Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2 KINGS 1:18KJV
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2 Kings 1:18 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 1:18 mean?

2 Kings 1:18 closes its account of King Ahaziah by pointing readers to another record for more of his deeds. The question about that record is a familiar way of ending a king’s story, directing attention beyond the events selected for 2 Kings.

The narrator addresses the audience through a question: “are they not written?” After Ahaziah’s death and the succession of Jehoram in verse 17, the question gives Ahaziah’s reign a formal closing.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 1:18

  • “acts” — דָּבָר (davar): The word can mean a matter, event, or deed. Here, it points broadly to the events and affairs of Ahaziah’s reign, not just a list of things he personally did.
  • “chronicles” — דָּבָר (davar) and יוֹם (yom): Together, these words carry the sense of the “matters of the days.” The phrase presents the named book as a record of events over time.

Why 2 Kings 1:18 matters

  • The verse points to a named royal record, not simply to stories passed around by word of mouth. It calls the source “the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.”
  • The source named here is not the same as the Bible books called 1 and 2 Chronicles. The verse identifies it as a record of Israel’s kings, a work referred to throughout Kings.

Where else these words appear

“Ahaziah” Hebrew H274 · used in 30 verses

  • 1 Kings 22:40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
  • 2 Kings 9:21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
  • 1 Chronicles 3:11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,

“rest” Hebrew H3499 · used in 95 verses

  • Genesis 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
  • 1 Kings 22:39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
  • 2 Chronicles 28:26 Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.