Athaliah

Athaliah was queen of the Southern Kingdom of Judah from around 845 to 840 BC. Her reign was the result of a bloody coup d’état. The Bible writers portray a negative picture of Athaliah; she was violent and encouraged the worship of Baal.

The name Athaliah means “the Lord is exalted” or “the Lord has taken away”. Athaliah came from the family of King Omri of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It is really not clear whether she was the daughter of Omri or of his son, Ahab (2 Kings 8:26-27).
Athaliah was married to King Jehoram of Judah and was the mother of King Ahaziah.

When Athaliah hears that her son Ahaziah has been killed by Jehu during a takeover of power in Israel, she seizes power herself in Judah. She sees to it that all the boys of the royal family are murdered. Only Joash, a son of Ahaziah, is spared. His aunt keeps him hidden for six years in the Temple, while his grandmother Athaliah is ruling the country.
After these six years, Athaliah is deposed from the throne and murdered, to the joy of all the people (2 Kings 11:20). The High Priest Jehoiada proclaims Athaliah’s grandson, Joash, king of Judah. He is the only male descendant of the family of David to survive.

The Bible writers do not tell us much about Athaliah’s reign. But from what we read in 2 Kings 11:18-19 and 2 Chronicles 24:7, it seems that during her reign, temples and altars were built for Baal and her supporters took sacred offerings from the Temple to use to worship Baal.
Athaliah’s preference for the worship of Baal is clearly linked to her family origins. Like King Ahab of Israel, she encourages the people to be unfaithful to the God of Israel and to serve other gods (1 Kings 21:25-26).