2 Kings 18:1-8. Hezekiah king of Judah. He reigns well and destroys the brasen serpent. Some of his successes in war (2 Chronicles 29:1-2) 1. _in the third year of Hoshea_ In 2 Kings 16:2 we are told that Ahaz reigned sixteen years: in 2 Kings 17:1 that Hoshea began to reign in the twelfth year of A... [ Continue Reading ]
_His mother's name also_was _Abi_ R.V. AND HIS MOTHER'S NAME WAS ABI. In Chronicles the name is given as Abijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_he did_that _which_was _right in the sight of the Lord_ The Chronicler (2 Chronicles 29:30; 2 Chronicles 29:31) gives among the good deeds of Hezekiah some that are not noticed by the compiler of Kings. In the first year of his reign and in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the L... [ Continue Reading ]
_brake the images_[R.V. PILLARS] _and cut down the groves_ R.V. THE ASHERAH. On the -pillars" see note on 2 Kings 3:2, and on the -Asherah", which was probably the wooden image of a goddess so called, see on 2 Kings 18:6. _the brasen serpent_ There can be no doubt that, after the cures wrought (Numb... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Lord God_[R.V. THE GOD] _of Israel_ The usual change. _after him was none like him … nor_any [R.V. AMONG THEM] _that were before him_ The comparison is with individual kings. The plural expression of the latter half of this sentence in A.V. is correct.... [ Continue Reading ]
and _departed not_ R.V. HE DEPARTED NOT. Thus italics are avoided, and the emphasis of the verse seems to be strengthened. _which the Lord commanded Moses_ Another indication that the compiler of Kings, or it may be the earlier authority from which he drew, accepted the Law as given by God to Moses... [ Continue Reading ]
and _he prospered whithersoever he went forth_ By placing the last four words at the beginning of the sentence, the R.V. again gets rid of the italic _and_. _he rebelled against the king of Assyria_ Ahaz had purchased Assyrian help against Rezin and Pekah [2 Kings 16:7-9] and had become the vassal... [ Continue Reading ]
_he smote the Philistines_, even _unto Gaza_ Gaza was the most southern of the five great towns of the Philistines, so that it is intimated that the whole land of Philistia was overrun by the king of Judah. _from the tower of the watchmen, &c._ See above on 2 Kings 17:9 note.... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel finally carried captive by Shalmaneser (Not in Chronicles) 9. _Shalmaneser … came up against Samaria and besieged it_ Probably the negotiations with So king of Egypt had still gone forward (2 Kings 17:4), and the tribute due from Israel to Assyria had continued to be unpaid. _and besieged i... [ Continue Reading ]
_at the end of three years they took it_ The consonants of the word rendered -they took it" might, if different vowel points were added to them, be translated -he took it". That the vowels for the plural form have been written by the Massoretes can only be the result of a long retained tradition. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_did carry away Israel_ R.V. transposes the last two words that the order may be the same as in 2 Kings 17:6 where this verse appears almost word for word. On the changes made there and here in R.V., and on the geographical position of the places mentioned, see notes there.... [ Continue Reading ]
_his covenant_, and [R.V. EVEN] _all that Moses … commanded_ Thus R.V. avoids the italics. _the servant of the Lord_ This name is often given to Moses in the earlier books. See Deuteronomy 34:5, where it is found in the notice of his death. It is specially frequent in the book of Joshua. Cf. Joshua... [ Continue Reading ]
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah. Hezekiah submits, and pays a large tribute (2 Chronicles 32:1; Isaiah 36:1) 13. _Sennacherib king of Assyria_ Sennacherib was the son of Sargon, but as it seems not the eldest, and only became heir to the throne in the year before his father's death. He i... [ Continue Reading ]
_to Lachish_ On the situation and previous history of Lachish, see on 2 Kings 14:19. It was very close to Askelon, which is mentioned in the inscriptions as one of the places against which Sennacherib's expedition was specially directed. It is stated (2 Chronicles 32:9) that at this time Sennacherib... [ Continue Reading ]
_all the silver that was found_in _the house of the Lord_ The like emptying of the treasuries both of the temple and of the king had been made a very few years before (2 Kings 16:8) by Ahaz to purchase the alliance of Tiglath-pileser against Pekah and Rezin.... [ Continue Reading ]
_cut off_the gold from _the doors of the temple_ Plainly shewing that there was a great scarcity of gold at this time. Hezekiah was the last man to have stripped the temple doors if there had been any other way of raising what was demanded. He had been rejoiced at the purification and adornment of t... [ Continue Reading ]
The Assyrian army sent against Jerusalem. Rab-shakeh's arguments for a surrender of the city (2 Chronicles 32:2-12; Isaiah 36:2-10) 17. _the king of Assyria sent Tartan_ In the light of the record in Chronicles, which says nothing of the previous proceedings of Sennacherib, we must consider that the... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when they had called to the king_ i.e. Had made it known in some way to the warders that they had a message for the king. _Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which_was _over the household_ This is the man who is spoken of in such terms of praise by Isaiah (2 Kings 22:20). There God, by His prophet, ca... [ Continue Reading ]
_Speak ye now to Hezekiah_ Their message was first addressed to the king, but afterwards they turn (verse 29) to the people who had gathered to hear the parley. The briefer record of the Chronicler combines both parts of the conference and says the messengers were sent -unto Hezekiah … and unto all... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou sayest_, (_but_they are but _vain words_)] Some have taken the words in the parenthesis as the object of the verb, so that the sense would be -Thou speakest only vain words (when thou talkest about) counsel and strength". But it is better to leave them as a parenthesis, because of the succeedi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed_ Rab-shakeh answers his own question. It may be that he also is correct in saying that Hezekiah had hopes of help from Egypt. But in this the king would find no support from the prophets of the time. The figure of a reed is perhaps used by Rab-shake... [ Continue Reading ]
_We trust in the Lord our God_ Probably Rab-shakeh knew something about the character of Egypt and her ability and likeliness to help. -Rahab that sitteth still" (Isaiah 30:7 R.V.) was a name probably not undeserved. But now he enters on a matter which he does not understand. He had heard no doubt o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord_ R.V. MY MASTER. The change conforms to verses 24 and 27 below. Having ridiculed any trust in Egypt, and expressed his opinion that Hezekiah could not expect help from Jehovah, after demolishing all the altars in the land, Rab-shakeh comes to his... [ Continue Reading ]
_How then wilt thou, &c._ Rab-shakeh impudently takes for granted that Hezekiah's only answer would be -I have not the men". So he proceeds with his insults, and points out what he deems the folly of resistance. -We, three of the principal officers of our master, are come to treat with you. As your... [ Continue Reading ]
_Am I now come up without the Lord_ Rab-shakeh goes one step further, and with a bold assertion claims Jehovah's support. Perhaps he thought his lie would receive some credence because he had already been able to reduce the towns all round Jerusalem. And if it did, one great stay of the king's coura... [ Continue Reading ]
Further insolence of Rab-shakeh. He addresses the people that stand on the wall. Despair of hezekiah's ministers (2 Chronicles 32:13-19; Isaiah 35:1-2) 26. _Speak, I pray thee … in the Syrian language_ The language intended is more properly named, as in the margin of R.V. -Aramæan" This was the lang... [ Continue Reading ]
_with a loud voice_ To prove that it was to the people on the wall that his message was sent. If he could provoke them to desert their king, Jerusalem would soon be in the power of the Assyrians.... [ Continue Reading ]
_out of his hand_ The natural expression would be -out of _my_hand". And so it is rendered in all the versions but the Chaldee. It is worth noting that in Isaiah these words are not expressed.... [ Continue Reading ]
_this city shall not be delivered_ R.V. GIVEN. The Hebrew word is not the same as that rendered -deliver" in this verse and the previous one. It is desirable that the difference should be made plain to the English reader.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Make_an agreement _with me_by _a present_ R.V. MAKE YOUR PEACE WITH ME. The noun is that which is often rendered -blessing" in the sense of a -present" (see note on 2 Kings 5:15 above). And there is no example in the Bible exactly parallel to this. But the cognate verb is used of salutations (e.g.... [ Continue Reading ]
_until I come and take you_ Submission was to be followed, as was usual with Assyria, by deportation, but the people are promised a land as good as their own. For the similar description of the land of Canaan see Deuteronomy 8:7-9. _and not die_ Again he refers, as to an argument likely to be most... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all_ R.V. EVER DELIVERED. So that it is clear that Rab-shakeh, in spite of his language in verse 25, counted Jehovah as but one among the many local deities which were supposed specially to belong to one city or one country.... [ Continue Reading ]
_gods of Hamath, and of Arpad_ Of _Hamath_, see above on 2 Kings 17:24. _Arpad_is always spoken of in connexion with Hamath, but the site of the place has not been determined, nor any trace of the name found except in the Bible (2 Kings 19:13; Jeremiah 49:23; Isaiah 10:9; Isaiah 36:19; Isaiah 37:13)... [ Continue Reading ]
_that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem_ Rab-shakeh should have had a better memory. In verse 25 he said he had the Lord's command to destroy Jerusalem; but here, forgetful, he speaks of the same Lord as one who might be expected to defend it. Or does he only speak _ex concesso_, taking the ground... [ Continue Reading ]
_the people held their peace_ Rab-shakeh had hoped to excite the people, at all events, to some expression of discontent, and perhaps had any movement of that kind been displayed, the -great host" of verse 17 would at once have begun the attack, for treason within the city might have opened the gate... [ Continue Reading ]
_with_their _clothes rent_ See note on Chap. 2 Kings 5:7.... [ Continue Reading ]