2 Kings 8:26 (KJV)
26 Two and twenty [22] years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 22:2 (KJV)
2 Forty and two [42] years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.
That is the problem when people stick to one version of the Bible when there are other translations to choose from for clarity and correctness. When one version is wrong it is wrong to conclude that the Old Testament is wrong. It would be more rational to say the person who wrote down the version was in error as another version have disclosed such properly many years ago.
Let us see what en.wikipedia has to say about Ahaziah
Ahaziah of Judah (
Hebrew: אֲחַזְיָה,
ʼĂḥazyāh;
Greek: Οχοζιας Okhozias;
Latin:
Ahazia)
[1] or
Jehoahaz (
2 Chronicles 21:17;
25:23), was a king of
Judah, and the son of
Jehoram and
Athaliah, the daughter (or possibly sister) of king
Ahab of Israel. He was also the first Judahite king to be descended from both the House of David and the House of Omri, through his mother and successor, Athaliah.
According to
2 Kings 8:26, Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to reign, and reigned for one year in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 22:2 gives his age as 42 years when his reign began in Jerusalem. Most scholars regard the 42 years in 2 Chronicles 22:2 as
a copyist's error for an original 22 years. The age of 22 is also found in some Greek and Syrian versions of 2 Chronicles 22:2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahaziah_of_Judah
Now going to the different bible versions which were not affected by this copyist's error are:
AMP
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
CSB
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, granddaughter of Omri.
CEB
Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah; she was the granddaughter of Omri.
CEV
He was twenty-two years old at the time, and he ruled only one year from Jerusalem. Ahaziah’s mother was Athaliah, a granddaughter of King Omri of Israel,
DARBY
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Athaliah, daughter of Omri.
ERV
He was 22 years old when he began to rule. He ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah. Her father’s name was Omri.
ESV
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
ESVUK
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
EXB
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
GNT
Ahaziah became king at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. Ahaziah also followed the example of King Ahab's family, since his mother Athaliah—the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel—gave him advice that led him into evil.
NIV
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.
Conclusion: Ahaziah was 22 when he became king not 42 as other versions of the Bible correctly states. Needless to say the incidence of the
copyist's error which appeared in other Bible versions such as the KJV does not negate the Bible truths contained therein.
