מלכים ב, פרק ט׳, פסוק כ״ז

King Ahaziah of Judah finds himself caught against his will in the center of Jehu's rebellion, his fate suddenly bound to the royal house of Israel. Recognizing the immediate danger, he attempts a desperate escape, but Jehu orders his men to pursue and execute him. This command is not random; Ahaziah is a descendant of the house of Ahab and actively participated in the idolatry that defined their legacy [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד]. Jehu specifically directs his men to strike the king down while he is still sitting in his fleeing chariot [מצודת דוד]. The pursuit continues until they reach the ascent of Gur, near the city of Ibleam. The narrative is concise here, indicating that Jehu did not command the execution to happen at this specific location. Rather, his men simply could not overtake the fleeing king until they reached the ascent, where they finally shot him with arrows [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].

Following the attack, Ahaziah escapes to Megiddo and dies. This presents a historical difficulty, as the Book of Chronicles records that he hid in Samaria, where he was captured and put to death. The primary approach among commentators is to view this as a continuous sequence of events. In this understanding, Ahaziah is severely wounded by arrows at the ascent of Gur and escapes to Megiddo. The mention of his death there actually describes a state of paralysis, unconsciousness, or a slow dying process from his wounds. From Megiddo, his servants secretly carry him to hide in Samaria, but Jehu's men discover him, bring him before Jehu, and deal the final, fatal blow [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Conversely, some suggest the events occurred in the reverse order. Ahaziah first hides in Samaria, and when Jehu arrives, the king attempts to flee to Megiddo, where he is ultimately captured and executed [מלבי״ם].

Another perspective resolves the differing accounts by looking at spiritual motives rather than a timeline. The mention of Ahaziah hiding in Samaria might not relate to his escape from Jehu at all. Instead, it describes his past wicked behavior, when he would sneak into Samaria to engage in idolatry and corrupt the mentions of God's name. In this view, his actual death happens exactly as described during his flight to Megiddo [רש״י]. A final explanation is that the current account simply summarizes the events, noting his death in a general sense to mean he perished during this rebellion, while the Book of Chronicles provides the exact details of his capture [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד, חומת אנך].

Despite his tragic end and his execution as part of the destruction of Ahab's dynasty, Ahaziah is granted a final measure of respect. His servants are permitted to carry his body to Jerusalem and bury him in the royal tombs. This honor is awarded solely because he is the descendant of King Jehoshaphat, a righteous leader who sought God with all his heart [רד״ק, רלב״ג, אברבנאל].