2 Kings 14

1 In the second [two-year] year of the reign [rule, kingship] of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz [Jehovah has grasped] over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, his descendants], Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] son of Joash [given by the Lord] became king [royal ruler, monarch] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob]. word study 2 He was twenty-five [a son of twenty and five] years old when he became king [to reign, rule as a king], and he reigned [exercised royal authority] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital] twenty-nine [nine and twenty] years. His mother’s [female parent, maternal figure] name was Jehoaddan [a woman of God]; she was from [a native of, originating in] Jerusalem. word study 3 And he did what was right [upright, just] in the eyes [sight, perception] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God], but not [except] as his father [ancestor, forefather] David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] had done. He did everything [all things, according to all that Joash had done] as his father [parent, progenitor] Joash [given by the Lord] had done. word study 4 Nevertheless [howbeit, but], the high places [cultic platforms, elevations] were not taken away [removed, turned aside], and the people [a nation, Israel] continued [still, yet] sacrificing [offering, slaughtering animals] and burning incense [making perfume, offering worship] on the high places [elevated areas, pagan shrines]. word study 5 As soon as the kingdom [the royal dominion, the territory] was firmly [established, strengthened] in his grasp [hand, power], Amaziah executed [slew, put to death] the servants [slaves, attendants] who had murdered [slain, smitten] his father [parent, ancestor] the king [ruler, monarch]. word study 6 Yet he did not put the sons [descendants, children] of the murderers to death, but acted according to what is written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book of the Law [instruction, teachings] of Moses, where the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] commanded: “Fathers [parents, ancestors] must not be put to death for their children [offspring, descendants], and children [sons, daughters] must not be put to death for their fathers [ancestors, parents]; each is to die [be punished, suffer] for his own sin [guilt, offense, missing the mark].” word study 7 Amaziah struck down [slew, killed] 10,000 Edomites [people of Edom, descendants of Esau] in the Valley [lowland, gorge] of Salt [a place of purification]. He took [captured, seized] Sela [the rock, a stronghold] in battle [war, conflict] and called [named, proclaimed] it Joktheel [a place of God’s strength, a stronghold of Edom], which is its name [identity, designation] to this very day [until now, as a lasting testimony]. word study 8 Then [at that time, earlier] Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] sent [dispatched, commissioned] messengers [representatives] to the king [ruler, monarch] of Israel [God’s chosen people] Jehoash [Jehovah has given] son [descendant, offspring] of Jehoahaz [Jehovah has seized], the son [descendant, offspring] of Jehu [Jehovah is He]. “Come [let us walk, let us go], let us meet [see one another, look each other in the face] face [presence, countenance] to face [in each other’s presence],” he said [spoke, declared]. word study 9 But Jehoash [the king of Israel, Joash] king of Israel replied to Amaziah [a common name in Israel, meaning Jehovah is mighty] king of Judah: “A thistle [a type of thorny plant, often found in the wilderness] in Lebanon [a mountain range in Israel, named for its white snow or limestone peaks] sent a message to a cedar [a cedar tree, known for its strength and durability] in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter [a female child or a woman, used figuratively] to my son [a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality] in marriage [to be given as a wife, to enter into a covenant].’ Then a wild beast [a wild animal, often referring to a ferocious or savage creature] in Lebanon came along and trampled [to tread on something, often in a violent or abusive manner] the thistle. word study 10 You have indeed defeated [smitten, struck] Edom, and your heart [the seat of feelings, will, and intellect] has become proud [lifted up, arrogant]. Glory [honor, pride] in that and stay [dwell, abide] at home [in your house, place]. Why should you stir up [meddle, provoke] trouble [evil, adversity] so that you fall [are defeated, come to harm]—you [as an individual] and Judah [the tribe, the people] with you [together, in accompaniment]?” word study 11 But Amaziah [would not heed, refused to listen] would not listen, and Jehoash [the king of Israel, son of Jehoahaz] king of Israel advanced [went up, marched forward]. He and King Amaziah [the ruler of Judah, a descendant of David] of Judah faced [looked one another in the face, saw each other] each other at Beth-shemesh [a town in Judah, the house of the sun] in Judah [the land of the tribe of Judah]. word study 12 And Judah [the tribe, descendants of Judah] was routed [put to the worse, smitten] before [in the presence of] Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s people], and every man [individual] fled [to quickly leave] to his home [tent, dwelling place]. word study 13 There at Beth-shemesh [Heliopolis, house of the sun], Jehoash [Jehovah is strong] king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] captured [to seize, take hold of] Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty] king of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob], the son of Joash [Jehovah has given, a gift from God], the son of Ahaziah [Jehovah holds or sustains]. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the chief city of the united kingdom] and broke down [to burst out, force one’s way] the wall [a barrier for protection and security] of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate [the entrance to the city, named after the tribe of Ephraim] to the Corner Gate [a gate at an angle or a chief ruler’s location]—a section of four hundred [a large quantity, numerous] cubits [a unit of measurement, about the length of a forearm]. word study 14 He took all the gold [valuable metal] and silver [precious commodity, used for trade] and all the articles [utensils, vessels, objects of worship] found in the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and in the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] of the royal palace [king’s residence, seat of power], as well as some hostages [pledges, security guarantees, sons of the kingdom]. Then he returned [turned back, went back to his own land] to Samaria [watch mountain, capital city of Israel]. word study 15 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [accomplishments, deeds] of Jehoash [the son of Jehoahaz], along with his accomplishments [mighty works, valiant deeds], his might [strength, power], and how he waged war [fought, battled] against Amaziah [the king of Judah] king of Judah [the tribe of Judah], are they not written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [events, history] of the Kings [rulers, leaders] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob]? word study 16 And Jehoash [slept, died] rested with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and was buried [laid to rest, interred] in Samaria [the capital city of Israel, watch mountain] with the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. And his son [offspring, descendant] Jeroboam [the people will contend] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study 17 Amaziah [the son of Joash, a king of Judah] son of Joash [given by the Lord] king of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] lived [to have life, to be quickened] for fifteen [five and ten] years after [following, in the rear] the death [the end of life, a separation from God] of Joash [given by the Lord] son of Jehoahaz [Jehovah has seized] king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants]. word study 18 As for the rest [remainder, excess] of the acts [events, deeds] of Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty], are they not [certainly not, no] written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [history, accounts] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Judah [the tribe of Judah, the region]? word study 19 And conspirators [plotters, those who made a secret design] plotted [wrought treason, made a conspiracy] against Amaziah [the king of Judah] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Palestine], and he fled [to quickly leave, escaped] to Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem]. But men were sent [departed, went after] after him to Lachish, and they killed [slew, put to death] him there [in that place, at that location]. word study 20 They carried [brought, lifted] him back on [upon] horses [swallow, chariot horses] and buried [interred, laid to rest] him in [at] Jerusalem [the city of peace] with [together, in company] his fathers [ancestors, forefathers] in [within] the City [town, settlement] of David [the king]. word study 21 Then all [the entire nation] the people of Judah [a tribe of Israel, descendants of Judah] took Azariah [a son of God, helped by God], who was sixteen [six and ten, a youthful age] years old, and made him king [to reign, to rule with authority] in place of [instead of, as a substitute for] his father [parent, ancestor, or elder] Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty, God is strong]. word study 22 Azariah [the son of Amaziah, Uzziah’s other name] was the one who rebuilt [restored, recaptured] Elath [a port city, Eloth] and restored [brought back, returned] it to Judah [the tribe, the region] after King Amaziah [the father, the predecessor] rested [slept, lay down] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors]. word study 23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah [Jehovah is mighty, a common name in Israel] son of Joash [given by the Lord, a king of Judah] over Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob], Jeroboam [the people will contend, a name of two Israelite kings] son of Jehoash became king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants], and he reigned [to advise or counsel, to rule as a king] in Samaria [watch mountain, a region in northern Palestine] forty-one [forty, and one] years. word study 24 And he did evil [that which was morally wrong, bad] in the sight [before the eyes, in full view] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] and did not turn away [depart, remove himself] from all [every, the entire scope] the sins [transgressions, guilt] that Jeroboam [the people will contend, a king of Israel] son of Nebat [an Ephraimite, the father of Jeroboam] had caused Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] to commit [to sin, to miss the mark]. word study 25 This Jeroboam restored [brought back, reclaimed] the boundary [border, limit] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants] from Lebo-hamath [the entering of Hamath, a key location] to the Sea [large body of water] of the Arabah [the desert plain, wilderness], according to the word [divine message, command] that the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme God] of Israel, had spoken [communicated, declared] through His servant [faithful attendant, prophet] Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet [one who speaks for God] from Gath-hepher [the winepress of digging, a place in Palestine]. word study 26 For the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] saw that the affliction [state of trouble or hardship] of the Israelites, both slave [those in bondage] and free [those unrestrained], was very [exceedingly, greatly] bitter. There was no one [none, nothing] to help [assist, aid] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people], word study 27 and since the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] had said that He would not [ever, at all] blot out [erase, wipe away] the name [identity, reputation] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people] from under [beneath, below] heaven [the visible universe, the sky], He saved [rescued, delivered] them by the hand [power, direction] of Jeroboam [the people will contend, a king of Israel] son of Jehoash. word study 28 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, accomplishments] of Jeroboam [the people will contend], along with all [everything, the entirety] his accomplishments [valiant deeds, mighty works] and might [strength, power], and how he waged war [fought battles, contended with enemies] and recovered [restored, brought back] both Damascus [the capital city of Syria] and Hamath [an ancient city in Syria] for Israel [the northern kingdom, God’s chosen people] from Judah, are they not written [recorded, inscribed] in the Book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [events, history] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel [God’s chosen people]? word study 29 And Jeroboam [slept, died, or rested] rested with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors], the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. And his son [descendant, offspring] Zechariah [Jehovah remembers, a king of Israel] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position, underneath him]. word study