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The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

2 Kings 3:27

2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 Kings 3:27 Just as Israel seemed to have defeated him, Mesha offered his son as burnt offering on the wall. As a consequence, there came great wrath against Israel. This does not refer to divine anger. Instead, it seems, Mesha’s troops respond to his desperate act with an anger against Israel that carries them to victory against all the odds.

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See also 2 Kings 3:27 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 2 Kings 3:27. _TOOK HIS ELDEST SON_] The rabbins account for this horrible sacrifice in the following way:- When the king of Moab found himself so harassed, and the royal city on the point of...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    Compare the marginal reference. Mesha, when his sally failed, took, as a last resource, his first born son, and offered him as a burnt-offering to appease the manifest anger of his god Chemosh, and ob...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    2. JEHORAM, MOAB, AND ELISHA CHAPTER 3 _ 1. Jehoram, King of Israel (2 Kings 3:1)_ 2. Moab's rebellion (2 Kings 3:4) 3. Elisha's message and prediction (2 Kings 3:10) 4. The defeat of Moab ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    REIGN OF JEHORAM. WAR WITH MOAB. The only two kings of Israel on whom the censure pronounced is in any way qualified are Jehoram, the last of the house of Omri, and Hoshea (2 Kings 17:2), the last kin...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    OFFERED HIM. offered him up. App-43. A BURNT OFFERING. App-43. Recording. fact on which Mesha is silent on the Moabite stone. App-54. THE WALL. i.e., the higher of the two. Hebrew. _homah_ not _kir_...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Moabites attack the allied armies, but are defeated. The king of Moab sacrifices his eldest son (Not in Chronicles)...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _his eldest son_ i.e. his own eldest son, not as has been explained by some, the eldest son of the Edomite king. His thought was to offer such a sacrifice as would be most acceptable. Hence he gave wh...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 361 THE KING OF MOAB SACRIFICES HIS SON 2 Kings 3:27. _Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall._ GOD delights...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    TOOK HIS ELDEST SON—AND OFFERED HIM FOR A BURNT-OFFERING UPON THE WALL.— Not only the holy Scriptures, but several heathen writers, assure us, that in cases of great extremity it was customary among v...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. THE JOINT CAMPAIGN AGAINST MOAB 3:4-27 The one major effort of Jehoram's twelve-year reign was his effort to resubjugate Moab. In this effort Jehoram was able to enlist the services of Jehoshaphat...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _THEN HE TOOK HIS ELDEST SON THAT SHOULD HAVE REIGNED IN HIS STEAD, AND OFFERED HIM FOR A BURNT OFFERING UPON THE WALL. AND THERE WAS GREAT INDIGNATION AGAINST ISRAEL: AND THEY DEPARTED FROM HIM, AND...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    _FOR_ A BURNT OFFERING] presumably to Chemosh, the Moabite deity. Human sacrifices in ancient times prevailed amongst most Semitic nations; but the offering of a son or daughter must generally have be...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    JEHORAM AND ELISHA. VICTORY OVER MOAB 1. THE EIGHTEENTH YEAR OF JEHOSHAPHAT] according to 2 Kings 1:17, 'in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat.'...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE LAST KINGS OF *ISRAEL AND *JUDAH BOOK OF 2 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 3 THE WAR AGAINST MOAB V1 Ahab’s son Joram became the king of *Israel in Samaria. That happened in the 18th year when...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    THEN. — _And_. HIS ELDEST SON — _i.e._, the despairing king of Moab took his own son and heir. OFFERED HIM FOR A BURNT OFFERING. — To Chemosh, without doubt, by way of appeasing that wrath of the god...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יִּקַּח֩ אֶת ־בְּנֹ֨ו הַ בְּכֹ֜ור אֲשֶׁר

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    _THE INVASION OF MOAB_ 2 Kings 3:4 "What reinforcement we may gain from hope, If not, what resolution from despair." -MILTON, "Paradise Lost, " 1:190 AHAZIAH, as Elijah had warned him, never recove...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    MESHA'S DEFEAT AND DESPERATE SACRIFICE 2 Kings 3:13 Jehoshaphat, though erring, was still God's child, and deliverance came to him. The heights of our senseless folly and the depths of our waywardnes...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    At this point the history goes back and describes the beginning of the war with Moab, to which reference was made at the opening of the book. It was a combined movement of Israel and Judah and Edom ag...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and (r) offered him [for] a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him,...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Wall, to Chamos, the idol of Moab; (Menochius) or to Moloc, to appease the wrath of the gods. Horrible blindness! The pagans believed, that the most precious thing ought to be sacrificed in very immin...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    REFLECTIONS I stay not to remark all the interesting things which this chapter contains; otherwise I might charge it upon my soul to admire and adore, what I have read of grace and mercy transcending...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Observe the sad state of an idolatrous mind. Human sacrifices to devils are among the abominations. Thus the great enemy of souls to confound, as he thought, the divine institution of sacrifices in hi...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    However, the next chapter (2 Kings 3:1-27) brings us at once into earthly circumstances. "Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of J...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 3 AND 4. In the following chapter we enter into the historical part of Elisha's ministry. Jehoram goes to war; and, although less wicked than his father, the...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THEN HE TOOK HIS ELDEST SON, THAT SHOULD HAVE REIGNED IN HIS STEAD,.... Not the eldest son of the king of Edom, whom the king of Moab had in his hands before, which made the king of Edom the more will...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him [for] a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _He took his eldest son and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the walls_ “Not only the Holy Scriptures, but several heathen writers assure us, that in case of great extremity, it was customary amo...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Iehorams reigne. 4 Mesha rebelleth. 6 Iehoram, with Iehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, being distressed for want of water, by Elisha obtaineth water, and promise of victory. 21 The Moabites decei...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Then he, the king of Moab, TOOK HIS ELDEST SON THAT SHOULD HAVE REIGNED IN HIS STEAD, the heir apparent to the throne, AND OFFERED HIM FOR A BURNT OFFERING UPON THE WALL, sacrificing him to the Moabit...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE DEFEAT OF MOAB...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    JEHORAM, JEHOSHAPHAT AND MOAB (vv.1-27) Jehoram, Ahab's son, reigned, over Israel 12 years and followed the sinful example of Jereboam, though not doing so wickedly as Ahab, for he got rid of the i...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    20-27 It is a blessing to be favoured with the company of those who have power with God, and can prevail by their prayers. A kingdom may be upheld and prosper, in consequence of the fervent prayers o...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    HIS ELDEST SON; either, first, The king of Edom's son; whom in this eruption he took, and then sacrificed. Compare AMOS 2:1. But, first, That place speaks of the _king_, not of _the king's son_; and o...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    2 Kings 3:27 took H3947 (H8799) eldest H1060 son H1121 reigned H4427 (H8799) offered H5927 (H8686) offering...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    D. YHWH'S PROVISION FOR THE ALLIANCE FORCES AND THE SUBJUGATION OF MOAB WHICH HAS HOWEVER AN UNFORTUNATE CONSEQUENCE IN MESHA'S CHILD-SACRIFICE (2 KINGS 3:15). YHWH's reply indicated that they had to...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    1). THE REIGN OF JEHORAM KING OF ISRAEL C. 852-841 BC: WAR WITH MOAB (2 KINGS 3:1). The interlude of Elisha's succession to Elijah having taken place in preparation for the future, the narrative now r...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Accession of Jehoram over Israel. Moab rebels against Israel. Elisha's reproof of alliance between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram. Defeat of Moabites. CHARACTERS: God, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, Mesha,...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    2 Kings 3:1. _Jehoram began to reign the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat._ There is a small difficulty here in regard to the chronology of those times. It is said that Ahaziah began to reign the sevent...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Then he took his eldest son _. .. _ and offered him for a burnt offering._ A KING’S SACRIFICE The King of Moab’s sacrifice a picture of the world’s sacrifices. The King of Moab was besieged in Kirha...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.— 2 Kings 3:23. THIS IS BLOOD—For the rancour between the kings of Israel and Judah was well known; hence the Moabites supposed they had slaughtered each other in some q...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 3:1 THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF JEHORAM'S REIGN OVER ISRAEL; HIS WAR WITH MOAB....

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now chapter 3. Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years (2 Kings 3:1). So Jehoram, t...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 20:13; 1 Kings 20:28; 1 Kings 20:43; 1 Samuel 14:36;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    His son — Or rather, his own son: whom he sacrificed; partly, to obtain the favour of his god, according to the manner of the Phoenicians and other people in publick calamities; and partly, to oblige...

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