INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 15 This chapter begins with the reign of Azariah king of Judah, 2 Kings 15:1, and then gives a short account of the several kings of Israel, to the last of them; of Zachariah, 2 Kings 15:8, of Shallum, 2 Kings 15:13 of Menahem, 2 Kings 15:16 of Pekahiah, 2 Kings 15:23, of Pe... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE TWENTY AMD SEVENTH YEAR OF JEROBOAM KING OF ISRAEL BEGAN AZARIAH THE SON ON AMAZIAH KING OF JUDAH TO REIGN. Now Amaziah lived only to the fifteenth year of Jeroboam, 2 Kings 14:2 in which year, and not in his twenty seventh, it might be thought Azariah his son began to reign. There are variou... [ Continue Reading ]
SIXTEEN YEARS OLD WAS HE WHEN HE BEGAN TO REIGN,.... By the consent of the people and princes of Judah, 2 Kings 14:21 AND HE REIGNED FIFTY AND TWO YEARS IN JERUSALEM: exclusive of the eleven or twelve years of his minority, from his father's death: AND HIS MOTHER'S NAME WAS JECHOLIAH OF JERUSALEM;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... At the beginning of his reign, and in an external way: ACCORDING TO ALL THAT HIS FATHER AMAZIAH HAD DONE; who did not do what he did as David, sincerely and cordially, 2 Kings 14:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
SAVE THAT THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT REMOVED,.... That is, he did right, excepting in that instance, and which was the case of his father and other kings before him, and others afterwards, till Hezekiah came: THE PEOPLE SACRIFICED AND BURNT INCENSE STILL ON THE HIGH PLACES; see 2 Kings 12:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SMOTE THE KING,.... With leprosy; the reason of it was, because he intruded into the priest's office, and went into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense, 2 Chronicles 26:19, SO THAT HE WAS A LEPER UNTO THE DAY OF HIS DEATH; but how long it was to it from his being smitten... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF AZARIAH, AND ALL THAT HE DID, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH?] In the history of the reigns of those kings; some of them are recorded in the canonical book of the Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 26:1 and some were written by the prophet... [ Continue Reading ]
SO AZARIAH SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS,.... Or died, when he had reigned fifty two years: AND THEY BURIED HIM WITH HIS FATHERS IN THE CITY OF DAVID; but not in the sepulchres of the kings, but in the field of the burial, or the burying ground which belonged to them, because he was a leper, 2 Chronicles... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE THIRTY EIGHTH YEAR OF AZARIAH KING OF JUDAH DID ZACHARIAH THE SON OF JEROBOAM REIGN OVER ISRAEL IN SAMARIA SIX MONTHS. Since Azariah began to reign in the twenty seventh of Jeroboam, 2 Kings 15:1, and Jeroboam reigned forty one years, 2 Kings 14:23, his last year must be the fifteenth or sixt... [ Continue Reading ]
Ver. 9 AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AS HIS FATHERS HAD DONE,.... Even all his predecessors, from the time of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, from whose sin, in worshipping the calves, they departed not.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SHALLUM THE SON OF JABESH CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM,.... A friend of his, as Josephus q calls him, encouraged by the dissatisfaction of the people to him: AND SMOTE HIM BEFORE THE PEOPLE, AND SLEW HIM; in a public manner, the people consenting to it, and approving of it, not liking Zachariah to be... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF ZACHARIAH,.... During his six months' reign, and what he might do before in the interregnum: BEHOLD, THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL: for be they more or fewer, good or bad, they were all recorded there which were of any moment.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS WAS THE WORD OF THE LORD WHICH HE SPAKE UNTO JEHU,.... Which was now fulfilled in the short reign of Zachariah: SAYING, THY SONS SHALL SIT ON THE THRONE OF ISRAEL UNTO THE FOURTH GENERATION; see 2 Kings 10:30, and so it came to pass; as every word of the Lord does, not one fails; for after Jeh... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALLUM THE SON OF JABESH BEGAN TO REIGN IN THE NINE AND THIRTIETH YEAR OF UZZIAH KING OF JUDAH,.... The same with Azariah: he is sometimes called by one name, and sometimes by the other, see 2 Kings 14:21, AND HE REIGNED A FULL MONTH IN SAMARIA: and no longer; so soon were the conspiracy against... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR MENAHEM THE SON OF GADI WENT UP FROM TIRZAH,.... A city in the tribe of Manasseh, the royal city of the kings of Israel before Omri, of which Joshua 12:24, whether Menahem was of this city, or was now besieging it with an army he had the command of, as Josephus r suggests, is not certain; howeve... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF SHALLUM, AND HIS CONSPIRACY WHICH HE MADE, BEHOLD, THEY ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL. In which, no doubt, an account of the cause of the conspiracy, and of the persons assisting to him in it, was given, with other things done in his sho... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN MENAHEM SMOTE TIPHSAH, AND ALL THAT WERE THEREIN, AND THE COASTS THEREOF FROM TIRZAH,.... The Jewish writers commonly take this Tiphsah to be without the land of Israel, the same with that in 1 Kings 4:24 on the borders of Syria, and near the Euphrates; but it seems to be some place nearer Sama... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE NINE AND THIRTIETH YEAR OF AZARIAH KING OF JUDAH BEGAN MENAHEM THE SON OF GADI TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL,.... Shallum reigning but one month, both their reigns began the same year.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL,.... The same character is given of him as of those before him, 2 Kings 15:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND PUL THE KING OF ASSYRIA CAME AGAINST THE LAND,.... The land of Israel, he invaded it; a Jewish chronologer u calls him Pulbelicho; and he is generally thought to be the same with Belochus or Belesis, governor of Babylon, who, with Arbaces the Mede, slew Sardanapalus, said to be the last of the A... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MENAHEM EXACTED THE MONEY OF ISRAEL, EVEN OF ALL THE MIGHTY MEN OF WEALTH,.... Who were most able to pay it, by which means he eased the poor, and might thereby attach them to him: OF EACH MAN FIFTY SHEKELS OF SILVER, TO GIVE TO THE KING OF ASSYRIA: that is, he required them to pay fifty shekel... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF MENAHEM,.... We are referred to the same book of chronicles for them as for those of the rest of the kings, which seems to be a form the historian uses of them all.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MENAHEM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS,.... Died a natural death, and in peace, though an usurper and a tyrant: AND PEKAHIAH HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD; the kingdom he had usurped continued in his family.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FIFTIETH YEAR OF AZARIAH KING OF JUDAH, PEKAHIAH THE SON OF MENAHEM BEGAN TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL IN SAMARIA,.... As it was in the thirty ninth of Azariah that his father began his reign, and he reigned ten years, they must end in the forty ninth of Azariah, and therefore there must be an interr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL,.... Besides other sins, he cleaved to that of worshipping the calves, a piece of state policy all the kings of Israel gave into.... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT PEKAH THE SON OF REMALIAH, A CAPTAIN OF HIS,.... The word signifies a "third" man, the third to the king, as some think; Josephus a calls him a "chiliarch", one that had the command of a thousand men: CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM, AND SMOTE HIM IN SAMARIA, IN THE PALACE OF THE KING'S HOUSE; Josephus b... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF PEKAHIAH,.... The same form of expression is used as before, 2 Kings 15:21, of all the kings.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE FIFTY SECOND YEAR OF AZARIAH KING OF JUDAH PEKAH THE SON OF REMALIAH BEGAN TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL IN SAMARIA,.... Which was the last year of the reign of Azariah: AND REIGNED TWENTY YEARS; which was a long reign for an usurper and murderer.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... Not only in committing the above crimes of usurpation and murder, but idolatry, and particularly the worshipping of the calves, hinted at in the text.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE DAYS OF PEKAH KING OF ISRAEL CAME TIGLATHPILESER KING OF ASSYRIA,.... Into the land of Israel; he is called by a Jewish chronologer c, Pul-Asir; so Phul-Assar by Metasthenes d, who says he reigned twenty five years; he very probably was the son of Pul the Assyrian king, mentioned 2 Kings 15:1... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF PEKAH,.... Not recorded here, were to be read in the book of chronicles of the kings so often referred to.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SECOND YEAR OF PEKAH, THE SON OF REMALIAH KING OF ISRAEL, BEGAN JOTHAM THE SON OF UZZIAH KING OF JUDAH TO REIGN. Pekah began to reign in the fifty second year of Azariah, or Uzziah, which was his last year, 2 Kings 15:27, and which was the first of Pekah; Uzziah reigned full fifty two, and th... [ Continue Reading ]
FIVE AND TWENTY YEARS OLD WAS HE WHEN HE BEGAN TO REIGN,.... Alone, after the death of his father: AND HE REIGNED SIXTEEN YEARS IN JERUSALEM; and his reign, upon the whole, was a good reign: AND HIS MOTHER'S NAME WAS JERUSHA, THE DAUGHTER OF ZADOK; a person well known in those times; Dr. Lightfoot... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... Jarchi, in 2 Chronicles 27:2, observes, from a writer of theirs, that in all the kings of Judah before him, even in the best, some sins were found; but in Jotham there was nothing scandalous and reproachful; and it is a high character Jos... [ Continue Reading ]
HOWBEIT THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT REMOVED,.... As they were not by his father, and the same is observed of the best of kings before: THE PEOPLE SACRIFICED AND BURNT INCENSE STILL IN THE HIGH PLACES; from which they could not be brought off by prophets or kings: HE BUILT THE HIGHER GATE OF THE HOUSE... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF JOTHAM, AND ALL THAT HE DID, ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH?] Of which mention is often made by the inspired historians; some of Jotham's other acts are recorded in the canonical book of Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 27:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THOSE DAYS,.... At the end of the days of Jotham, or after his death, things might be in design, and preparations made before, but nothing of what follows came to pass in his life, but in the times of his son; THE LORD BEGAN TO SEND AGAINST JUDAH REZIN THE KING OF SYRIA, AND PEKAH THE SON OF REM... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JOTHAM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED WITH HIS FATHERS IN THE CITY OF DAVID HIS FATHER,.... Died, and was buried with the kings of Judah in their sepulchres: AND AHAZ HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD; an account of whose reign we have in the next chapter.... [ Continue Reading ]