The sacred writer, having now completed the history of the joint kingdom, and having east his glance forward over the religions history of the mixed race which replaced the Israelites in Samaria, proceeds to apply himself uuinterruptedly to the remaining history of the Jewish kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE THIRD YEAR - If Hoshea ascended the throne toward the close of the 12th year of Ahaz 2 Kings 17:1, and if Ahaz reigned not much more than 15 years 2 Kings 16:2, the first of Hezekiah might synchronise in part with Hoshea’s third year. HEZEKIAH - The name given by our translators follows the... [ Continue Reading ]
TWENTY AND FIVE YEARS OLD WAS HE - This statement, combined with that of 2 Kings 16:2, would make it necessary that his father Ahaz should have married at the age of 10, and have had a child born to him when he was 11 years of age. This is not impossible; but its improbability is so great, that most... [ Continue Reading ]
HE DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT ... - This is said without qualification of only three kings of Judah, Asa 1 Kings 15:11, Hezekiah, and Josiah 2 Kings 22:2. See some details of Hezekiah’s acts at the commencement of his reign in 2 Chronicles 29, etc. It is thought that his reformation was preceded, and... [ Continue Reading ]
HE REMOVED THE HIGH PLACES - This religious reformation was effected in a violent and tumultuous manner (marginal reference). The “high places,” though forbidden in the Law (Deuteronomy 12:2, Deuteronomy 12:11; compare Leviticus 26:30), had practically received the sanction of Samuel 1Sa 7:10; 1 Sam... [ Continue Reading ]
AFTER HIM WAS NONE LIKE HIM - The same is said of Josiah (marginal reference). The phrase was probably proverbial, and was not taken to mean more than we mean when we say that such and such a king was one of singular piety.... [ Continue Reading ]
Other good kings, as Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Joash, and Amaziah, had fallen away in their later years. Hezekiah remained firm to the last. The phrase “cleaving to God” is frequent in Deuteronomy, but rare elsewhere.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD WAS WITH HIM - This had been said of no king since David (marginal reference). The phrase is very emphatic. The general prosperity of Hezekiah is set forth at some length by the author of Chronicles 2 Chronicles 32:23, 2 Chronicles 32:27. His great influence among the nations bordering on t... [ Continue Reading ]
Sargon had established the complete dominion of Assyria over the Philistines. Hence, the object of Hezekiah’s Philistine campaign was not so much conquest as opposition to the Assyrian power. How successful it was is indicated in the Assyrian records by the number of towns in this quarter which Senn... [ Continue Reading ]
These verses repeat the account given in the marginal reference. The extreme importance of the event may account for the double insertion.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FOURTEENTH YEAR - This note of time, which places the invasion of Sennacherib eight years only after the capture of Samaria, is hopelessly at variance with the Assyrian dates for the two events, the first of which falls into the first of Sargon, and the second into the fourth of Sennacherib,... [ Continue Reading ]
RETURN FROM ME - Or “retire from me,” i. e., “withdraw thy troops.” THREE HUNDRED TALENTS ... - According to Sennacherib’s own account, the terms of peace were as follows: (1) A money payment to the amount of 800 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. (2) the surrender of the Ekronite king. ... [ Continue Reading ]
Ahaz had already exhausted the treasuries 2 Kings 16:8; Hezekiah was therefore compelled to undo his own work.... [ Continue Reading ]
An interval of time must be placed between this verse and the last. Sennacherib, content with his successes, had returned to Nineveh with his spoil and his numerous captives. Hezekiah, left to himself, repented of his submission, and commenced negotiations with Egypt 2Ki 18:21, 2 Kings 18:24; Isaiah... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THEY HAD CALLED TO THE KING - The ambassadors summoned Hezekiah, as if their rank were equal to his. Careful of his dignity, he responds by sending officers of his court. ELIAKIM ... WHICH WAS OVER THE HOUSEHOLD - Eliakim had been promoted to fill the place of Shebna Isaiah 22:20. He was a man... [ Continue Reading ]
The Rab-shakeh, the third in rank of the three Assyrian ambassadors, probably took the prominent part in the conference because he could speak Hebrew 2 Kings 18:26, whereas the Tartan and the Rabsaris could not do so. THE GREAT KING - This title of the monarchs of Assyria is found in use as early a... [ Continue Reading ]
Hezekiah no doubt believed that in the “counsel” of Eliakim and Isaiah, and in the “strength” promised him by Egypt, he had resources which justified him in provoking a war. VAIN WORDS - literally, as in margin, i. e., a mere word, to which the facts do not correspond.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS BRUISED REED - The “tall reed of the Nile bulrush” fitly symbolized the land where it grew. Apparently strong and firm, it was quite unworthy of trust. Let a man lean upon it, and the rotten support instantly gave way, wounding the hand that stayed itself so insecurely. So it was with Egypt thr... [ Continue Reading ]
The destruction of numerous shrines and altars where Yahweh had been worshipped 2 Kings 18:4 seemed to the Rab-shakeh conduct calculated not to secure the favor, but to call forth the anger, of the god. At any rate, it was conduct which he knew had been distasteful to many of Hezekiah’s subjects.... [ Continue Reading ]
The phrase translated “give pledges,” or “hostages” (margin) may perhaps be best understood as meaning “make an agreement.” If you will “bind yourself to find the riders” (i. e., trained horsemen), we will “bind ourselves to furnish the horses.” The suggestion implied that in all Judaea there were n... [ Continue Reading ]
The Rab-shakeh probably tries the effect of a bold assertion, which had no basis of fact to rest upon.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SYRIAN LANGUAGE - i. e., Aramaic; probably the dialect of Damascus, a Semitic language nearly akin to their own, but suffciently different to be unintelligible to ordinary Jews THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE WALL - The conference must have been held immediately outside the wall for the words of the... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THEY MAY EAT ... - “My master hath sent me,” the Rab-shakeh seems to say, “to these men, whom I see stationed on the wall to defend the place and bear the last extremities of a prolonged siege - these men on whom its worst evils will fall, and who have therefore the greatest interest in avoidin... [ Continue Reading ]
There were two grounds, and two only, on which Hezekiah could rest his refusal to surrender, (1) ability to resist by his own natural military strength and that of his allies; and (2) expectation based upon the language of Isaiah Isaiah 30:31; Isaiah 31:4, of supernatural assistance from Yahweh.... [ Continue Reading ]
MAKE AN AGREEMENT ... - Rather, “Make peace with me.” The word, which primarily means “blessing,” and secondarily “a gift,” has also the meaning, though more rarely, of “peace.” Probably it acquired this meaning from the fact that a peace was commonly purchased by presents. EAT ... DRINK - A pictur... [ Continue Reading ]
The boast is natural. The Assyrians had had an uninterrupted career of success, and might well believe that their gods were more powerful than those of the nations with whom they had warred. It is not surprising that they did not understand that their successes hitherto had been allowed by the very... [ Continue Reading ]
Arpad was situated somewhere in southern Syria; but it is impossible to fix its exact position. Sargon mentions it in an inscription as joining with Hamath in an act of rebellion, which he chastised. It was probably the capture and destruction of these two cities on this occasion which caused them t... [ Continue Reading ]