Preserved royal seed of David
But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah. 2 Chronicles 22:10–12
A wicked ruler tries to wipe out every heir of David, but one baby is hidden and saved, so the promised line leading to the Messiah does not break. It echoes Herod's slaughter of the children of Bethlehem and the Christ child's escape into hiding.
A readingEchoAn event that is a type of Him
- a parallel account in 2 Kings 11:1-3 — Same account of Athaliah's massacre and Joash hidden six years in the house of the LORD.
- a type of what is in Matthew 2:13-16 — A ruler slaughters children to destroy the rightful King, but the child is hidden and preserved.