Both Hebrew states appear ascendant as King Amaziah, son of Joash of Judah, pushes towards the Gulf of Eliat and begins to reestablish Judahite hegemony in the southern Levant.

But when the haughty Amaziah ignores the counsel of the prophets, Judah is routed and invaded by Joash of Israel—catapulting the Jehuides to new heights of power.