1 Chr. 6:45).

(2.) The son and successor of Joash, and eighth king of the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 14:1-4). He began his reign by punishing the murderers of his father (5-7; 2 Chr. 25:3-5). He was the first to employ a mercenary army of 100,000 Israelite soldiers, which he did in his attempt to bring the Edomites again under the yoke of Judah (2 Chr. 25:5, 6). He was commanded by a prophet of the Lord to send back the mercenaries, which he did (2 Chr. 25:7-10, 13), much to their annoyance. His obedience to this command was followed by a decisive victory over the Edomites (2 Chr. 25:14-16). Amaziah began to worship some of the idols he took from the Edomites, and this was his ruin, for he was vanquished by Joash, king of Israel, whom he challenged to battle. The disaster he thus brought upon Judah by his infatuation in proclaiming war against Israel probably occasioned the conspiracy by which he lost his life (2 Kings 14:8-14, 19). He was slain at Lachish, whither he had fled, and his body was brought upon horses to Jerusalem, where it was buried in the royal sepulchre (2 Kings 14:19, 20; 2 Chr. 25:27, 28).

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.