{
  "id": "dict_000434",
  "term": "Athaliah",
  "slug": "athaliah",
  "letter": "A",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Athaliah was the queen of Judah who seized power after her son Ahaziah died, tried to destroy the Davidic royal line, and was overthrown when Joash was crowned king.",
  "simple_one_line": "A wicked queen of Judah who usurped the throne and sought to extinguish David’s heirs.",
  "tooltip_text": "Biblical queen of Judah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel’s family, whose rule ended when Joash was preserved and crowned.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Davidic covenant",
    "Joash",
    "Jehoiada",
    "Jehosheba",
    "Ahaziah",
    "Ahab",
    "Jezebel",
    "House of David"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "2 Kings",
    "2 Chronicles",
    "Queen mother",
    "Usurpation",
    "Davidic line"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Athaliah was a royal figure in Judah, connected to the house of Ahab, who seized the throne after the death of her son Ahaziah and attempted to destroy the remaining heirs of David.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Athaliah was the usurping queen of Judah who ruled briefly after Ahaziah’s death and sought to eliminate the Davidic heirs.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Connected to the house of Ahab and Jezebel",
    "Seized power in Judah after Ahaziah died",
    "Tried to kill the royal heirs",
    "Joash was hidden and preserved",
    "Removed when Joash was crowned"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Athaliah was a royal figure connected to the house of Ahab who became queen mother and then usurped the throne in Judah after the death of her son Ahaziah. Scripture presents her as an idolatrous and destructive ruler who sought to eliminate the heirs of David, threatening the dynastic line through which God had made covenant promises. Yet the infant Joash was preserved by divine providence through Jehosheba and the priest Jehoiada, and Athaliah’s attempt failed when Joash was crowned as the rightful king.",
  "description_academic_full": "Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel’s house and became queen in Judah after the death of her son Ahaziah. According to the biblical account, she usurped authority and attempted to destroy the royal offspring, placing the Davidic succession in grave danger. Joash, however, was hidden and preserved through the actions of Jehosheba and Jehoiada the priest. When the proper time came, Joash was publicly crowned, Athaliah was deposed, and her violent rule ended. Her account underscores the peril of covenant unfaithfulness, the destructive power of idolatry, and the Lord’s faithfulness in preserving the Davidic line.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Athaliah appears in the narratives of the divided kingdom, especially in the account of Judah after Ahaziah’s death. Her seizure of power created a direct threat to the continuation of David’s royal line, which Scripture presents as a major covenant concern.",
  "background_historical_context": "Athaliah lived in the period of the kings of Judah and Israel, when dynastic alliances and the influence of the Omride house shaped regional politics. Her rule is portrayed as a brief but violent interruption in Judah’s monarchy.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "In the biblical historical memory of Israel and Judah, Athaliah stands as a warning example of royal apostasy and bloodshed. The narrative also highlights priestly and covenant faithfulness through Jehoiada and the preservation of the rightful heir.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "2 Kings 8:26",
    "11:1-20",
    "2 Chronicles 22:10-12",
    "23:12-15"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "2 Kings 11:2-3",
    "2 Chronicles 22:11",
    "23:1-11"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: עֲתַלְיָה (commonly rendered Athaliah), a royal personal name associated with the Davidic and Omride royal houses.",
  "theological_significance": "Athaliah’s account highlights God’s providential preservation of the Davidic line despite violent attempts to destroy it. It also illustrates the covenant consequences of idolatry and the instability of rule that is opposed to the Lord’s purposes.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The narrative presents political power as morally accountable to God rather than self-justifying. Athaliah’s brief success is shown to be unstable because unlawful power cannot finally overturn divine promise.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Read Athaliah as a historical biblical person within the narrative of Kings and Chronicles. Do not flatten the account into a generic lesson about politics alone, and do not confuse later traditions with the text’s own emphasis on Davidic preservation.",
  "major_views_note": "Readers generally understand Athaliah as either queen regnant or queen mother who exercised sovereign power in Judah; in either case, the biblical text presents her as an illegitimate usurper whose rule ended under Jehoiada’s reform.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry concerns biblical history and covenant succession, not a separate doctrine. The text should be read in line with the historical-grammatical sense of the narrative and the broader biblical witness to God’s faithfulness to David’s house.",
  "practical_significance": "Athaliah’s account warns against the corrosive effects of idolatry, ambition, and power without obedience to God. It also encourages confidence that God can preserve His purposes even when faithful people are few.",
  "meta_description": "Athaliah was the queen of Judah who seized power after Ahaziah’s death and sought to destroy the Davidic heirs before being overthrown when Joash was crowned.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/athaliah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/athaliah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}