King of Judah (not to be confused with the Egyptian deity Amun/Amon)
Amon, King of Judah
AY-mun · Also called Amon
Manasseh's son, a short-reigning and thoroughly unfaithful king who was assassinated by his own officials after only two years on the throne.
Life and work
Amon became king at twenty-two and reigned only two years in Jerusalem, and the text says he did evil as his father Manasseh had done before his repentance, worshiping the idols his father had made, but unlike Manasseh, 'he did not humble himself before the LORD' (2 Kings 21:19-22; 2 Chronicles 33:21-23).
Amon's own servants conspired against him and killed him in his palace; the 'people of the land' then killed all the conspirators and made his young son Josiah king in his place (2 Kings 21:23-24; 2 Chronicles 33:24-25). No motive for the assassination is given in the text, and Amon was buried in the same tomb as his father (2 Kings 21:25-26).
- Occupation
- King of Judah
- Places
- Jerusalem
Extra-biblical evidence
No confirmed extra-biblical inscription naming Amon has been identified; his brief two-year reign left no known independent trace in Egyptian or Mesopotamian sources.
Scripture references
- 2 Kings 21:19-26 — Reign, evil deeds, and assassination
- 2 Chronicles 33:21-25 — Parallel account
- Matthew 1:10 — Named in Jesus's genealogy
Further reading
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