How did Joas survive Athalia's killing of the royal family?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Josabeth rescued Joas with his nurse to a bedchamber, and he remained hidden in God's house for six years while Athalia ruled.

Chapter breakdown

After King Joram died, the inhabitants of Jerusalem made his youngest son Ochozias king, since Arabian raiders who had raided the camp had killed all his older brothers. According to the text of this edition, Ochozias was forty-two years old when he began to reign (though the Challoner annotation notes that diverse Greek manuscripts read thirty-two in agreement with 4 Kings 8:17), and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athalia, the daughter of Amri. He imitated the sinful conduct of Achab's dynasty, encouraged by his mother who urged him into wicked actions, while northern royal relatives served as his advisers to his ultimate ruin after his father's death.

Ochozias followed their advice and joined King Joram of Israel, son of Achab, in battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Galaad. The Syrians wounded Joram, who returned to Jezrahel to be healed of his many battle injuries. Ochozias traveled down to Jezrahel to visit the wounded king. The chapter attributes Ochozias's visit and going out with Joram against Jehu to the will of God against Ochozias. Jehu was the son of Namsi, whom God had anointed to wipe out Achab's house.

While Jehu was destroying the house of Achab, he encountered leaders of Juda along with the nephews of Ochozias who served him, and he put them to death. Jehu also sought for Ochozias, capturing him while he lay hidden in Samaria; when brought before Jehu, Ochozias was killed. They buried him because he was the descendant of King Josaphat, who had sought the Lord with all his heart. Following his death, there was no more hope that anyone of the race of Ochozias should reign.

When Athalia saw that her son was dead, she rose up and killed all the royal family of the house of Joram. However, Josabeth, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ochozias, and wife of Joiada the high priest, took Joas, the son of Ochozias, stealing him away from among the king's sons who were being slain. Josabeth concealed the child and his nurse in a bedchamber, so that Athalia did not kill him. Joas remained hidden with them in the house of God for six years, during which time Athalia reigned over the land.

The story inside

Ochozias followed the counsel of Achab's house, joined Joram's campaign against Syria, and visited the wounded king at Jezrahel. Jehu killed the princes and Ochozias's nephews, then separately captured Ochozias hidden in Samaria and killed him. Unnamed people buried him because of Josaphat's seeking the Lord. After Athalia killed the royal family, Josabeth—Joram's daughter, Ochozias's sister, and Joiada's wife—rescued Joas. The verse gives Ochozias's age as forty-two; the edition's separate annotation reports a thirty-two reading.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The chapter attributes Ochozias's encounter with Jehu to God's will against him.
2
His burial is linked to Josaphat; an exclusive reason and a named burier are not given.
3
Joas survives because Josabeth removes and conceals him during the killings.

Test your recall

How did Josabeth's rescue and concealment prevent Athalia from killing Joas?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 46262–46264
Ochozias was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother was Athalia the daughter of Amri.
Lines 46266–46267
Forty-two, etc.... Divers Greek Bibles read thirty-two, agreeably to 4 Kings 8.17.
Lines 46285–46287
For it was the will of God against Ochozias that he should come to Joram: and when he was come should go out also against Jehu the son of Namsi, whom the Lord had anointed to destroy the house of Achab.
Lines 46299–46300
For Athalia his mother, seeing that her son was dead, rose up, and killed all the royal family of the house of Joram.
Lines 46302–46306
Josabeth the king’s daughter took Joas the son of Ochozias, and stole him from among the king’s sons that were slain. And she hid him with his nurse in a bedchamber