Amon’s Short Reign and Assassination
2 Kings 21:19-26
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2 K.21.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשרים: NUM,card,pl
- ושתים: NUM,f,pl,abs
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במלכו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ושתים: NUM,f,pl,abs
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ושם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- משלמת: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- חרוץ: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- יטבה: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:21-25 (verbal): Parallel account of Amon’s reign: gives his age, two-year reign, mother’s name (Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah) and the circumstances of his assassination — close verbal and narrative correspondence.
- 2 Kings 21:18 (structural): Immediate context: reports Manasseh’s death and introduces his son Amon, providing the lead-in that the regnal formula in 21:19 completes.
- 2 Kings 21:20 (thematic): Direct continuation of Amon’s biography: describes his evil conduct and assassination by his servants, thematically linked to the brief regnal data in 21:19.
- 2 Kings 21:1 (verbal): Earlier king’s introductory formula (age at accession, years of reign, mother’s name) — parallels the standard royal formula and vocabulary used in 2 Kgs 21:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- Amon was twenty‑two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
- Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
2 K.21.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מנשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:23 (verbal): Almost identical wording: Chronicles repeats that Amon “did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father,” making this a near-verbatim parallel.
- 2 Chronicles 33:21-24 (structural): Parallel narrative to 2 Kings 21:19–26 recounting Amon’s age, two-year reign, evil actions, and assassination by his servants; Chronicles and Kings present the same core story with overlapping details.
- 2 Kings 21:19 (structural): Immediate literary context in Kings: the preceding verse gives Amon’s age and reign, and together these verses form the account of his short, evil reign.
- 2 Kings 21:11 (thematic): Describes Manasseh’s extensive idolatry and wickedness in Judah — the father’s sins that Amon is said to have replicated (“as Manasseh his father did”), providing the background to the comparison.
Alternative generated candidates
- He did evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done.
- He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done.
2 K.21.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ויעבד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הגללים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עבד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- וישתחו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:23 (quotation): Chronicles repeats the Kings wording almost verbatim: Amon "walked in all the ways that his father walked, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them." (direct parallel/quotation of the same phrase).
- 2 Chronicles 33:22 (verbal): States that Amon "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done," highlighting the same father-to-son continuity of idolatry found in 2 Kgs 21:21.
- 2 Kings 21:20 (verbal): Immediate context in Kings: declares Amon "did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father had done," providing the same evaluative résumé of his reign and linking him to his father's sins.
- 2 Kings 21:9 (thematic): Describes Manasseh’s extensive idolatry and practices that became the pattern Amon followed; provides the substantive background (the father’s sins) that 2 Kgs 21:21 says Amon continued.
Alternative generated candidates
- He walked in all the ways in which his father had walked; he served the idols that his father had served and bowed down to them.
- He walked in all the ways that his father had walked, and he served the idols that his father had served and bowed down to them.
2 K.21.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעזב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אבתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3s
- ולא: CONJ
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:22 (verbal): The Chronicler’s account of Amon repeats the same judgmental formula found in Kings—Amon did evil and abandoned the LORD—serving as a direct parallel to the Kings text.
- Judges 2:12 (verbal): Uses the same verb of apostasy (they forsook the LORD) to describe Israel’s turning away to other gods, echoing the language of abandoning Yahweh in 2 Kgs 21:22.
- 2 Kings 17:15 (thematic): Describes Israel’s rejection of the statutes and covenant and walking after other gods—a broader theme of forsaking Yahweh and not following his ways that parallels the verse’s evaluation.
- Jeremiah 2:13 (allusion): Jeremiah condemns the people for abandoning God (‘forsook me, the fountain of living waters’), employing similar imagery of covenantal abandonment and misplaced trust as in 2 Kgs 21:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
- He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
2 K.21.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקשרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- וימיתו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בביתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2Chr.33.24 (verbal): Parallel retelling of Amon’s death: the servants conspire and kill the king in his house (near-verbatim narrative in the Chronicler’s account).
- 2Sam.4.6-7 (thematic): Rechab and Baanah, servants, enter Ish-bosheth’s house and assassinate the king there — a close thematic parallel of servants conspiring to kill a monarch in his residence.
- 1Kgs.16.10 (thematic): Zimri (a commander) and his men strike and kill King Elah in the king’s house/palace — another instance of a royal assassination carried out by close attendants/servants.
- 2Kgs.9.24-26 (thematic): Jehu and his men kill King Jehoram (shot while in his chariot) and carry out a violent coup — parallels the motif of internal violence leading to a king’s death and regime change.
Alternative generated candidates
- The servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his house.
- But the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his house.
2 K.21.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הקשרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- על: PREP
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימליכו: VERB,hiph,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- תחתיו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:24 (verbal): Parallel narrative reporting that Amon’s officials/people conspired against him and that his son Josiah was made king — essentially the same event described in Kings.
- 2 Kings 22:1 (structural): Follows the accession account by giving the basic introduction to Josiah’s reign (his age and years of rule), continuing the succession narrative begun in 2 Kgs 21:24.
- 2 Chronicles 34:1 (thematic): Introduces Josiah’s reign and his reforming activity; thematically linked as the consequence of Josiah’s installation as king after Amon’s death.
- 2 Kings 21:23 (verbal): Immediate context within the same chapter: records Amon’s burial and the aftermath, directly connected to v.24’s report of the people’s action and Josiah’s accession.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
- Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.
2 K.21.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתר: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- אמון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הלא: PART
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- כתובים: VERB,pual,ptcp,m,pl
- על: PREP
- ספר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- למלכי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:26 (quotation): Direct parallel in Chronicles: repeats the closing formula about Amon and explicitly states his deeds are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah (essentially the same wording).
- 2 Kings 20:20 (verbal): Uses the identical Kings formula closing a royal episode: 'the rest of the acts... are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah,' showing the standard historiographical refrain in Kings.
- 1 Kings 14:19 (verbal): A comparable closing formula for a northern king (Jeroboam) citing 'the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel,' illustrating the parallel editorial convention applied to both Israelite and Judahite regnal accounts.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now the rest of the acts of Amon, and all that he did—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
- Now the rest of the acts of Amon, and all that he did—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
2 K.21.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקבר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- בקברתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בגן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עזא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יאשיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- תחתיו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Chronicles 33:25-26 (quotation): Direct parallel account of Manasseh’s death, burial (mentions burial place) and the succession of his son Amon; Chronicles retells the same conclusion found in 2 Kings.
- 1 Kings 2:10-12 (structural): Exhibits the typical royal formula: the king 'slept with his fathers' (was buried) followed immediately by the statement that his son reigned in his stead—same succession motif as 2 Kgs 21:26.
- 2 Kings 12:21 (verbal): Uses very similar wording—reporting a king’s burial ('was buried in the city of David') immediately followed by the note that his son reigned—paralleling the burial + son-succeeds formula of 2 Kgs 21:26.
- 1 Kings 11:43 (structural): Another example of the royal death-and-succession formula ('Solomon slept with his fathers... and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead'), illustrating the conventional closure applied to a king’s reign as in 2 Kgs 21:26.
Alternative generated candidates
- They buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; and Josiah his son reigned in his place.
- They buried him in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; and his son Josiah reigned in his place.
Amon was twenty‑two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done.
He walked in all the ways that his father had walked; he served the idols his father had served and bowed down to them.
He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
The servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his house.
Then the people of the land struck down all the conspirators against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. Now the rest of the acts of Amon, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; and Josiah his son reigned in his place.