Reign of Ahaz, king of Judah. He reigns wickedly. Israel and Syria make war upon Jerusalem. Ahaz obtains assistance from Tiglath-pileser (2 Chronicles 28:1-21) 1. _In the seventeenth year of Pekah_ It is clear that some error has crept into the chronological statements of this period. In the previou... [ Continue Reading ]
_and did_[R.V. HE DID] _not_that _which_was _right_ This negative form of statement has not occurred in the account of any previous king of Judah. The offences of Ahaz were exceptional.... [ Continue Reading ]
_he walked in the way of the kings of Israel_ This is more fully explained by the Chronicler, and means that he followed after all kinds of heathen idolatry, not that he introduced the worship of the calves from Israel into Judah. -He made molten images for the Baalim, and burnt incense in the valle... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he sacrificed, &c._ Hitherto we have heard only that _the people_continued the worship in the high places. Now _the king_takes part in the same, and so makes it doubly popular. _under every green tree_ Expressly mentioned (Deuteronomy 12:2) as among the wrong doings of the heathen: -Ye shall u... [ Continue Reading ]
_came up_to _Jerusalem to war_ The plans which had been formed in the reign of Jotham (see 2 Kings 15:37) were now put into execution. And from Isaiah 7:2 we can see into what agitation the people of Judah were brought by the advance of the allied enemies. -It was told the house of David, saying, Sy... [ Continue Reading ]
_Rezin … recovered Elath to Syria_ Elath was a place of much importance to the Jews. It was situate at the top of the gulf of Akabah (_sinus Ælaniticus_), and was part of the land of Edom. But when the Edomites were in subjection to Judah, the port was to all intents and purposes a harbour of Judah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria_ According to 2 Chron. (2 Chronicles 28:17-18) it was not only by Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Israel that Ahaz was straitened when he sent for help to Assyria. -The Edomites had again come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_silver and gold that was found_in _the house of the Lord_ Ahaz appears to have dealt very irreverently with the treasures of the temple. The Chronicler says he -gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God". This looks as if he melted down the... [ Continue Reading ]
_the king of Assyria went up against Damascus_ In the Assyrian records it appears that Tiglath-pileser went first against Damascus in b. c. 733, but not being successful came again next year and then reduced the city. (Schrader, p. 152.) Cf. Amos 1:3-5. the people of _it captive_ See above on 2 Kin... [ Continue Reading ]
Ahaz goes to Damascus. Finds a heathen altar, the like of which he sets up in the court of the temple. Further desecration of the temple furniture (2 Chronicles 28:22-25) 10. _king Ahaz went_to _Damascus_ Summoned no doubt by the Assyrian king to make full submission to the power which had relieved... [ Continue Reading ]
_so Urijah … Damascus_ These words are omitted by the LXX. though not in all MSS. Perhaps because the preceding clause ends with the same word as this, the eye of a scribe may have been misled. The part played by Urijah in this business is not mentioned by the Chronicler. The R.V. renders this claus... [ Continue Reading ]
_and the king approached to_[R.V. DREW NEAR UNTO] _the altar_ The rendering adopted by R.V. is much the most frequent in A.V. Except in this verse -approach" is not used of -drawing near" to an altar, but always -come near" or -draw near". _and offered thereon_ At such an altar he might be his own... [ Continue Reading ]
_his meat offering_ R.V. MEAL-OFFERING. See above 2 Kings 3:20 note. The same change is to be made three times over in verse 15 below. The king's wish and order was that not only all his own sacrifices, but all those of the people, should be offered upon the new altar. He did not propose to put down... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he brought &c._ The R.V. adheres to the Hebrew order. AND THE BRASEN ALTAR WHICH WAS BEFORE THE LORD, HE BROUGHT FROM THE FOREFRONT OF THE HOUSE. This brasen altar is described 2 Chronicles 4:1, its length and breadth being each twenty cubits, and its height ten cubits. It is also mentioned, bu... [ Continue Reading ]
_Upon the great altar_ By this name he distinguishes his own altar. We know nothing of its dimensions but we need not refer the adjective -great" to the size of the structure. The king calls it so, because he means it to be the -principal" altar. The same adjective is used for the -eldest" among son... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases_ For a description of these bases, which were moveable stands to carry the lavers used for the sacrifices, see 1 Kings 7:27-39. The borders were of highly wrought ornamental work, made by Hiram of Tyre for king Solomon. _removed the laver from off them_ i.e. F... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the covert_[R.V. THE COVERED WAY] _for the sabbath_ The noun, which occurs nowhere else, signifies some colonnade along which the king could pass when on the sabbath he went to the temple. It is not mentioned in the description of the temple building, and must have been added afterwards, and mo... [ Continue Reading ]
Death of Ahaz. Hezekiah king of Judah (2 Chronicles 28:26-27) 19. _the rest of the acts of Ahaz_ The Chronicler gives us somewhat more detail concerning the doings of this king. -He gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut them in pieces: he shut up the doors of the house of the L... [ Continue Reading ]
_was buried with his fathers_ The last three words are not represented in the LXX., and the Chronicler says -they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem, but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel." For bodily leprosy Uzziah had been treated in the same way after death an... [ Continue Reading ]