John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

2 Kings 18

2 Kings 18 - Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 18 This chapter begins with the good reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, the reformation he made in the kingdom, and the prosperity that attended him when Israel was carried captive, 2 Kings 18:1 and gives an account of the siege of Jerusalem by the king of Assyria, and of the... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:1

NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE THIRD YEAR OF HOSHEA SON OF ELAH KING OF ISRAEL,.... That is, in the third year of his rebelling against the king of Assyria, when he shook off his yoke, and refused to be tributary to him any longer, see 2 Kings 17:1, [THAT] HEZEKIAH THE SON OF AHAZ KING OF JUDAH BEGAN T... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:2

TWENTY AND FIVE YEARS OLD WAS HE WHEN HE BEGAN TO REIGN,.... Now as Ahaz his father began to reign at twenty, and reigned sixteen, he must die at thirty six; so that this son of his must be born to him when at eleven years of age, for only so many years there be between twenty five and thirty six, w... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:3

AND HE DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, ACCORDING TO ALL THAT DAVID HIS FATHER DID. Some of the kings of Judah, that were better than some others, are said to do that which was right, but not like David; or they did as he did, but not according to all that he did, as is here said o... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:4

HE REMOVED THE HIGH PLACES,.... Which the best of the kings of Judah never attempted, and which is observed of them to their discredit: AND BROKE THE IMAGES, AND CUT DOWN THE GROVES; the idols his father set up and served, 2 Kings 16:4, groves and idols in them, were early instances of idolatry; Ju... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:5

HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL,.... To be his protector and defender, and had no dependence on idols as an arm of flesh; the Targum is, he trusted in the Word of the Lord God; not in Nehushtan, but in him the brasen serpent was a type of, even in the Word and Son of God, his alone Saviour and... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:6

FOR HE CLAVE TO THE LORD,.... To his worship and service; to the fear of the Lord, as the Targum: AND DEPARTED NOT FROM FOLLOWING HIM; from his worship, as the same paraphrase: BUT KEPT HIS COMMANDMENTS, WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED MOSES; both moral, ceremonial, and judicial.... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:7

AND THE LORD WAS WITH HIM,.... The Word of the Lord was for his help, as the Targum: AND HE PROSPERED WHITHERSOEVER HE WENT FORTH; that is, to war: AND HE REBELLED AGAINST THE KING OF ASSYRIA: which is explained in the next clause: AND SERVED HIM NOT; he refused to be his servant, as his father A... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:8

HE SMOTE THE PHILISTINES EVEN UNTO GAZA, AND THE BORDERS THEREOF,.... Who in his father's time had invaded Judah, and taken many cities and towns in it, which Hezekiah now recovered, and drove them to their own territories, of which Gaza was one; see 2 Chronicles 28:18 FROM THE TOWER OF THE WATCHME... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:9

AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF KING HEZEKIAH,.... In the beginning of it: WHICH WAS THE SEVENTH YEAR OF HOSHEA SON OF ELAH KING OF ISRAEL: the beginning of his seventh: THAT SHALMANESER KING OF ASSYRIA CAME UP AGAINST SAMARIA, AND BESIEGED IT; see 2 Kings 17:5.... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:10

AND AT THE END OF THREE YEARS THEY TOOK IT,.... That is, at the first end of them, at the beginning, in which sense the phrase is taken in Deuteronomy 15:1, even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is, the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken: see 2 Kings 17:6.... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:11

AND THE KING OF ASSYRIA DID CARRY AWAY ISRAEL UNTO ASSYRIA,.... Of the places he disposed of them in, after mentioned, 2 Kings 17:6.... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:12

BECAUSE THEY OBEYED NOT THE VOICE OF THE LORD,.... In his law, and by his prophets: BUT TRANSGRESSED HIS COVENANT, AND ALL THAT MOSES THE SERVANT OF THE LORD COMMANDED; which evils are at large insisted on in the preceding chapter as the cause of their captivity: AND WOULD NOT HEAR THEM, NOR DO TH... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:13

NOW IN THE FOURTEENTH YEAR OF KING HEZEKIAH,.... Eight years after the captivity of Israel: DID SENNACHERIB KING OF ASSYRIA COME UP AGAINST ALL THE FENCED CITIES OF JUDAH, AND TOOK THEM; many of them, the frontier towns, and proceeded as far as Lachish; ambitious of enlarging his dominions, his fat... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:14

AND HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH SENT TO THE KING OF ASSYRIA TO LACHISH,.... A city in the tribe of Judah, about twenty miles from Jerusalem, towards the southwest q; which the king of Assyria was now besieging, 2 Chronicles 32:9 at first Hezekiah made provision to defend himself, and encouraged his peopl... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:15

AND HEZEKIAH GAVE HIM ALL THE SILVER THAT WAS FOUND IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, AND IN THE TREASURES OF THE KING'S HOUSE. To make up the three hundred talents of silver, for which purpose he exhausted both, which had been done more than once before by the kings of Judah; these were their resources in... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:16

AT THAT TIME DID HEZEKIAH CUT OFF THE GOLD FROM THE DOORS OF THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD,.... The plates of gold with which they were covered; or scraped off the gold from them, as the Targum interprets it: AND FROM THE PILLARS WHICH HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH HAD OVERLAID: or the posts, as the Targum, the... [ Continue Reading ]

2 Kings 18:17

AND THE KING OF ASSYRIA SENT TARTAN AND RABSARIS, AND RABSHAKEH FROM LACHISH TO KING HEZEKIAH WITH A GREAT HOST AGAINST JERUSALEM,.... Notwithstanding he took the above large sum of money of him, so false and deceitful was he: these were three generals of his army, whom he sent to besiege Jerusalem,... [ Continue Reading ]

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