Bible Dictionaries
Athaliah

Holman Bible Dictionary

(ath uh lih' ah) Personal name meaning, “Yahweh has announced His exalted nature,” or “Yahweh is righteous.” 1. Wife of Jehoram, king of Judah, and mother of Ahaziah, king of Judah. She was either the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel of Israel (2 Kings 8:18 ) or of Omri, king of Israel (2 Kings 8:26; according to a literal reading of text as in KJV; an interpretation of text extends Hebrew word for daughter to mean female descendant and thus “granddaughter as in NAS; NIV; RSV). Some have suggested Omri was her father, but her brother Ahab raised her at court and thus functioned as her father. She brought the northern court's devotion to Baal to the court of Judah. She exercised great political influence during her son's reign of one year (1 Kings 8:27-28 ). At her son's death from battle wounds, she tried to gain power for herself by having all male heirs killed. She managed to rule Judah for six years (2 Kings 11:1-4 ), being the only woman to do so. Finally, Jehoiada, the priest, led a revolt, crowning the child Josiah as king and bringing about Athaliah's death (2 Kings 11:5-20 ).

2. Son of Jeroham in tribe of Benjamin (1 Chronicles 8:26 ). 3 . Father of Jeshaiah, who led 70 men back to Jerusalem from Exile with Ezra (Ezra 8:7 ).