Is There a Bible Contradiction Regarding Ahaziah’s Age?
“In 2 Kings 8:26 the Bible says that Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign. On the other hand, 2 Chronicles 22:2 indicates that Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he came to the throne. How does one reconcile this seeming contradiction?” First of all, it is important to note that a true contradiction exists only when there is no possible way to reconcile two statements. If the seemingly conflicting statements address different things, or employ their terminology in varying senses, or if all of the facts are unknown or unclear — it is not fair to charge a document with contradiction. Contradiction is a form of untruth; a narrative should be treated as credible unless it can be shown conclusively not to be. Now what are the facts relative to these two passages? As they stand in our common Bibles, there does appear to be a discrepancy. In the first place, Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah, died at the age of forty years (2 Chron. 21:5,20). When Jehoram died, Ahazaiah asce
