Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri. – 2 Chronicles 22:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 15, 2026): 2 Chronicles 22

Intermarriage is nothing new in Royal circles. One of my favorite historical photographs is entitled “Nine Kings.” The picture was taken on May 20, 1910, at the funeral of Edward VII of the United Kingdom. It is the only photo of nine hereditary monarchs gathering in one room. But not only were these nine men, they were all men, kings over different nations, but the photo was also a picture that could have been taken at a family reunion. Every person in the photo is related to the others, either cousins and nephews or related by marriage. The picture could have featured ten kings, but the embattled Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, a nephew of Edward VII, felt that leaving Russia at that time and reinforcing his relationship with the other Kings of Europe was an unwise course. A couple of years later, another king could have been added to the list as he married into the family. European royalty was dreadfully intermarried.

Many of these monarchs traced their ancestry back to Queen Victoria. Victoria is often referred to as the Grandmother of Europe, and her lineage continues to fascinate historians. Of course, Victoria married the love of her life, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Victoria and Albert were first cousins, so most of European royalty can trace their lineage back to a pair of cousins who sat on the British Throne.

Not only were Victoria and Albert first Cousins, but the intermarriage of this family continued. Victoria’s son, Edward VII, at whose funeral the “Nine Kings” photo was taken, married his third cousin, Alexandra. George V, the son of Edward VII, married Mary of Teck, his second cousin. George V’s granddaughter, Elizabeth II, married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, her third cousin and second cousin once removed, depending on which route through the family tree you decide to take. Both Elizabeth and Philip were descendants of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. King Charles and Lady Diana were seventh cousins once removed, but King Charles and Queen Camilla are second cousins, and, once again, Charles and Camilla are both descendants of Victoria and her son, Edward VII.

A judgment has been pronounced on the House of Omri of Israel. In fact, the descendants of Ahab, Omri’s son, were exterminated by King Jehu. Some believe that Jehu was possibly a great-grandson of Omri. So, while the house of Ahab was wiped out, it is possible that the lineage of Omri continued through the reign of Jehu.

King Jehoram of Judah married Athaliah, a member of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Athaliah was either the daughter of Omri or the daughter of Ahab and granddaughter of Omri. But either way, the lineage of the evil King Omri, because of this intermarriage, continued in the line of the Kings of Judah, starting with Ahaziah, and then Joash, Kings of Judah, but descendants of Omri, King of Israel.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 23