Amon, King of Judah
| Amon | |
|---|---|
| King of Judah | |
Amon from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1554
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|
| Reign | 643/642 – 641/640 BC |
| Predecessor | Manasseh |
| Successor | Josiah |
| Born | c. 664 BC Judah |
| Died | c. 641 BC Jerusalem |
| Burial | 641 BC Garden of Uzza |
| Consort | Jedidah |
| Issue | Josiah |
| Hebrew | אָמוֹן |
| House | House of David |
| Father | Manasseh |
| Mother | Meshullemeth |
| Religion | Idolatry |
Amon of Judah (Hebrew: אָמוֹן ’Āmōn; Greek: Αμων; Latin: Amon) was a 7th-century BC King of Judah who, according to the biblical account, succeeded his father Manasseh of Judah. Amon is most remembered for his idolatrous practices while king, which led to a revolt against him and eventually his assassination in c. 641 BC.
Amon was the son of King Manasseh of Judah and Meshullemeth, a daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. Although the date is unknown, the Hebrew Bible records that he married Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. Amon began his reign of Judah at the age of 22, and reigned for two years. Biblical scholar and archeologist William F. Albright has dated his reign to 642 – 640, while professor E. R. Thiele offers the dates 643/642 – 641/640. Thiele's dates are tied to the reign of Amon's son Josiah, whose death at the hands of Pharaoh Necho II occurred in the summer of 609. Josiah's death, which is independently confirmed in Egyptian history, places the end of Amon's reign, 31 years earlier, in 641 or 640 and the beginning of his rule in 643 or 642.
The Hebrew Bible records that Amon continued his father Manasseh's practice of idolatry and set up pagan images as his father had done.II Kings states that Amon "did that which was evil in the sight of YAWEH, as did Manasseh his father. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them." Similarly, II Chronicles records that "…he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them." The Talmudic tradition recounts that "Amon burnt the Torah, and allowed spider webs to cover the altar [through complete disuse] ... Amon sinned very much." Like other textual sources, Flavius Josephus too criticizes the reign of Amon, describing his reign similarly to the Bible.
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