2 Chronicles 28:3

_FOR HE WALKED IN THE WAYS OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL, AND MADE ALSO MOLTEN IMAGES FOR BAALIM._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

Verse 2 Chronicles 28:3. _BURNT HIS CHILDREN IN THE FIRE_] There is a most remarkable addition here in the _Chaldee_ which I shall give at length: "Ahaz burnt his children in the fire; but the WORD of the Lord snatched Hezekiah from among them; for it was manifest before the Lord that the _three_ righteous men, _Hananiah, Mishael_, and _Azariah_, were to proceed from him; who should deliver up their bodies that they might be cast into a burning fiery furnace, on account of the great and glorious NAME, (יהוה) and from which they should escape. _First, Abram_ escaped from the furnace of fire among the Chaldeans, into which he had been cast by Nimrod, because he would not worship their idols. _Secondly, Tamar_ escaped burning in the house of judgment of Judah, who had said, _Bring her out, that_ _she may be burnt_. _Thirdly, Hezekiah_...

Compare the 2 Kings 16:3 note....

EXPOSITION This chapter is paralleled by 2 Kings 16:1. There is a great deal gained in this case by addition on the two accounts, however. Our chapter contains the wickedness by idolatry of Ahaz, the severe punishment thereof by the King of Syria, the Syrian captivity of Judah, and the release of the latter so unexpectedly (2 Chronicles 28:1); other punishments by war of Ahaz, his hardened heart, greater sins, and end (2 Chronicles 28:16-14). The united unsuccessful 'attacks of Syria and Israel, under Rezin and Pekah respectively, on Jerusalem, and attempt at the siege of Ahaz there; the Syrian recovery of Elath, and expulsion of the Jews thence, and the Assyrian taking of Da

2 Chronicles 28:1...

2 Chronicles 28:1. _Ahaz 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 father: for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel._ God had driven out the Canaanites because of these abominations; therefore, for his own people to practice them, was peculiarly provoking to him. 2 Chronicles 28:4. _He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree._ He

CHAPTER 28 THE REIGN OF AHAZ _ 1. The record of his reign (2 Chronicles 28:1)_ 2. The punishment of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:5) 3. The message of Oded and its results (2 Chronicles 28:9) 4. Further punishments of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:16) 5. Death of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:26) On Ahaz his wicked reign and apostasy, as well as the war with Syria and the invasion of Judah by Israel, see our annotations on...

THE REIGN OF AHAZ. See notes on 2 Kings 16, but the Chronicler's account of this reign is largely independent of 2 K.; he makes the Syro-Ephraimite War two separate campaigns, Ahaz being in turn defeated by the Syrians and then by the northern Israelites. This cannot be regarded as historical in face of 2 Kings 16; the Chronicler has probably reconstructed the history with a view to bringing into greater relief the punishment of Ahaz on account of his faithlessness to Yahweh. In a number of other ways this section differs from the account in 2 Kings 16. 2 Chronicles 28:27. they brought him not. : but see 2 Kings 16:20....

CHILDREN. sons. HEATHEN. nations....

_the valley of the son of Hinnom_ This name was of harmless signification at first (Jeremiah 7:31-32), but its Heb. form _Gê-hinnôm_was afterwards corrupted into "Gehenna" (Matthew 5:22, R.V. mg.) and it gained an evil reputation from its connexion with the worship of Molech. It was S. and S.W. of Jerusalem. _burnt … in the fire_ In Kings "made … to pass through, the fire." The latter phrase lends support to the theory that at least in later times children were "passed through the fire" in order to signify their dedication to Molech, yet in such a way as to escape permanent injury. It is probable however that the original significance of the custom is preserved in the phrase used by the Chronicler, and that children offered to Molech were really burnt. Of course such a sacrifice would