OCHOZIAS. - King of Israel, son of Ahab and Jezebel, he reigned for about two years (853-852 B.C.). A contemporary of Jehoshaphat king of Judah (v.), he maintained with him the good relations already begun by his father Ahab and joined in the enterprise of a fleet of ships that were to set sail for Ophir in search of gold; but the ships were wrecked in the port of Ezion-geber (I Kings 22:49 ff.; II Chron. 20:35 ff.). The alliance with O., "a man of wicked conduct," earned Jehoshaphat the reproach of the prophet Eliezer (II Chron. 20:37). In fact O. followed the impious conduct of his father, "served Baal and worshiped him, provoking the wrath of the God of Israel" (I Kings 22:54).

Having been gravely injured by falling from a window of the royal palace in Samaria, he sent messengers to consult Beelzebub, god of Ekron. As punishment for such flagrant apostasy, the prophet Elijah (v.) foretold his death. Three successive times O. attempted to seize the ill-fated prophet; but the outrage done to the prophetic ministry was punished each time by the sudden death of the king's messengers (I Kings 1). He was succeeded by his brother Joram (v.). Under his brief reign the revolt of the Moabites began under the orders of King Mesha (ibid. 1:1).

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: H. Lesêtre, s. v. in DB, IV, col. 1733 f.; O. Hellmann, Chronologia libri Regum, Rome 1914, pp. 233-43; A. Pohl, Historia populi Israèl inde a divisione regni..., ibid. 1933, p. 62; G. Ricciotti, Storia d'Israele, I, Turin 1934, p. 404 ff.

Gaetano Stano

@incollection{ec9_ochozia, author = {Stano, Gaetano}, title = {Ochozia}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {59}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ochozia} }

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Ochozias

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