Three Evil Kings and One Promise: Another Look at the Doctrine of Retribution and the Question of the Eternal Reign of the Davidic Dynasty in the Book of Chronicles

Abstract

Abstract One of the most widely studied subjects in scholarship on the book of Chronicles is the question of the Eternal Reign of the Davidic dynasty. Most scholars have adopted the same methodic approach: analyzing sources in the book connected to the promise of the Davidic dynasty. This article addresses this issue from a novel angle–through a discussion of the three most wicked kings described in the book of Chronicles, Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Ahaz. It seems that the question whether the rule of a certain king, and the succession of his son after him, can be justified, arises only in cases where the king has no merits whatsoever. The comparison between these three kings uncovers numerous connections between them, especially the motif of the death of their children.