מלכים ב, פרק י״ד, פסוק ה׳

Following the assassination of the previous king, the newly crowned King Amaziah faced a delicate political reality. He could not immediately seek justice against the men who murdered his father, but first needed to ensure the stability of his reign. The assassins had not fled after committing the murder. Instead, they remained within the royal court and continued to serve as the new king's own servants. Amaziah waited until his royal authority was completely established [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Only after he had gathered enough power did he finally act to punish them [אברבנאל].

When the king carried out the executions, his justice was strictly targeted. He put only the murderers to death and deliberately spared their children. In doing so, he fulfilled the Torah commandment that forbids executing fathers for the crimes of their sons, ensuring that individuals are punished solely for their own wrongdoing. Amaziah chose to apply the simple, literal meaning of this law, despite the fact that the sages interpreted the original biblical command as a legal rule regarding the disqualification of family members from giving testimony in court [אברבנאל].