ATHALIAH ăth’ əlī’ ə (עֲתַלְיָה׃֙, The Lord Yahweh is great). 1. The wife of Jehoram, king of Judah, and daughter of Ahab, king of Israel, and granddaughter of Omri (2 Kings 8:18, 26; 2 Chron 22:2). She reigned from 841-835 b.c. Because peace prevailed in her time between the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, she married Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat of Judah (2 Kings 8:16, 17). It was a marriage of political convenience with disastrous spiritual results. She inherited the unscrupulous nature of her mother Jezebel. Her influence over her husband and her son Ahaziah was for evil. She introduced into Judah the worship of the Phoen. Baal. When Jehoram ascended the throne, she showed her zeal for the cult of the Sidonian Baal.

She was widowed after eight years on the throne, and her son Ahaziah succeeded his father (2 Kings 8:26; 2 Chron 22:2). Within a year Ahaziah with Joram of Israel was murdered by Jehu, at which time Athaliah destroyed all her grandchildren except Jehoash, who was stolen away and hidden by his aunt, Jehosheba (2 Kings 11:2; 2 Chron 22:11). Athaliah usurped the Davidic throne for six years, the only woman in history to do so. Under her sponsorship Baal worship was vigorously promoted (24:7).

Jehoiada, high priest and husband of Jehosheba (22:11), led the revolt against Athaliah in her seventh regnal year (23:1ff.). Using as the occasion the changing of the palace guards on the Sabbath, and aided by the guards, Jehoiada had Joash proclaimed king. When Athaliah tried to thwart the uprising, she was evicted from the Temple courts and killed at the horses’ entrance to the palace (2 Kings 11:1-16; 2 Chron 22; 23). She died at the hands of the guards. Scripture characterizes her as a wicked woman (24:7).

“The sons of Athaliah” (24:7) create no discrepancy when they are understood as Ahaziah and his brothers before they were removed (21:17; see ASVmg.).

2. Another who bore the name Athaliah was a Benjamite of the house of Jeroham who lived in Jerusalem (1 Chron 8:26).

3. A third who was so named was the father of Jeshaiah who returned with Ezra from Babylon (Ezra 8:7). He was a member of the house of Elam.

Bibliography BDB, 800, 801; HDB, I, 195, 196; IDB, I, 306; JewEnc, II, 260, 261.