{
  "id": "dict_000181",
  "term": "Amaziah",
  "slug": "amaziah",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Amaziah is a biblical personal name borne by several men in the Old Testament, especially Amaziah king of Judah and Amaziah the priest of Bethel.",
  "simple_one_line": "Amaziah is an Old Testament personal name used for more than one man, including a king of Judah and a priest of Bethel.",
  "tooltip_text": "A biblical personal name shared by multiple Old Testament figures, most notably the king of Judah.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Joash",
    "Uzziah",
    "Amos",
    "2 Kings",
    "2 Chronicles",
    "Bethel",
    "kings of Judah"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Amaziah (king of Judah)",
    "Amaziah (priest of Bethel)",
    "Amaziah (disambiguation)"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Amaziah is a biblical personal name borne by several Old Testament figures, the best known being Amaziah king of Judah. The name appears in narrative and prophetic contexts and should be read as a person-name entry rather than a theological concept.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical personal name used for more than one Old Testament man.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Most notable use: Amaziah king of Judah in Kings and Chronicles.",
    "Another notable use: Amaziah the priest of Bethel in Amos 7.",
    "The entry is a person-name, not a theological doctrine or concept."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Amaziah is an Old Testament personal name borne by multiple men, especially Amaziah king of Judah. The name belongs in a biblical person-name category rather than a theological-term category.",
  "description_academic_full": "Amaziah is a Hebrew personal name used for several men in the Old Testament. The best-known Amaziah is the king of Judah, son of Joash, whose reign is described in 2 Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 25. Another prominent bearer of the name is Amaziah the priest of Bethel, who confronts Amos in Amos 7. In the biblical narratives, the king of Judah is portrayed as partially obedient but ultimately proud and compromised, while the priest of Bethel appears in a prophetic dispute. Because the name refers to multiple individuals, it should be treated as a disambiguated biblical proper-name entry rather than as a theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The Old Testament uses personal names repeatedly across different generations and offices, so the same name can refer to more than one person. Amaziah is one of those names. The king of Judah appears in the royal histories and in the parallel account of Chronicles, while the priest of Bethel appears in Amos during a confrontation between the prophet and the northern shrine establishment.",
  "background_historical_context": "Amaziah king of Judah ruled during the divided monarchy period and is remembered for military activity, political pride, and a later decline in faithfulness. The Amaziah in Amos belongs to the northern kingdom setting associated with Jeroboam II, when prophetic confrontation with corruption at Bethel is part of the historical backdrop.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In ancient Israel, names often carried theological meaning, but that meaning should not be overread apart from the biblical context. Readers of the Hebrew Bible would have recognized Amaziah as a regular personal name rather than as a doctrinal label, and context would determine which Amaziah is intended.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "2 Kings 14:1-22",
    "2 Chronicles 25:1-28",
    "Amos 7:10-17"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "1 Chronicles 3:12",
    "1 Chronicles 4:34",
    "2 Kings 12:21",
    "2 Chronicles 17:16"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: אֲמַצְיָהוּ (’Ămaṣyāhû), commonly understood along the lines of “Yahweh is mighty” or “Yahweh has strengthened.” The exact sense is less important than the biblical person to whom the name refers.",
  "theological_significance": "The name itself has little direct doctrinal significance, but the narratives involving Amaziah illustrate themes of partial obedience, pride, covenant accountability, and the danger of turning from the Lord after initial success.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a person-name entry, Amaziah is mainly a matter of identification and textual referent, not abstract concept. The interpretive task is to distinguish which individual the text means and then to read that person’s role within the historical and theological logic of the passage.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not conflate the different men named Amaziah. Do not build theology from the name’s meaning alone. Read each occurrence in its literary and historical context, especially the distinction between Amaziah king of Judah and Amaziah the priest of Bethel.",
  "major_views_note": "English Bibles and reference works normally treat Amaziah as a proper name with multiple referents. The main interpretive issue is disambiguation, not doctrinal debate.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to support speculative name-based theology. Any theological conclusions should come from the surrounding biblical narrative, not from the etymology alone.",
  "practical_significance": "Amaziah’s story, especially the king of Judah, warns readers that outward success does not guarantee lasting faithfulness. Partial obedience, pride, and compromise can undo a good beginning.",
  "meta_description": "Amaziah is an Old Testament personal name used for more than one man, especially Amaziah king of Judah and Amaziah the priest of Bethel.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/amaziah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/amaziah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}