2 Kings 15:30

_AND HOSHEA THE SON OF ELAH MADE A CONSPIRACY AGAINST PEKAH THE SON OF REMALIAH, AND SMOTE HIM, AND SLEW HIM, AND REIGNED IN HIS STEAD, IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR OF JOTHAM THE SON OF UZZIAH._ Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him. It is highly probable that the discontent and disorders consequent upon the sufferings of the people, through so extensive a portion of the kingdom of Israel, originated the conspiracy by which, in the year following, Pekah's throne became vacant. AND REIGNED IN HIS STEAD, IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR OF JOTHAM THE SON OF UZZIAH. The murder of Pekah introduced a period of anarchy, which lasted nine years, and was terminated by Hoshea's success in establishing himself on the throne (see further the note at 2 Kings 17:1). Jotham's reign having lasted only sixteen years, the meaning

8-31 This history shows Israel in confusion. Though Judah was not without troubles, yet that kingdom was happy, compared with the state of Israel. The imperfections of true believers are very different from the allowed wickedness of ungodly men. Such is human nature, such are our hearts, if left to themselves, deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. We have reason to be thankful for restraints, for being kept out of temptation, and should beg of God to renew a right spirit within us....

Verse 30. _HOSHEA THE SON OF ELAH - IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR OF_ _JOTHAM_] There are many difficulties in the chronology of this place. To reconcile the whole, _Calmet_ says: "Hoshea conspired against Pekah, the _twentieth_ year of the reign of this prince, which was the _eighteenth_ after the beginning of the reign of Jotham, king of Judah. Two years after this, that is, the _fourth_ year of Ahaz, and the _twentieth_ of Jotham, Hoshea made himself master of a _part_ of the kingdom, according to 2 Kings 15:30. Finally, the _twelfth_ year of Ahaz, Hoshea had peaceable possession of the _whole_ kingdom, according to 2 Kings 17:1....

HOSHEA, THE SON OF ELAH - One of Pekah’s friends, according to Josephus. THE TWENTIETH YEAR OF JOTHAM - According to 2 Kings 15:33 and 2 Chronicles 27:1, Jotham reigned only 16 years. See also the suggestion in the margin. Strangely enough, this first year of Hoshea is also called, not the fourth, but the twelfth of Ahaz 2 Kings 17:1. The chronological confusion of the history, as it stands, is striking. UZZIAH - i. e. Azariah. See 2 Kings 15:1....

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 15:1 REIGNS OF AZARIAH AND JOTHAM OVER JUDAH; AND OF ZACHARIAH, SHALLUM, MENAHEM, PEKAHIAH, AND PEKAH OVER ISRAEL. 2 KINGS 15:1 THE REIGN OF AZARIAH OVER JUDAS. The writer now more and more compresses his narrative. Into a single chapter he crowds the events of seven reigns, covering the space of nearly seventy years. He is consequent

AND HOSHEA THE SON OR ELAB MADE A CONSPIRACY AGAINST PEKAH THE SON OF REMALIAH, AND SMOTE HIM, AND SLEW HIM, AND REIGNED IN HIS STEAD,.... Did by him as he had done by Pekahiah, 2 Kings 15:28, this was measure for measure, as the Jews say: and this he did IN THE TWENTIETH YEAR OF JOTHAM THE SON OF UZZIAH; and yet Jotham is said to reign but sixteen years, 2 Kings 15:33, this must be reckoned therefore either from the time of his being viceroy, and judging Israel in his father's lifetime, 2 Kings 15:5 or this was the fourth year of Ahaz, and the twentieth year, reckoning from the time Jotham began to reign, who is the rather mentioned, because as yet the historian had taken no notice of Ahaz....

CHAPTER 15 _ 1. Reign and death of Azariah (Uzziah) (2 Kings 15:1; 2 Chronicles 26)._ 2. Reign and death of Zachariah (2 Kings 15:8) 3. Reign and death of Shallum (2 Kings 15:13) 4. Menahem, King of Israel (2 Kings 15:16) 5. Pul of Assyria and Menahem (2 Kings 15:19; 1 Chronicles 5:26) 6. Death of Menahem ...

LAST KINGS OF ISRAEL. Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam, reigned but six months (2 Kings 15:8), and was killed by Shallum, probably, as LXX (L) reads, in Ibleam, instead of the Heb., which is doubtfully rendered before the people (2 Kings 15:10). After a month 2 Kings 15:8 reign Shallum was killed by Menahem (2 Kings 15:14). 2 KINGS 15:19. PUL, THE KING OF ASSYRIA, has been identified with Tiglath-pileser III (58f., 70f.), who ravaged Northern Israel (2

_Hoshea the son of Elah_ Josephus (_Ant._IX. 13. 1) says Hoshea was a friend of Pekah. He is mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions (Smith, _Assyrian Discoveries_, p. 285), and it appears from that record as if he had been set up by the Assyrian king. Perhaps Hoshea, having conspired and slain Pekah, put himself as a vassal under the protection of Assyria. The inscription speaks of the tribute which he was to pay to the Assyrians. Though the death of Pekah is here mentioned we have a further account of his attempts against Judah in the next chapter. _in the twentieth year of Jotham_ As Jotham is said below in verse 33 to have reigned only sixteen years, there must be some mistake in the numbers either here or there. The occurrence of such variations makes the task of fixing the chronology very difficult, and probably no satisfactory solution will be discovered, to the several questions w...

AND HOSEA, THE SON OF ELAH— After Hoshea had murdered his predecessor Pekah, the elders of the land seem to have taken the government into their own hands; for he had not the possession of the kingdom till the latter end of the twelfth year of Ahaz; i.e. nine years after he had committed the fact. He came to the crown, it must be owned, in a very wicked manner; and yet his character in Scripture is not so vile as that of many of his predecessors, chap. 2 Kings 17:2. For whereas the kings of Israel had hitherto maintained guards upon the frontiers, to hinder their subjects from going to Jerusalem to worship, Hoshea took away these guards, and gave free liberty to all to go and pay their adoration where the law had directed; and therefore, when Hezekiah had invited all Israel to come to his passover, this prince permitted all that would to go; and when upon their return from that festival,...