Getting the Whole Story

Very few people relate all the details of a story. People tend to focus on those details that they find interesting. Since different people find different things interesting, they may relate the story in different ways. When we hear or read a version of a story, we tend to add details that are left out of the telling from our own background and understanding. Thus, when we hear two different accounts of the same story, we may come up with contradictory accounts. An example of this is the death of King Ahaziah of Judah. The author of 2 Kings in chapter 9 tells how he was visiting his cousin King Joram of Israel at Jezreel when Jehu rebelled against Joram. Joram was killed, and Ahaziah was shot with an arrow at the Ascent of Gur close to Ibleam as he fled in his chariot. The author then says that he fled to Megiddo where he died. Because Gur and Ibleam are not common places in the Bible, it is easy to assume that they are on the way to Megiddo. One gets a different picture from the account in 2 Chronicles 22. There we find that Jehu searched for Ahaziah and he was captured while hiding in Samaria, the capital of Israel. He was taken to Jehu, who killed him. Because Jehu was last mentioned as being in Jezreel, it is easy to assume that the Chronicler has him killed in Jezreel rather than Megiddo. Because of assumptions, it seems there is a contradiction between the two accounts. However, when one realizes that different authors focus on different details, it is possible to put the two accounts together to get the whole picture. The Ascent of Gur close to Ibleam was south of Jezreel, not east of Jezreel like Megiddo. It was in the mountain range south of the Kishon River. That would have been on the road to Samaria. Ahaziah had cousins in Samaria, and so it makes sense that he would flee to Samaria rather than the largely pagan city of Megiddo. It also makes sense that Jehu, on assuming the kingship of Israel, would travel to Megiddo to secure it for his kingdom. That city guarded the mountain pass in the range south of the Kishon that armies passed through. One text says that he died at Megiddo and the other that Jehu killed him. These are not contradictory statements unless we make unwarranted assumptions. By putting the two accounts together, we get the whole story. After Joram was killed, Ahaziah fled to his cousins in Samaria, but on the way he was shot with an arrow, probably because his chariot had to slow down on the mountain ascent. When he was discovered hiding in Samaria, he was taken captive to Megiddo where Jehu put him to death. This illustrates the importance of getting the whole story and not just imagining the details.