Who was King Amon in the Bible?

Son and successor of Manasseh, king of Judah. He reigned but 2 years, B.C. 643-2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the idols which his father had set up. His servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house. 2 Kings 21:18-25; 1 Chr. 3:14; 2 Chr. 33:20-25; Jer. 1:2; Jer. 25:3; Zeph. 1:1; Matt. 1:10.

"AMON was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them: and he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the Lord."

He was probably born after his father's return from Babylon, so must have had a godly training. The expression, "he forsook the Lord," would seem to indicate that he had in his earlier days professed to worship Him. His mother's name, Meshullemeth (reconciliation, or, to be safe), might have reference to his having been born subsequently to her husband's reconciliation to the Lord, or his safe return from his Babylonian captivity. This would increase Amon's responsibility, — having had such advantages, — and consequently enhance his guilt. Her father's name, Haruz (earnest) of Jotbah (pleasantness) leads to the supposition that Amon's mother, like his grandmother, must have been a good woman. But all good women do not always prove to be good mothers; and it would be no strange or unusual thing if some of these Hebrew "heirs-apparent" to the throne were permitted to do pretty much as they pleased, and in this way prepared to act the part of self-willed transgressors and rebels against God, when the time came for them to take the kingdom. For "a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Prov. 29:15).

There is not one bright spot in this king's character to relieve the darkness of his life's brief record. He "humbled not himself before the Lord," it says, "as Manasseh his father humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more" (or, "multiplied trespass," marg.). So odious did he make himself, even to the backslidden people, that they rid themselves of his unwelcome presence by the hand of assassins. "And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house." His subjects must have been reduced to desperate straits when they would thus violate God's expressed prohibition — "Touch not Mine anointed." Jeremiah and Zephaniah must have been youths about this time, and the former's reluctance to taking up the prophetic work to which he was called can well be understood when the true condition of affairs in Judah at that time is known. Both could see quite plainly what they might expect if faithful to their trust.

Amon was 22 years old when taking the throne of Judah, and reigned only for two years, in sharp contrast to the 55 years of his father's reign. He followed his father's example of wickedness, but with no repentance such as his father showed (vv.20-21). He did have the advantage of knowing of his father's repentance, but this had no effect on him. The Lord evidently knew that two years was sufficient for Amon to repent. But nothing is said of him to his credit. He walked in cold refusal of the ways of God, choosing idols instead, and his own servants conspired against him and killed him in his own house (vv.22-23). How sad an end for one who had a godly grandfather!

AMON'S BRIEFREIGN AND DEATH (vv. 21-25)

Amon was 22 years of age in being crowned king, but in great contrast to his father, he reigned only two years. Though Manasseh had thrown out of the city the idols and idolatrous altars he had made, Amon evidently brought them back, for he sacrificed to all the images that his father had made, placing himself in servitude to these abominations. He certainly must have known that his father had repented and changed his ways radically, but this had no proper effect on Amon, who did not at all humble himself, but sinned more and more (vv. 22-23). His evil was so great that even his own servants had no respect for him, but conspired together and killed him in his own house. How pathetic it is that he had learned nothing either through the folly of his father or through the repentance of his father!

However, the people of the land had some sense of the wrong of servants killing their master, and they executed those who had done this. Thus in both cases God shows that He has ways of bringing judgment on the guilty. Then the people made Josiah, Amon's son, king over Judah.

After his death Amon ruled as king and followed all the wickedness of his father Manasseh. Terrible is the record of this lost soul. "And he humbled not himself before the LORD as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but Amon trespassed more and more" (2 Chron. 33:23). He was murdered by his servants.

Amon. Very little is said, either in 2 Kings or 2 Chronicles about the son of Manasseh who came to his throne. His father had not given him a good example, for “he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them” (2 Chr. 33:22). If he followed his father in sin, he did not follow him in repentance, for “he humbled not himself before the Lord,” but, on the contrary, “trespassed more and more.” It is therefore not surprising to learn that he came to an untimely end, for after a reign of two years, he died at the hands of his servants in his own house. There was not one ray of light to brighten the darkness of Amon’s short and evil reign.

Josiah. The darkness of Amon’s reign serves as a background to throw into happy relief the reign of his illustrious son Josiah. It was a time of great weakness, for so many of the kings of Judah had brought down upon the nations the wrath of a patient God who, in long-suffering, waited for signs of true repentance from those who had received so much blessing at His hand. It is therefore refreshing to read that Josiah “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left” (2 Chr. 34:1-2), a divine commendation given to no other occupant of the throne of David.

This young king's father Amon was murdered at the early age of twenty-four. He was a very wicked man who profited nothing by Jehovah's stern dealings with his own father Manasseh. (The doings of these kings must be kept in mind if we would understand the wonderful work of the Spirit of God in Judah during the thirty-one years of Josiah's administration (2 Chron. 33:21-25).

Manasseh was twelve years old when he succeeded his father Hezekiah. He was therefore born during the fifteen years of extension of life which were granted to Hezekiah in answer to his prayers and tears (Isa. 38:5). There can be no doubt that Manasseh was carefully instructed in the ways of God, for Hezekiah said: "the father to the children shall make known Thy truth" (Isa 38:19). Let every Christian father note this carefully, and follow Hezekiah's good example (read also Ps. 128:1-8). In spite of his early advantages Manasseh became the wickedest king that Judah had ever known. His enormities made it impossible for Jehovah to tolerate the presence of the people in His land. Manasseh practised every form of idolatry; he indulged deeply in Spiritism; and he freely slaughtered all who dared to oppose his evil ways. After many years of these devilries, in defiance of many warning messages sent to him by Jehovah, the king of Assyria was allowed to come up against him. In the days of Hezekiah, an earlier king of Assyria came against Jerusalem and its king to his own ruin. But it was otherwise with Manasseh: the invader dragged him from his throne, and carried him away to a prison in Babylon. (Babylon at that time was not an independent kingdom, but was subject to the king of Assyria). Manasseh's downfall brought him to his senses. "When he was in affliction, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him: and He was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah He was God" (2 Chron. 33:12-13). His energy after his return to his own country was remarkable. He sought to extirpate all the evils that he had set up; he repaired the long disused altar of Jehovah, and "commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel" (2 Chron. 33:16). But whatever good Manasseh may have accomplished in his later years he failed to influence Amon his son, He had taught him to serve the Devil, and he persisted in that dread service. "He humbled not himself before Jehovah as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more" (2 Chron. 33:23). When he ascended the throne of Judah after his father's long reign of fifty-five years, his ways were so abominable that he was murdered within two years. It is written of both these kings that "he was buried in the garden of Uzza" (2 Kings 21:18 and 26). Thus beneath centuries of accumulated rubbish there lie these two kings — Manasseh and Amon, father and son. The father sixty seven years old when he died, and the son was twenty-four; the father has gone to heaven and the son has gone to Hell and, awful though his father taught him the way to Hell. Gladly would Manasseh have undone the mischief that he had wrought in his unconverted days, but it was impossible. The evil had gone too deeply into the hearts of the people and of his own son in particular, to be eradicated by his influence. It is easier to put souls upon the downward road than to pull them off it again.

Amon's short reign of two years is characterized by the same impiety as that of his father, even more serious, if this is possible, in that as witness of the judgment inflicted upon Manasseh, and of his repentance and forsaking of his idols, he ought to have received instruction for himself. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. She must have been an Edomite, if Jotbah is the same place as the Jobathah of Israel's journeys (Num. 33:33; Deut. 10:7). It was not without cause, as we have often said, that our book makes discrete allusions to the maternal origins of the kings throughout. Whatever the case may be, to raise up idols that have been destroyed is even worse in the eyes of Jehovah than to set up new ones. It is an insolent despisal of God after He has revealed Himself to us through His ways and His Word that He might make us forsake that which dishonours Him. To return to such is to act as though God did not exist and had not spoken, and this is also what makes Christendom so guilty. God had separated it from idolatry and its immoral principles; it has returned to these principles, as we see when we compare 2 Timothy 3:1-5 with Romans 1:29-32, and later it will return to idols themselves. Amon "forsook Jehovah the God of his fathers"; such is his sentence. For him there was no place left for repentance. He died a violent death just like the last kings of Israel.

The consequence was that Manasseh not only did evil, but "seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed." How was it possible then for Judah to abide in the land of Jehovah? It became a moral impossibility. Hence therefore the message which Jehovah sends by His servants the prophets. After Manasseh, reigned Amon; and Amon follows in the steps of his wicked father, not of his pious grandfather. "He walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them, and he forsook the Jehovah God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of Jehovah."

But after him comes a truly godly prince — Josiah — younger, too, than either (2 Kings 22). He was not too young to serve the Lord. "He was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: and let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah: and let them give it to the doers of the work;" and so on. But when we are in the path of duty we are in the place of blessing. And Hilkiah gives the glad message to Shaphan, "I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah." How strange! found the book of the law of Jehovah. So it was, and people wonder how that in Christendom men have so long departed, and so long forgotten the word of God.

The utter corruption of human nature is seen in the case of his son Amon. With the awful experience of his father before him, and no doubt exhorted by Manasseh to serve the LORD and be true to Him, he followed deliberately the bad example of his father's idolatry. He trespassed more and more and did not repent like his father Manasseh, but died in his sins. Under his reign the wickedness reached a higher mark than under any previous king.