Jehoshaphat Makes Peace With Ahab

From the time of the rebellion of the Northern Tribes, the divided kingdom had been at war. But in the book of 2 Chronicles, we see that by the third year of Jehoshaphat's reign (c. 869 BC) Judah was at peace with all her neighbors (2 Chronicles 17:10). It is implied in the book of 1 Kings that this period of peace extended to the Northern Kingdom because it was during the reigns of Ahab, King of Israel and Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, that a bit of an alliance was made. 1 Kings 22:1-12 provides the account of the two nations allying against Syria, presumably through the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram to Ahab's daughter Athaliah (2 Chronicles 18:1, cf. 2 Kings 8:25-26).

The following chart depicts the result of the marriage of the godly family of Jehoshaphat to the unrighteous family of Ahab:


The following references may be helpful in reconstructing this family tree:

1. Jehoshaphat made an alliance of marriage with Ahab (2 Chronicles 18:1)
2. Jehoram was the son of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 8:24)
3. Jehoram murdered his six brothers (2 Chronicles 21:4)
4. Athaliah is the granddaughter of Omri (2 Kings 8:26)
5. Athaliah was married to Jehoram (2 Kings 8:25-26; 2 Kings 11:3)
6. Ahaziah was the son of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 22:1)
7. Ahaziah was the grandson of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 22:9)
8. Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah (2 Kings 11:1; 2 Chronicles 22:2)
9. Upon Ahaziah's death, Athaliah attempted to murder all her grandchildren (2 Kings 11:1)
10. Upon Ahaziah's death, Athaliah claimed the throne of Judah (2 Kings 11:3; 2 Chronicles 22:12)
11. Joash was rescued by his aunt and thus saved the royal line of David (2 Kings 11:2)
12. Athaliah was deposed when Joash was seven years old (2 Chronicles 23:1 - 2 Chronicles 24:1)