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á . Reign of Joash under the Guidance of Jehoiada: Repair of the Temple: 2Ch_24:1-14
4And it came to pass after this that it was in the heart of Joash to renew the house of the Lord. 5And he gathered the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out into the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and hasten ye the matter: but the Levites hastened it not. 6And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and Jerusalem the tax of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the 7congregation of Israel, for the tent of witness? For Athaliah the wicked doer [ and] her sons have broken up the house of God, and bestowed all the 8consecrated things of the house of the Lord upon Baalim. And the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the 9house of the Lord. And they proclaimed in Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the tax of Moses the servant of God upon Israel in the wilder ness. 10And all the princes and all the people were glad, and they brought 11and cast into the chest, till it was full. And at the time when the chest was brought to the survey of the king by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then went the king’s scribe and the officer of the head priest and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again: thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. 12And the king and Jehoiada gave it to the work-master of the service of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to renew the house of the Lord, and also smiths in iron and brass to repair the house of the Lord. 13And the workmen wrought, and furtherance was given to the work by their hand: and they set the house of God in its form, and strengthened it. 14And when they had finished, they brought before the king and Jehoiada the rest of the money, and they made of it vessels for the house of the lord, vessels for ministering and offering, and cups, and vessels of gold and silver: and they offered burnt-offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
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á . Duration of his Reign, and its Spirit: 2Ch_25:1-4
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20And Amaziah hearkened not; for it was of God that they might be given 21up, because they sought after the gods of Edom. And Joash king of Israel went up, and they looked one another in the face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which is of Judah. 22And Judah was smitten before 23Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the 24gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, and the hostages; and he 25returned to Samaria. And Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived after 26the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the 27book of the kings of Judah and Israel? And from the time that Amaziah turned away from the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: and they sent after him to Lachish, and there put him to death. 28And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
á . His early Theocratic Inclination and Prosperous Reign: 2Ch_26:1-15
6And he went out and fought with the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines. 7And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabs that dwelt in Gur-baal, and against the Meunites. 8And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name 9went even to Egypt; for he became very mighty. And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem, at the corner gate and at the valley-gate, and at the corner, and 10fortified them. And he built towers in the wilderness, and dug many wells; for he had much cattle in the lowland and in the plain; husbandmen and vine-dressers in the mountains and in Carmel; for he was a lover of land. 11And Uzziah had a host of fighting men, that went out to war in troops, by the number of their muster at the hand of Jeuel the scribe, and Maaseiah the officer, at the hand of Hananiah, one of the captains of the king. 12The whole number of the chiefs of the fathers for the mighty men of valour 13was two thousand and six hundred. And at their hand was an army of three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred fighting men in full strength, to help the king against the foe. 14And Uzziah prepared for them, for the whole army, shields and spears, and helmets and coats of mail, and 15bows and sling-stones. And at Jerusalem he made engines, the invention of craftsmen, to be on the towers and battlements, to shoot arrows and great stones: and his name went forth far abroad; for he was marvellously helped till he was strong.
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22And the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, Isaiah son of Amos the 23prophet wrote. And Uzziah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field of the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.
7And the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all his wars and his ways, lo, 8they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. He was twenty and five years old when he became king; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9And Jotham slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.
á . Idolatry of Ahaz: his Defeat by the Syrians and Ephraimites: 2Ch_28:1-8
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26And the rest of his acts and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city in Jerusalem: for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
1.Reign of Joash under the Guidance of Jehoiada: Repair of the Temple: 2Ch_24:1-14—The parallel account in 2Ki_12:1-17 is more detailed in the statement of several circumstances, especially with regard to the repair of the temple, but yet receives many important supplements from the present narrative, which is derived from the same sources, but constructed on different views and principles.
2Ch_24:2. All the days of Jehoiada the priest. Somewhat different in 2 Kings: “during all his days, while Jehoiada instructed him.”
2Ch_24:3. And Jehoiada chose for him two wives. åַéִּùָּׂàÎìåֹ here obviously expresses this sense, not as in 2Ch_13:21 : “ took to himself”; for it refers to this, that the young king soon married and begat an heir to the throne.
2Ch_24:4-14. The Repair of the Temple; comp. Bähr’s exposition of 2Ki_12:5-17.—To renew the house of the Lord; comp. 2Ch_15:8, and the synonym “to repair” (properly, “strengthen, make strong again”) in 2Ch_24:5; 2Ki_12:6.—And hasten ye the matter, properly, “ with respect to the matter.” On the relation of the following statement, according to which the Levites hastened not, to the apparently different narrative in 2 Kings, comp. Bähr.
2Ch_24:6. And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, namely, of the priesthood, by which, however, is not necessarily meant the high priest; the phrase ëֹּäֵï äָøֹàùׁ , “head-priest, supreme priest,” may (as, for example, above 2Ch_19:11 of Amariah, or beneath 2Ch_26:20 of Azariah, under King Uzziah) denote the legal high priest, but has not necessarily this meaning; comp. on 23.8.—Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in, literally, “asked of the Levites,” etc. (comp. Job_5:8; Psa_142:3) ? The “ tax ” or assessment of Moses ( îַùְׂàַú , as 2Ch_24:9; comp. Eze_20:40) is that of the sanctuary (heave–offering) imposed, Exo_30:12-16; Exo_38:25, by Moses, and willingly paid by the community of Israel, of half a shekel a head.
2Ch_24:7. For Athaliah . . . (and) her sons. By these “sons” of Athaliah are scarcely meant the priests of Baal (Jerome) or certain bastard sons of the queen (Ewald, Gesch. iii. 1, 290), but probably Ahaziah with his brothers and brothers’ sons (comp. 2Ch_21:17, 2Ch_22:3 f.), that might have shown their zeal for idolatry at a very early age (comp. Berth., also Hitz. Gesch. p. 203).—Broken up the house of God; ôָּøַõ , as 1Ch_13:11; Job_30:14; Ecc_10:8.—All the consecrated things of the house of the Lord; all the gold and silver vessels, weapons, etc., preserved there as gifts. Of such profanation of the temple treasures by the idolatrous sons of Athaliah, moreover, the Chronist only reports, who here supplements the statements of 2 Kings.
2Ch_24:10. Cast into the chest till it was full. òַã ìְáַìֵּä , as 2Ch_21:1 (comp. also òַã ëַּìֵּä , 2Ki_13:17; 2Ki_13:19); literally, “even to making full,” whereby may be meant either the fulness of the number of givers, or even the fulness of the chest that received the gifts. The latter sense, which the Sept and Vulg. express, commends itself most, as 2Ch_24:11 shows, and should not therefore have been questioned by Berth., Kamph., etc.
2Ch_24:11. And at the time, etc., literally, “and it came to pass at the time when one brought the chest to the survey of the king,” that is, for the royal surveillance or keeping ( ôְּ÷ֻãָּä , as in 2Ch_23:18).—And when they saw that there was much money, properly, “and on their seeing,” etc.—Thus they did day by day, literally, “ to day by day ” (comp. 1Ch_12:22), that is, every day when it was necessary, every time that the chest was full.
2Ch_24:12. And the king . . . gave it to the work-master of the service of the house of the Lord. òֲáֹãַú áֵּéúÎéְäåָֹä here, not “ service in the house of the Lord,” as 1Ch_23:24, but labour, repair of the house of the Lord.—And they hired, literally, “and they were hiring,” continually from day to day; comp. Mat_20:1 ff. “ Masons and carpenters”; so in 1Ch_22:14; comp. Ezr_3:7.
2Ch_24:13. And furtherance was given to the work by their hand, literally, “there went up (was laid, Jer_8:22) binding on the work”; on àֲøåּëָä , “binding, healing,” comp. Neh_6:1; Jer_30:17.—And they set the house of God in its form; literally, “on its measure” (Exo_30:32), that is, in the original proportions.
2Ch_24:14. And they made of it vessels, literally, “made it vessels” (into vessels); comp. Ezr_1:7.—Vessels for ministering and offering, altar vessels (comp. Num_4:12), from which cups (Exo_25:29) and other gold and silver vessels are there distinguished.—And they offered burnt-offerings . . . all the days of Jehoiada: as long as he had the direction of the temple worship, it was conducted in a regular and legal way; that it had quite ceased after Jehoiada’s death, neither the present phrase nor the subsequent narrative affirms.
2. Death of Jehoiada: Stoning of his Son: the Prophet Zechariah: 2Ch_24:15-22. There is no parallel to this section in 2 Kings 12; but it is of no less importance for the pragmatic understanding of that which is related underneath, 2Ch_24:23 ff., concerning the last events in the life of Joash.—And Jehoiada was old and full of days. ùְׂáַò éָîִéí as otherwise only of the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, of David (1Ch_24:1; comp. 2Ch_29:28), and of Job (Job_42:17), so in general is it used only of five men of God in the Old Testament; comp. Achelis, Das Zeitalter der Patriarchen, a contribution to the understanding of Scripture (Barm. 1871), p. 46. From the following statement of his age as 130 years at his death, it follows that he must have been about 100 years old when he helped his nephew by a successful revolution to the throne (877 b.C. by the common chronology); for the repair of the temple carried on by Joash and him (which he survived for a time, according to 2Ch_24:14 of our chapter), fell, according to 2Ki_12:7, in the twenty-third year of that king.
2Ch_24:16. And they buried him . . . with the kings. With this honourable distinction bestowed upon him at his death, the directly following record of the slaughter of his like-minded son stands in the same contrast as that presented by Christ, Mat_23:29 ff., over against the Pharisees.
2Ch_24:17. Bowed down before the king, earnestly entreating; for what? The following words show that it was for permission to worship strange gods along with the Lord. That Joash himself forthwith took part in this worship of idols is not affirmed, but that he bore the full responsibility of it, and afterwards took a direct part in the impiety, is plain from 2Ch_24:21 f.; comp. 2Ch_24:25.
2Ch_24:18. Served the Asherim, etc.; comp. on 2Ch_16:2. For the flame of wrath ( ÷ֶöֶó ) which this enkindled, comp. 2Ch_19:2; 2Ch_19:10, 2Ch_29:8.
2Ch_24:19. Testified against them, by way of warning, pointing to the inevitable consequences of their apostasy; comp. 2Ki_17:13; Psa_50:7; Neh_9:26; Neh_9:29. Was Joel also among these prophetic monitors? As we may conjecture from his book that his age nearly coincided with the reign of Joash, it is not improbable; comp. Wünsche, Die Weissagung des Proph. Joel, Introd. p. 13 ff.; also Keil, Introd. to the O. T. p. 322 f.
2Ch_24:20. And the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. On ìָáַùׁ , “clothe,” comp. 1Ch_12:18. The identity with the Zechariah mentioned by Christ, Mat_23:35, Luk_11:51, as slain between the temple and the altar, who is called in the former passage “the son of Barachias,” is to be assumed the more certainly, as—1. The place of his death quite agrees there and here (the èõóéáôÞñéïí is the altar of burnt-offering, which stood in the court; comp. 2Ch_24:21); 2. An allusion is made in the speech of Christ to our passage before mentioning the martyrdom of Zechariah; see above on 2Ch_24:16; 2 Chronicles , 3. The Barachias named in Mat_23:35 as the father of Zechariah may have been the son of Jehoiada, and Zechariah his grandson, which is highly probable, from the great age to which Jehoiada attained.—Stood up before the people, properly, “above the people” ( îֵòַì ìְ , as in 2Ch_13:4); the inner court, from which he spoke, and where he was afterwards slain, was higher than the outer, where the people stood.—And do not prosper, or: and will be unfortunate, will have no success. The two things are, in a theocratico-prophetical point of view, inseparably connected: the forsaking of the Lord (comp. 2Ch_12:5, 2Ch_15:2, etc.), and becoming unfortunate; comp. 2Ch_26:5 (Uzziah).
2Ch_24:21. And they conspired against him; comp. 2Ch_24:25; 1Ki_15:27, and also 2Ch_23:13. The true witness of God is slain by stoning, the very penalty which is in the law (Lev_20:2; Lev_24:23) imposed on idolaters, to which therefore his murderers were doomed.
2Ch_24:22. And Joash . . . remembered not the kindness; çֶñֶã , as in Mic_6:8. Joash appears here designated as the murderer of the son (or grandson) of Jehoiada, certainly not for mere silent connivance at the wicked deed, but for positive and direct participation in it; comp. 2Ch_24:21.—The Lord shall see and require, or “ will see (comp. Psa_84:10) and require” ( ãøùׁ , here “seek revenge, punish;” comp. Psa_9:13; 1Sa_20:16).
3. Distress of Joash by the Syrians, and his End: 2Ch_24:23-27. Here again 2Ki_12:18-21 affords a parallel, where that which relates to the invasion of the Syrians is narrated more particularly, and their king, Hazael (Haza-ilu of the Assyrian inscriptions), is named as executor of this judgment on Joash.—And it came to pass in the course of a year, “in the circuit of a year,” the year beginning with the death of the prophet Zechariah.—That the host of Syria, as in 2Ch_24:24.—And destroyed all the princes of the people out of the people, out of the mass of the people (comp. Psa_89:20), so that these were spared, but their chiefs, who were the authors of the religious and moral evil (2Ch_24:17 f.), were overtaken by the doom of extermination. On the variants in the old versions with respect to “out of the people,” see Crit. Note.—With few men, literally, “with smallness of men”; comp. Job_8:7.—And they executed judgments upon Joash. òָùָׂä ùְׁôָèִéí , as in Exo_12:12; Num_33:4; Eze_5:10; Eze_5:15; elsewhere with áְ , here with àֵú (comp. òָùָׂä èåֹá àֵú , 1Sa_24:19).The judgment upon Joash refers especially to the mortal wound which he received.
2Ch_24:25. For they left him with many wounds. îַֽçֲìֻéִéí , less suitably translated “diseases” by Luther, occurs only here; but comp. the similar úַּֽçֲìֻàִéí 21:19 With respect to the somewhat surprising “sons of Jehoiada” (instead of son), see Crit. Note.—And slew him on his bed; narrated more particularly 2Ki_12:21. The burial was not in the tombs of the kings, but in another place, as in the case of Joram; see 2Ch_21:20.
2Ch_24:26. On the names of the conspirators, of which one is different in 2 Kings 12 (Jozachar for Zabad), see Bähr on this passage.
2Ch_24:27. And his sons, and the greatness of the burden upon him, the greatness of the treasure which he had to send as tribute to Hazael in Syria; comp. 2Ki_12:19. So it is perhaps to be explained (with Then. and Kamph.) on the basis of the Kethib åְøֹá äַîַּùָּׂà òָìָéå . Possible also is the interpretation adopted by Cleric., Keil, and others: “and the multitude of prophetic oracles concerning him” (comp. 2Ch_24:19), though in this case the singular äַîַּùָּׂà is somewhat strange. On the contrary, the reference, attempted by the Vulg., Luther, and others, of the øá äîùׂà to the temple tribute (2Ch_24:6; 2Ch_24:9) imposed by Joash would require a change into îַùְּׂàַú , and the òָìָéå would not suit this view (for which we should rather expect òַì éִùְׂøָàֵì . The Keri éִøֶá gives rise to the sense: “ and with regard to his sons the oracle (that of the dying Zechariah, 2Ch_24:22 b) multiplied itself in them,” which is obviously much too obscure, and could scarcely be intended by the Masoretes themselves. The Sept. alters the text quite arbitrarily, êáὶ ðñïóῆëèïí áὐôῷ ïἱ ðÝíôå ( çֲîִùָּׁä for äַîַּùָּׂà ), and so the Syriac.—Behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of Kings, the elaboration of this book; comp. on 2Ch_13:12, and Introd. § 5, ii.
4. Amaziah: a. Duration of his Reign, and its Spirit: 2Ch_25:1-4; comp. the essentially parallel verses, 2Ki_14:1-6.
2Ch_25:2. And he did. . . but not with undivided heart. For this is in 2 Kings: “yet not like David his father, he did according to all that his father Joash did.” This more particular statement our author avoided, perhaps, on account of the less favourable light in which he had exhibited Joash. The following also: “only the high places were not removed,” etc., he omits; perhaps he intended sufficiently to indicate this partial continuance of idolatry by his “not with undivided heart” (comp. 2Ch_16:9).
2Ch_25:4. Put not their sons to death, according to the law, Deu_24:16; comp. Bähr on 2Ki_14:6.
5. Continuation: b. The Conquest of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt: 2Ch_25:5-13. Again a section peculiar to the Chronist, for which nothing is found in 2Ki_14:7 but the brief notice that Amaziah smote the Edomites in the valley of Salt, took their city Sela, and gave it the name Joktheel.—And he mustered them (comp. Num_1:3) and found them 300,000 choice men; thus almost a million less than the force of Judah and Benjamin under Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 17, and, if the numbers there are to be considered incorrect, even much less than the sum total of the troops of the south kingdom given in 2Ch_14:7 for the time of Asa. But it is obvious that the number of troops must be shown to be much diminished by defeats sustained during the last reigns and other calamities, and therefore in need of being strengthened by foreign mercenary soldiers, as the following verse clearly proves.—Going out to war (comp. 1Ch_5:18), holding spear and shield; comp. 1Ch_13:9; Jer_46:9.
2Ch_25:7. With all the sons of Ephraim. This is a more definite addition to “Israel” (comp. Isa_17:3; Isa_28:1) that appears not unnecessary, because the author often designates the kingdom or people of Judah also as Israel (comp. on 2Ch_12:1).
2Ch_25:8. But go thou alone, do, or “ execute it”; comp. 1Ch_22:16; Ezr_10:4.—Be strong for the battle, (otherwise) God shall make thee fall before the enemy. The sense is obvious; “be strong, then will God not let thee fall.” Before éַëְùִׁéìְêָ is to be supplied åְìֹà , with Ew., Berth., Keil, Kamph., etc.; for the ëִּé àִí can neither be taken (with Cleric.) = sin minus, nor (with Seb. Schmidt, Ramb., etc.) = alioquin. That the text certainly needs emendation is manifest from the arbitrary and diverse interpretations presented by the old translators; for example, the Sept. ὄôé ἐὰí ὑðïëÜâῃò êáôéó÷ῦóáé ἐí ôïýôïéò ; Vulg. quod si vultis in robore exercitus bella consistere; Luther, “For so thou comest as to show a boldness in fight, God will let thee fall before thy enemies.”—For with God is power to help and to cast down, literally, “present is might in God,” etc. For the sentence, comp. 1Ch_29:12; 2Ch_20:6; also the well-known verse of G. Neumark, “He is the only wonder-man, who now lift up, now cast down can.”
2Ch_25:9. What shall we do for the 100 talents? In the mouth of a prudent ruler, who counts the cost in all his steps, certainly a very pardonable question, even as the answer given to it is highly worthy of a trustful man of God. ðְּãåּã , “troop,” that is, a body of mercenaries; comp. 2Ch_22:1; 2Ki_13:20 f.
2Ch_25:10. To wit, the host, etc. ìְ before äַâְּãåּã is the defining ìְ =namely (comp. 2Ch_25:5 a); the whole is in apposition to the suffix in åַéַּáְãִּéìֵí —And they returned to their place in hot anger, literally, “in the glow of anger” (comp. Exo_11:8), enraged at the bad usage they had received, and at the prospect of booty being first held out to them and then withdrawn (comp. Act_16:9).
2Ch_25:11. And Amaziah took courage. äִúְçַåֵּ÷ , as in 2Ch_15:8; comp. also the çֲæַ÷ of the prophet in 2Ch_25:8. On the situation of the valley of Salt (south-east of the Dead Sea), see Bahr on 2Ki_14:7.
2Ch_25:12. And brought them to the top of the rock ( ìְøֹàùׁ äַñֶּìַò ), probably the rock on or at which the Edomite capital Sela lay, so that the rendering “on the top of Sela” (Kamph., etc.) is admissible. The passage in 2Ki_14:7, where the taking of Sela after the victory in the valley of Salt is recorded, and the present one thus complete one another. That the present report of the Chronist is merely derived from a misunderstanding of the text of the old source, somehow become illegible (Then, on 2Ki_14:7), appears an inadmissible assumption on this account, that our writer would not have imputed so frightful and barbarous a proceeding as the throwing of thousands of captive Edomites down a precipice (comp. for the matter of fact, Psa_137:9; Luk_4:29), on light grounds or on a mere misunderstanding, to a king like Amaziah (comp. on 1Ch_18:2; 1Ch_20:3). Besides, the number 10,000 here, as in the previous verse, is a round number, and not to be pressed in its literal sense.
2Ch_25:13. And the men of the host (literally, “sons of the host,” that is, the troops belonging to it) fell upon the cities of Judah; comp. for construction, Gen_22:24. This pillaging raid of the mercenaries is to be regarded as simultaneous with the absence of Amaziah in Idumea, and favoured thereby; comp. the similar events in the thirty years and the seven years wars; also the invasion of Switzerland by the Armagnacs, and of Elsass under the Emperor Frederic III. (1444), etc.—From Samaria even to Beth-horon, that is, with Samaria as starting-point, and Beth-horon (see for its site on 1Ch_7:24) as the termination of their raid, so that all the towns between these two, so far as they belonged to Judah, were exposed to pillage.
6. Close: c. Amaziah’s Idolatry, War with Joash of Israel, and End: 2Ch_25:14-28. The second book of Kings presents no parallel to the statements regarding the desertion of Amaziah to the gods of the conquered Edomites, 2Ch_25:14-16. On the contrary, the report of the war with Joash of Israel (2Ch_25:17-24) agrees almost literally with 2Ki_14:8-14, as also the following 2Ch_25:25-28 with the closing remarks there, 2Ch_25:17-20—After Amaziah was come from smiting the Edomites; comp. 2Sa_1:1.The “gods” of the children of Seir are naturally their idols (otherwise ôְּñִéìִéí or ùִׁ÷ֻּöִéí ); and the conquered Edomites are here called children of Seir, not because they were identical with the tribe of Seirites or Meunites (2Ch_20:1; 2Ch_20:10; 2Ch_20:22) who dwelt with them, but because here, where the peculiarity of their gods as hill-gods came into view (comp. 1Ki_20:23), it was very natural to designate them according to the hill-country in which they dwelt.
2Ch_25:16. Have we made thee counsellor to the king? properly, “given”; the plural ðְúַðּåּêָ is of communicative import, spoken from the position of the king and his council. With the question: “Why should they smite thee?” comp. the similar one: “Why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Eze_33:11.)—I know (have now observed) that God hath resolved to destroy thee; comp. 1Sa_2:25 (Eli); and Exo_6:1; Exo_10:1; Exo_10:11 :I, etc. (Pharaoh).—Because thou hast done this (worshipped the gods of Edom), and hast not hearkened to my counsel. Thus the prophet declares himself authorized to give counsel to the king, however scornfully the latter may have deprecated this as an assumption on his part.
2Ch_25:17 ff.; comp. Bähr on 2Ki_14:8 ff.—Took counsel, namely, with his counsellors and courtiers; comp. 2Ch_10:6; 1Ch_13:1 Luther’s rendering is also possible: resolved, came to the decision after counsel taken.—Come ( ýýý ìְëָä = ìְêָ , “come on”; comp. Num_23:13; Jdg_19:13), let us look one another in the face, measure, have a passage at arms with one another.
2Ch_25:19. Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten Edom, or if thou hast smitten. It is, moreover, of the same import if we render (with Luther, Kamph., etc.) “I have smitten.”—And thy heart hath lifted thee up (or “carried, urged thee;” comp. Exo_35:21; Exo_35:26) to boast, properly, “to make heavy”; comp. Isa. 8:23. It is considerably different in 2Ki_14:10; see Bähr on the passage.
2Ch_25:20. For it was of God that they should be given up, literally, “that they might be given into the hand (of the enemy)”; comp. Deu_1:27; 1Ki_20:42, etc.
2Ch_25:22. And they fled every man to his tent, to his house; comp. 2Ch_10:16; 1Ki_8:66.
2Ch_25:23. From the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate; so according to the emendation ùַׁòַø äַôִּðָּä for ùׁ× äַôּåֹðֶä , which latter reading gives no rational sense, as the direction in which the gate in question turns itself must have been stated if ùׁ× äַôּåֹðֶä meant the gate turning itself (comp. Eze_8:3).
2Ch_25:24. And all the gold, namely, “he took,” a verb ( ì÷ç ) which is to be supplied from 2Ki_14:14
2Ch_25:25-28. Comp. Bähr on the parallel 2Ki_14:17-20; and with regard to “the book of the kings of Judah and Israel” (2Ch_25:26), Introd. § 5, ii.
2Ch_25:28. In the city of Judah appears to be an error in copying for “in the city of David,” occasioned by the following ëָּìÎòַí éְäåּãָä (2Ch_26:1); comp. Crit. Note. If the Masoretic reading is to be retained, we might be tempted to think of the designation ðüëéò ’ Éïýäá , occurring Luk_1:39, which, however, can scarcely be supposed to refer to Jerusalem (see Van Oosterzee on this passage).
7. Uzziah: a. His early Theocratic Inclination and Prosperous Reign: 2Ch_26:1-15; comp. the very brief parallel, 2Ki_14:21-22; 2Ki_15:1-2, where the present (2Ch_26:6-15) report of the successful wars of Uzziah, his buildings, and his strong military force, is wanting. There, moreover, this king, along with the present name ( òֻæִּéָּäåּ , “might of Jehovah”), bears also the name Azariah ( òֲæַøְéָä or òֲæַøְéָäåּ “whom Jehovah helps”). Comp. 2Ki_14:21; 2Ki_15:1; 2Ki_15:6; 2Ki_15:8; 2Ki_15:23; 2Ki_15:27, where the latter form is used, with 2Ki_15:13; 2Ki_15:30; 2Ki_15:32; 2Ki_15:34, where “Uzziah” stands, the form which the Chronist, irrespective of 1Ch_3:12, always uses, and which is also found in the superscriptions of the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah, as in Isa_6:1; Isa_7:1. The Assyrian cuneate inscriptions (the tablets of Tiglath-pileser; see Schrader, p. 114) present exclusively the form Azariah (Az-ri-ya-hu), whereby the opinion of those who regard this form as the later, or as the result of a mere error of writing, is refuted (so, for example, Gesen.-Dietrich in Lexicon). But Hitzig’s hypothesis also (Gesch. p. 209), that the name Azariah was transformed from that of the high priest contemporary with him (2Ch_26:17) to the king, is refuted by this evidence of Assyrian inscriptions. Much rather the only assumption that remains warranted is: “that the similar names of almost equal import were used simultaneously” (Berth.); as was the case, for example, with Uzziel and Azarel, a descendant of Heman (1Ch_25:4; 1Ch_25:18). Not even the conjecture expressed by Bähr on 2Ki_14:21 : “that the name Uzziah appears to have come into more general use after he ascended the throne,” will harmonize with the fact that the Assyrian kings know only the name Azariah.
2Ch_26:2. He built Eloth. On the emphatic prefixing of this notice, even before the chronological dates of the following verse, see Bähr on the passage.
2Ch_26:3. Reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem, 810–759 b.C., according to the usual chronology, though, according to the Assyrian monuments, considerably later(according to Neteler, p. 225 ff., 786–735). On the name of the queen-mother Jechiliah (in 2 Kings Jecholiah, not Jechaliah, as Luther writes), see the Crit. Note.
2Ch_26:5. And he continued to seek God, literally, “and he was to seek God, was out to seek Him”; comp. 2Ch_31:21; Ezr_3:12.—In the days of Zechariah, who understood the visions of God. Accordingly this Zechariah, who is otherwise unknown (for he cannot be identified with the Zechariah son of Jeberechiah mentioned Isa_8:2, as he was at least a generation older), must be considered a prophet, and äַîֵּáִéï áִּøàåֹú äָàֱìֹäִéí must be regarded as a chosen periphrasis for äָøֹàֶä , the seer (comp. Dan_1:17). But as the vision of God cannot be taken as a work of human activity, the reading of the Sept. and other old witnesses (see Crit. Note) commends itself more, which gives the sense “expert in the fear of God,” or even “teacher of the fear of God” (comp. Neh_8:9). Zechariah remains a prophetic teacher and counsellor of King Uzziah even with this reading (for his possible priestly character would have been marked by a äַëֹּäֵï ); but that he was a “master in divine visions” is not to be read from it; and still less is it to be inferred that he and no other was the author of the oracles of Balaam (as is asserted in an arbitrary way by Fürst, Gesch. der bibl. Literatur. ii. pp. 231, 359).
2Ch_26:6-15. Uzziah’s Successful Wars, Building of Cities, etc. (without parallel in 2 Kings).—And he . . . fought with the Philistines, to punish their pillaging inroad under Joram (2Ch_21:16 f.). This punishment must have been inflicted by him in very full measure, probably by the subjection of their whole territory; for the cities said to have been destroyed by him, Gath (see on 2Ch_9:8), Jabneh (=Jabneel, Jos_15:11, later=Jamnia in the Maccab. and in Josephus), and Ashdod (now Esdud, comp. on Jos_13:3), were at that time the chief places of the Philistines.
2Ch_26:7. And God helped him.. . against the Arabs, who are named also, 2Ch_17:11, with the Philistines. Where Gurbaal was is uncertain; it is by no means to be identified (after the Sept., see Crit. Note) with the Edomite Petra; rather with Gerar (Gen_20:1), of which the Targ. thinks. Concerning the Meunites, see on 1Ch_4:41; 2Ch_20:1.
Ver, 8. And his name went even to Egypt, literally, “even to the entrance of Egypt.” But by the name of Uzziah is scarcely meant merely his fame (Luther), but also his active influence, his power.—For he became very mighty, literally, “showed himself mighty (Dan_11:7) unto the height” (comp. 1Ch_14:2; 1Ch_29:25).
2Ch_26:9. And Uzziah built towers . . . at the corner gate. The corner gate (comp. 2Ch_25:23) lay at the north-west end of the city; the valley gate on the west side, where the Jaffa gate is now. On the east, over against these two points belonging to the west side where defence was most needed, is äַîִּ÷ְöåֹòַ , the corner, to be sought—namely, a bend of the eastern wall near the horse gate; comp. Neh_3:19-20; Neh_3:24-25.
2Ch_26:10. And he built towers in the wilderness, in the wilderness of Judah, to protect the herds grazing there; comp. 1Ch_27:25; Mic_4:8; Isa_5:2; in which latter place mention is made of the digging of a well along with the tower building.—For he had much cattle in the lowland, etc., properly, “and in the lowland and in the plain,” etc. It appears, therefore, as if three regions were here distinguished—1. The wilderness (of Judah) west of the Dead Sea; 2. The lowlands at the Mediterranean (comp. 1Ch_27:28); 3. The plain ( äַîִּéùׁåֹø ), perhaps the plain beyond the Jordan, the territory of the Reubenites, a region specially adapted for grazing, which Uzziah was under the necessity of taking from the Ammonites (2Ch_26:8).—Husbandmen and vinedressers in the mountains. Kamph. connects against the accents, “in the plain, husbandmen.” He will also explain åּáַëַּøְîֶì neither of the Mount Carmel (Jos_19:26; Son_7:6), nor of Carmel in the south of Judah (1Sa_15:12), but renders “in the fruitful field” (comp. Isa_29:17), for which there is no constraining necessity.
2Ch_26:11. And Uzziah had a host of fighting men, literally, “a host (comp. 2Ch_14:7) maker of war” (comp. 2Ch_26:13; 2Ch_11:1), that went out to war (comp. 1Ch_5:8) in troops (in a marshalled host).—By the number of their muster at the hand of Jeuel. áְּéø , as afterwards, “under the guidance of Hananiah,” is expressed by “at the hand” ( òַì éַã as 1Ch_25:6). The captain Hananiah appears therefore is superintendent, Jeuel and Maaseiah as subordinate executive officers in the business of the muster.
2Ch_26:13. And at their hand ( òַì éָãָí , as in the previous verse) an army of 307,500 fighting men. Thus each of the 2600 father-houses constituted a corps under the command of the bravest among them. The total number of 307,500 warriors agrees in the main with the above statement of the strength of the army under Amaziah, 2Ch_25:5, and presupposes the more certainly an actual numeration for its basis, as it is not a round number.
2Ch_26:14. And Uzziah prepared for them; comp. 1Ch_15:1; 1Ch_22:5,
2Ch_26:15. He made engines, the invention of craftsmen, literally, “devices ( çִùְּׁáֹðåֹú , excogitata), the device of the deviser” ( îַֽçֲùֶׁáֶú çåֹùֵׁá ), skilfully contrived engines of war, as the following words show—a kind of catapults or bali