2 Kings 15

Guar. XV. Ver. 1-38. Azariah king of Judah also begins well, but apostatizes, and is succeeded by his son Jotham. In Israel, Jeroboam is succeeded by Zachariah, who acts wickedly, and is succeeded by a race of rebels and assassins.—This Azariah is also called Uzziah in the subsequent verses of this chapter. For several years, as a prophet he did “that which was right in the sight of the Lord,” and in all his concerns prospered. Philistines, Arabians, Ammonites, &c., and his dominion extended even to the entering in of Egypt. He built towers in Jerusalem, cultivated vineyards, and fed cattle, “* for he loved husbandry.” And yet, after all, the author of the Chronicles had formerly belonged to Judah, but had been hemmed in by the kings of Syria.

During the time of Zechariah the heart was lifted up, to rebel against the Lord his God, and he persisted to burn incense upon the altar, standing all the remonstrances of the priests, persevered in so doing, till he was smitten with leprosy in his forehead, on which he was separated both from the temple worship and from the government, and his son Jotham reigned in his stead. We now turn to the history of Israel, which exhibits little more than a succession of treachery and murder. First, Zachariah reigned six months, and followed the idolatries of Jeroboam. He subdued the Jeroboam son of Nebat. He was then slain by Shallum, who reigned only one month, and was slain by Menahem, a monster of cruelty, with whom the nation was punished ten years.

Pekahiah his son, who succeeded him, was murdered by Pekah, for he transgressed the law and desecrated the temple of the Lord, and went into the altar of incense;” and notwithstanding a circular trench in the ground, sufficient to enclose the whole company assembled. “They kindle a fire, and dress a repast of eggs and milk, in the consistence of a custard: they knead a cake of oatmeal, which is toasted at the embers against a stone.” After the custard is eaten, they divide the cake into as many separate parts as there are persons present, and one part is made perfectly black with charcoal. The bits of cake are put into a bonnet, and are drawn blindfold, and he who draws the black bit is considered as devoted to be sacrificed to Baal, and is obliged to leap three times through the flames.

Pennant (Tour in Scotland, 1769) gives a similar account, with varying ceremonies. “In Ireland,” says Macpherson, “Beltein is celebrated on the 21st of June, at the time of the solstice. There they make fires on the tops of the hills, and every member of the family is made to pass through the fire, as they reckon this ceremony to ensure good fortune during the succeeding year. This resembles the rite used by the Romans in Palilia. Beltein (adds M.) is also observed in Lancashire.” (Compare with the above our exposition on Levit. ch. xx. and note on ver. 2.) But to return to Ahaz. He no sooner restores idolatry, than he is involved in war, and surrounded by enemies. Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, besiege Jerusalem; the former retook Elath, (which had been built by Uzziah, ch.

xiv. 22.) and expelled all the Jews from thence; but they could not overcome Ahaz. However, they so alarmed him, that he sent a cringing message to the king of Assyria, and bribed him with the treasures of the temple, to come to his assistance; he accordingly captured Damascus, and slew Rezin, king of Syria. This, for the present, relieved Ahaz; but at the same time both impoverished and ensnared him; for, going to meet the king of Assyria at Damascus, he saw a model of it and sent a model of it to Jerusalem, and ordered the priest, who was servile enough to obey him, to have a similar one placed in the temple, where he himself officiated; and that which had been erected by Solomon was removed, to make room for it.

He took down also the brazen sea from the back of the brazen oxen, and made other alterations, which showed his utter disregard for the divine commands, and his subserviency to the king of Assyria, to gratify whom these alterations are said to have been made. But we must refer, with our text, to the book of Chronicles, for some other particulars of importance there recorded. (See (2 Chronicles 28))

Notes on the verses

Chap. XV. Ver. 1. Our translators explain this of the kingdom with his father, with wars. It is the 16th of Jeroboam’s monarchy. “At the death of Amaziah, his son and heir, Azariah, (or Uzziah,) had been empty 11 years, and the government administered by protectors, was 16 years old, for he was but 16 in Jeroboam’s 27th year; therefore the throne must have been while Uzziah was in his minority.——Azariah.—(Dr. Kennicott complains loudly here of “the corruption in the name of this king of Judah, who is expressed by four different names in this chapter: Ozriah, Oziah, Ozrihu, and Ozihu. Our oldest Hebrew MS. relieves us here, by reading truly, in verses 1, 6, 7, Uzziah, where the printed text is differently corrupted.

This reading is called true, 1. Because it is supported by the Syriac and Arabic versions in these three verses. 2. Because the printed text itself has it so in verses 32 and 34, of this very chapter. 3. Because it is so expressed in the parallel place in Chronicles: and, 4. Because it is not Azarias, but Ozias, (Uzziah,) in St. Matthew’s genealogy.” |—Bagster. Twenty and seventh year, &c.—The marginal note of “the 27th year of Jeroboam’s partnership in the kingdom” made him consort at his going to the Syrian wars. Dr. Lightfoot explains it thus; Ver. 5. A several.—Rather, a separate house, according to the law. (Leviticus 13:46). Heb. “A house of freedom.” It is said that this Pul was the father of the father. Ver. 19. Pul.—(Prideaux supposes an error with his father’s name Pul, famous Sardanapalus, who was called Sardan Sardanpul: thus Merodach, annexed, as was frequent in those times, making Merodach-Baladan, because he was the son of Baladan. This Pul began to reign, according to Usher, A. M. 3237, the fifth year of Menahem; and he is supposed to be the same that reigned in Nineveh, when Jonah preached in that city. |—Bagster. Ver. 20. Each man fifty shekels.—(Or rather, as Bishop Patrick renders, “to give the king of Assyria fifty shekels of silver for each man,” i.e. in his army. It may be supposed, that Menahem compelled “the mighty men of wealth” to give much more a-piece than this sum, (somewhat about $22.22 each,) and each of them in some proportion to his affluence. |—Bagster. Argob and Arieh.— Ver. 25. With A It is not certain whether these were attendants upon the king, (which is very likely,) or engaged with Pekah in the conspiracy.

[From the construction of the Hebrew text, it would appear that in the days of Pekah king of Israel, Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. In the days of Pekah king of Israel, years came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.

And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the Lord.

Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In those days the Lord began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. Ahaz reigned twenty years, till he also was slain, and succeeded by Hoshea the son of Elah. During this succession of revolutions, two successive kings of Assyria laid the country under contributions, took various towns, and carried off many of the inhabitants into Assyria. To return to Judah: Jotham the son of Uzziah, (otherwise Azariah,) seems to have been so affected with the fate of his father, that though he “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,”

he entered not within the temple, at least in the early part of his reign, which probably encouraged the people to burn incense in the high places. However, he was successful in war, laid the children of Ammon under tribute, and “became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” ((2 Chronicles 27:6).)