Following the usual format to introduce a king, this verse provides the basic information about the age of Ahaz when he took over from his father and the number of years he ruled. His capital city of Jerusalem is also specifically mentioned. But there is no mention of his mother.

He reigned sixteen years: There are well-known problems in determining the chronology of Ahaz’s rule. The references here and in 2 Chr 28.1 seem to conflict with the information about the death of Ahaz and the accession of Hezekiah to the throne in 2 Kgs 16.19-20; 18.1. If Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old (2 Kgs 18.2), then Ahaz would have been eleven years old when he became the father of Hezekiah since Ahaz was thirty-six when he died (2 Chr 28.2). The dates given for the reign of Ahaz in the introduction to this section (735-716 B.C.) are based on a widely held reconstruction by biblical scholars, but others give the dates of his reign as 743-727 B.C.

He did not do what was right in the eyes of …: This negative expression may be better rendered in many languages with a more direct statement like “he did what was evil in the sight of…” (see 1 Kgs 11.6; 2 Kgs 3.2). But other languages may prefer the less direct approach of the text.

The LORD his God: Regarding the dangers of translating this possessive expression literally in some languages, see the comments at 1 Kgs 5.3. Some may prefer to say “the LORD, whom he worshiped as God.”

His father David should not be understood or translated literally. The term father is used here in the sense of “ancestor” (Good News Translation) or “forefather” (Revised English Bible).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .