(KJV) 2 Chronicles 281

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⥃Ahaz Reigns in Judah [ 2 Kings 16:1–9 ]

[1] Ahaz2 [was] twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not [that which was] right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father3:4 [2] For he walked5 in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images6 for Baalim7. [3] Moreover he burnt incense8 in the valley9 of the son of Hinnom, and burnt10 his children in the fire, after the abominations11 of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. [4] He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.12

⥃Aram Defeats Judah [ Isaiah 1:1–9 ]

[5] Wherefore the Lord his God13 delivered him14 into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought [them] to Damascus15. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

[6] For Pekah16 the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred17 and twenty thousand in one day, [which were] all valiant men18; because19 they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. [7] And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah [that was] next to the king20. [8] And the children of Israel carried21 away captive of their brethren22 two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. [9] But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name [was] Oded: and he went out23 before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold24, because the Lord God25 of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage [that] reacheth26 up unto heaven. [10] And now ye purpose to keep27 under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: [but are there] not with28 you, even with you, sins against the Lord29 your God? [11] Now hear me therefore, and deliver30 the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce31 wrath of the Lord [is] upon you. [12] Then certain of the heads32 of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up33 against them that came from the war, [13] And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the Lord [already], ye intend to add [more34] to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and [there is] fierce wrath against Israel. [14] So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. [15] And the men which were expressed by name35 rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed36 all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them37 to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried38 all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city39 of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.

⥃The Idolatry of Ahaz [ 2 Kings 16:10–20 ]

[16] At that time did king40 Ahaz send unto the kings41 of Assyria to help him. [17] For again the Edomites42 had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives43. [18] The Philistines44 also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth–shemesh45, and Ajalon46, and Gederoth47, and Shocho48 with the villages thereof, and Timnah49 with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there. [19] For the Lord50 brought Judah low because of Ahaz51 king of Israel52; for he made Judah53 naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord. [20] And Tilgath–pilneser54 king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him55, but strengthened him not.56 [21] For Ahaz took away57 a portion [out] of the house of the Lord, and [out] of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave [it] unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not.

[22] [¶]And in the58 time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord: this [is59 that] king Ahaz. [23] For he sacrificed60 unto the gods of Damascus61, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods62 of the kings of Syria help them, [therefore] will I sacrifice to them63, that they may help me. But they were64 the ruin of him, and of all Israel. [24] And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces65 the vessels of the house of God, and shut up66 the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made67 him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. [25] And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn68 incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers.

[26] [¶]Now the rest69 of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they [are] written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. [27] And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, [even] in Jerusalem: but they brought70 him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel71: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 72

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  1. 2Chr 28:1, Ahaz reigning very wickedly, is greatly afflicted by the Syrians; 2Chr 28:6, Judah being captivated by the Israelites, is sent home by the counsel of Oded the prophet; 2Chr 28:16, Ahaz sending for aid to Assyria, is not helped thereby; 2Chr 28:22, In his distress he grows more idolatrous; 2Chr 28:26, He dying, Hezekiah succeeds him. ↩

  2. 2Kgs 16:1, 2Kgs 16:2-20; 1Chr 3:13; Isa 1:1, Isa 7:1-12; Hos 1:1; Mic 1:1; Matt 1:9 ↩

  3. 2Chr 17:3 ↩

  4. am 3262-3278, bc 742-726 ↩

  5. 2Chr 21:6, 2Chr 22:3-4; 1Kgs 16:31-33; 2Kgs 10:26-28 ↩

  6. Exod 34:17; Lev 19:4 ↩

  7. Judg 2:11, Judg 2:13; Hos 2:13, Hos 2:17 ↩

  8. or, offered sacrifice ↩

  9. 2Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:31-32, Jer 19:2-6, Jer 19:13 ↩

  10. 2Chr 33:6; Lev 18:21; 2Kgs 16:3; Ps 106:37-38; Jer 2:34, Jer 32:35; Ezek 16:20-21; Mic 6:7 ↩

  11. 2Chr 33:2; Deut 12:31 ↩

  12. Lev 26:30; Deut 12:2-3; 2Kgs 16:4 ↩

  13. 2Chr 36:5; Exod 20:2-3 ↩

  14. 2Chr 24:24, 2Chr 33:11, 2Chr 36:17; Judg 2:14; 2Kgs 16:5-6; Isa 7:1, Isa 7:6 ↩

  15. Heb. Darmesek ↩

  16. 2Kgs 15:27, 2Kgs 15:37; Isa 7:4-5, Isa 7:9, Isa 9:21 ↩

  17. 2Chr 13:17 ↩

  18. Heb. sons of valour ↩

  19. 2Chr 15:2; Deut 6:14-15, Deut 28:15, Deut 28:25, Deut 29:24-26, Deut 31:16-17, Deut 32:20; Josh 23:16; Josh 24:20; Isa 1:28, Isa 24:5-6; Jer 2:19, Jer 15:6 ↩

  20. Heb. the second to the king, Gen 41:43, Gen 43:12, Gen 43:15; Esth 10:3 ↩

  21. Deut 28:25, Deut 28:41 ↩

  22. 2Chr 11:4; Acts 7:26, Acts 13:26 ↩

  23. 2Chr 19:1-2, 2Chr 25:15-16; 1Kgs 20:13, 1Kgs 20:22, 1Kgs 20:42; 2Kgs 20:14-15 ↩

  24. To this beautiful speech nothing can be added by the best comment. It is simple, humane, pious, and overwhelmingly convincing; and it is no wonder that it produced the effect here described. That there was much humanity, as well as firmness, in the heads of the children of Ephraim, who joined with the prophet of Jehovah on this occasion, their subsequent conduct, as detailed in the 2Chr 28:15, sufficiently proves. They did not barely dismiss these most unfortunate captives, but they took that very spoil which their victorious army had taken, and with clothed, shod, fed, and anointed these distressed people, set the feeblest of them upon asses, and escorted them safely to Jericho! We can scarcely find a parallel to this in the universal history of the wars which savage man has carried on against his fellows from the foundation of the world. The compliance also of the whole army, in leaving both the captives and spoil to the disposal of the princes, was really wonderful, and perhaps unparalleled in history. Both the princes and army are worthy to be held up to the admiration and imitation of mankind. ↩

  25. 2Chr 28:5; Judg 3:8; Ps 69:26; Isa 10:5-7, Isa 47:6; Jer 15:17-18; Ezek 25:12-17; Ezek 26:2-3; Obad 1:10-16; Zech 1:15 ↩

  26. Gen 4:10, Gen 11:4; Ezra 9:6; Rev 18:5 ↩

  27. Lev 25:39-46 ↩

  28. Jer 25:29; Matt 7:2-4; Rom 12:20-21; 1Pet 4:17-18 ↩

  29. 2Chr 28:5 ↩

  30. Isa 58:6; Jer 34:14-15; Heb 13:1-3 ↩

  31. Ezra 10:14; Matt 5:7, Matt 7:2; Jas 2:13 ↩

  32. 1Chr 28:1 ↩

  33. Jer 26:6 ↩

  34. Num 32:14; Josh 22:17-18; Matt 23:32, Matt 23:35; Rom 2:5 ↩

  35. 2Chr 28:12 ↩

  36. Job 31:15-23; Isa 58:7; Matt 25:35-45; Acts 9:39; 1Tim 5:10; Jas 2:15-16; 1John 3:17-18 ↩

  37. 2Kgs 6:22; Prov 25:21-22; Luke 6:27, Luke 8:27, Luke 8:35; Rom 12:20-21 ↩

  38. Rom 15:1 ↩

  39. Deut 34:3; Judg 1:16 ↩

  40. 2Kgs 16:5-7; Isa 7:1-9, Isa 7:17 ↩

  41. Instead of malchey, "kings," the Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate, one manuscript, and the parallel place, have mailech, "king." ↩

  42. 2Chr 25:11-12; Lev 26:18; Obad 1:10, Obad 1:13-14 ↩

  43. Heb. a captivity ↩

  44. Ezek 16:27, Ezek 16:57 ↩

  45. Josh 15:10; 1Sam 6:9 ↩

  46. 2Chr 11:10, Aijalon ↩

  47. Josh 15:41 ↩

  48. Josh 15:48, Socoh ↩

  49. Judg 14:1, Timnath ↩

  50. Deut 28:43; 1Sam 2:7; Job 40:12; Ps 106:41-43; Prov 29:23 ↩

  51. Hos 5:11; Mic 6:16 ↩

  52. 2Chr 21:2 ↩

  53. Gen 3:7, Gen 3:11; Exod 32:25; Rev 3:17-18, Rev 16:15 ↩

  54. 2Kgs 15:29, 2Kgs 16:7-10, Tiglath–pileser, 1Chr 5:26; Hos 5:13 ↩

  55. 2Kgs 17:5; Isa 7:20, Isa 30:3, Isa 30:16; Jer 2:37 ↩

  56. am 3264, bc 740 ↩

  57. 2Chr 12:9; 2Kgs 18:15-16; Prov 20:25 ↩

  58. 2Chr 33:12; Ps 50:15; Isa 1:5; Ezek 21:13; Hos 5:15; Rev 16:9-11 ↩

  59. Esth 7:6; Ps 52:7 ↩

  60. This passage, says Mr. Hallet, greatly surprised me; for the sacred historian is here represented as saying, "The gods of Damascus had smitten Ahaz." But it is impossible to suppose that an inspired author should say this; for the Scripture every where represents the heathen idols as nothing and vanity, and as incapable of doing either good or hurt. All difficulty is avoided if we follow the old Hebrew copies, from which the Greek translation was made: "And king Ahaz said, I will seek to the gods of Damascus which have smitten me." 2Chr 25:14; 2Kgs 16:12-13 ↩

  61. Heb. Darmesek ↩

  62. Hab 1:11 ↩

  63. Jer 10:5, Jer 44:15-18 ↩

  64. Isa 1:28; Jer 44:20-28; Hos 13:9 ↩

  65. 2Kgs 16:17-18, 2Kgs 25:13-17 ↩

  66. 2Chr 29:3, 2Chr 29:7 ↩

  67. 2Chr 33:3-5; Jer 2:28; Hos 12:11; Acts 17:16, Acts 17:23 ↩

  68. or, offer, 2Chr 28:3 *marg. ↩

  69. 2Chr 20:34, 2Chr 27:7-9; 2Kgs 16:19-20 ↩

  70. 2Chr 21:20, 2Chr 26:23, 2Chr 33:20; 1Sam 2:30; Prov 10:7 ↩

  71. Or, "the kings of Judah;" the name Israel being sometimes applied by the writer of this book, in a general way, to Judah. The Hebrews were accustomed to honour the memory of those kings who had reigned well, by depositing their remains in the royal cemetery. On the contrary, those who died under the disapprobation of the people, as a mark of posthumous disgrace, were denied interment with their predecessors, and were buried in some other place in Jerusalem. So it was with Ahaz, who, though brought into the city, was not buried in the sepulchres of the kings of Judah. It was doubtless with a design to make a suitable impression on the minds of their kings while living, that such distinctions were observed. They might thus restrain them from evil, or excite them to good, according as they were fearful of being execrated, or desirous of being honoured, when dead. ↩

  72. am 3278, bc 726 ↩