2 Reis 14
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
2 Reis 14
NJB (MT versing) Amaziah Reigns Over Judah Amaziah Reigns in Judah Warfare Between Amaziah of Judah and Jehoash of Israel King Amaziah of Judah The Reign of Amaziah in Judah (796-781) 14:1-7 14:1-4 14:1-7 14:1-4 14:1-4 14:5-7 14:5-6 14:5-6 14:7 14:7 14:8-10 14:8-14 14:8-10 14:8-10 14:8-10 14:11-14 14:11-14 14:11-14 14:11-14 Jeroboam II Succeeds Jehoash in Israel 14:15-16 14:15-16 14:15-16 14:15-16 14:15-16 Azariah (Uzziah) Succeeds Amaziah in Judah The Death of King Amaziah of Judah 14:17-22 14:17-20 4:17-22 14:17-18 14:17 14:18-22 14:19-22 14:21-22 Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel King Jeroboam II of Israel The Reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (783-743) 14:23-27 14:23-27 14:23-27 14:23-25 14:23-24 14:25-27 Zechariah Reigns Over Israel 14:26-27 14:28-29 14:28-29 14:28-29 14:28-29 14:28-29 I. OUTLINE OF 2 KINGS 14-16 BY KING Kings of Israel 1. 2 Kings 14:23-27 Jeroboam II (786-746 B.C.) 2. 2 Kings 15:8-12 Zechariah (746 B.C., 6 months) 3. 2 Kings 15:13, 15 Shallum (745 B.C., 1 month) 4. 2 Kings 15:14, 16-23 Menahem (745-738 B.C.) 5. 2 Kings 15:23-26 Pekahiah (738-737 B.C.) 6. 2 Kings 15:27-31 Pekah (737-732 B.C.) Kings of Judah 1. 2 Kings 15:1-7 Azariah (Uzziah; 2 Chr. 26:1; Isa. 1:1; Hos. 1:1; Amos 1:1; Zech. 18:5) ‒ 783-742 B.C. 2. 2 Kings 15:32-38 Jotham (coregent 750-742 B.C.; reigned 742-735 B.C.) 3. 2 Kings 16:1-20 Ahaz (Jeho-Ahaz) ‒ 735-715 B.C. One reason this section is confusing is the kings of Judah and Israel by the same name. Joash of Israel and Joash of Judah overlap for some years (they are both mentioned in 2 Kings 14:1) Joram of Israel and Joram of Judah (brothers-in-law) reigned close together. II. CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS The reigns of Jeroboam II in Israel and Uzziah in Judah were very successful. Both were stable and lengthy administrations. The prophets in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II were Amos and Hosea. The prophets in Judah during the reign of Uzziah were Micah and Isaiah.
2 Reis 14:1-7
14:1 "Amaziah" The genealogies of the NT often omit some ancestors. There is a numerical pattern (i.e., three series of fourteen ancestors). See K. A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and Old Testament, p. 37 and Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 48-50. SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY 14:2 The lengths of king's reigns are often listed differently. This is because of two different ways in Israel and Judah to count the first partial year of the co-reigns when an old or sick king gave authority to one of his sons; the years are then counted for both kings The best books I have seen to deal with this problem are Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings and Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 51-54, 102. ▣ NASB, NRSV, TEV, NJB, REB "Jehoaddin" NKJV, JPSOA, Peshitta "Johoaddan" "Ioadin" The MT and LXX have "Jehoaddin" (BDB 221), but the Masoretic scholars suggest "Jehoaddan" (cf. 2 Chr. 25:1; and Josephus, Antiq. 9.9.1). 14:3 "He did right in the sight of the Lord" This is the first Judean king since Asa (cf. 1 Kgs. 15:11) that this phrase is used in connection with. It primarily referred to their obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. ▣ "yet not like his father, David" Notice the qualification. From 2 Chronicles we learn that he did not follow after the Lord completely with all his heart, all his life, as David did (cf. 2 Chr. 25:2). David had admonished Solomon to do this (cf. 1 Chr. 28:8-9; 29:19). Obedience to the Mosaic Covenant and love towards YHWH (i.e., Deut. 6:5; 10:12) were crucial! SPECIAL TOPIC: KEEP ▣ "he did according to all that Joash his father had done" There are great similarities between Amaziah and Joash. They both started out committed to YHWH. They both fell away in their later years. They both disregarded prophetic messages. They both were killed by conspirators of their own households. 14:4 "the high places were not taken away" It was not until the time of Hezekiah (cf. 2 Kgs. 18:4) that these local shrines were obliterated and outlawed. The reason that they were so difficult to deal with is because during the period of Judges, they were sanctioned by YHWH and yet over the period of time, they came to be worship centers for Ba'al. 14:5 "as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his hand" This would have been some considerable time after his coronation. ▣ "he killed his servants who had slain the king his father" This refers to 2 Kings 12:20. 14:6 "the sons of the slayers he did not kill" The reason for this was the verse in the Law of Moses (i.e., Deut. 24:16) which does not allow a son to bear the punishment of his father. This is surprising,in light of Exod. 20:5; Deut. 5:9,10. However, it perfectly fits Jer. 31:29-30; Ezekiel 18. There is a tension in the OT between corporality and individualism (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 678, #4). One's sins do affect the whole (i.e., Joshua 7; Isaiah 53). But also personal faith and covenant obedience affects this issue (i.e., blood feuds between families). ▣ "in the book of the law of Moses" The specific quote is from Deut. 24:16. Modern scholars have speculated on the formation of the OT and postulated several authors/editors. I reject this J, E, P, D theory of Welhousen, but I do believe there were editors involved in the formation of the OT we have today. The MT was not completed until the ninth century A.D.! SPECIAL TOPIC: MOSES' AUTHORSHIP OF THE PENTATEUCH SPECIAL TOPIC: PENTATEUCH SOURCE CRITICISM (J,E,D,P) ▣ "shall not be put to death" This VERB is repeated twice (BDB 559, KB 562, Hophal IMPERFECT). The MT has a third occurrence of this VERB in v. 6, but has it as a Qal IMPERFECT. The Masoretic scholars suggested it, too, should be a Hophal IMPERFECT. 14:7 "Edom" Edom was a vassal state under Judah for a long period of time but had recently regained independence (cf. 2 Kgs. 8:20). SPECIAL TOPIC: EDOM AND ISRAEL ▣ "the valley of Salt" Most scholars feel this is the area to the south of the Dead Sea somewhere in the area of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah. It is possible this refers to a site near Petra on the eastern side of the Jordan. ▣ "Sela" This exact site is unknown. Perhaps the capital of Edom (LXX). Today it is a famous archaeological site and tourist attraction, later called Petra (i.e., Nabatean capital). See 2 Chr. 25:5-15 for a fuller account of the taking of this capital city. Possibly a city on the King's Highway called "Sila" (Tyndale OT Commentary, p. 244). Possibly an unidentified Amorite border fortress (cf. Jdgs. 1:35; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 267). Possibly an unknown place in Moab (cf. Isa. 16:1). ▣ NASB, NKJV, TEV, NJB, REB "Joktheel" "Jokthe-el" "Kathoel" "Nakthael" The MT (NASB) has the proper name (BDB 430) but is uncertain of its meaning. Young's Concordance suggests "God's reward of victory." This name refes to two different places. in the coastal plain of Judah ‒ Josh. 15:38 in the trans-Jordan area, a city later called Petra (Nabatean capital, see note above, #1) ▣ "to this day" This is a textual marker of a later editor/scribe.
2 Reis 14:8-10
14:8 "Come, let us face each other" Josephus (Antiq. 9.9.1) tells us this was an attempt by Amaziah to unite the people of God. However, from 2 Chr. 25:13, it may be just an attempt to get revenge on the deeds of the 100,000 Israeli mercenaries that Amaziah hired and then sent home. The phrase itself is an idiom for "let us meet for battle." Amaziah had experienced victory over Edom by prophetic announcement and a small number of soldiers. Obviously YHWH's hand was with him but Amaziah assumed, falsely, this would always be the case (Josephus, Antiq. 9.9.1). 14:9-10 Agricultural parables or riddles were common in the ANE. This one from the king of Israel warns the king of Judah not to think too highly of himself after his defeat of Edom (cf. v. 10; 2 Chr. 25:11-13). The king of Judah was acting like his army was equal to the army of Israel. Maybe Amaziah was counting on the intervention of YHWH. 14:9 "Give your daughter to my son in marriage" This imagery deals with the supposed equality between Israel and Judah. Amaziah (the thorn bush) considered himself an equal to Jehoash (the cedar), but in reality was not. 14:10 "heart" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HEART. ▣ "You have indeed defeated Edom" This is an intensified grammatical feature (i.e., an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and a PERFECT VERB from the same root, BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil). SPECIAL TOPIC: EDOM AND ISRAEL ▣ "Enjoy your glory and stay at home" These are both IMPERATIVES used as wishes. See my note from 2 Chr. 15:14: 1 Chr. 25:14This is so shocking! How could a king who just responded positively to a prophet be led so quickly into idolatry with the obviously impotent gods of Edom (cf. 15b)? Notice what Amaziah did. collected the idols of Edom brought them to Jerusalem bowed down to them burned incense to them 1 Chronicles 25:15 is a powerfully logical statement! Why, Why, Why? SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (OT)
2 Reis 14:11-14
14:11 "Beth-shemesh" This place name (BDB 112) means "house of the sun." This shows the worship of the sun at one time was a common feature of the land of Canaan. This site was about 15 miles west of Jerusalem. Jehoash attacked Judah first and came from the coastal plain where he could use his chariots. 14:12 "they fled each to his tent" This is an idiom that came from the wilderness wandering experience. The Judeans did not live in tents at this time but had retained the phrase as an idiom for returning home being relieved of military service 14:13-14 "captured Amaziah" The rest of vv. 12-14 describes the price Judah paid for the return of its Davidic king alive. 14:13 "came to Jerusalem" The MT has the PLURAL but the Masoretic scholars suggested the SINGULAR (Qere). Probably Jehoash did not himself tear down the wall, but his army. ▣ "came to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate" Turn in the back of your Bible to the set of maps and you will find a map of the city of Jerusalem. Notice the northern wall during Solomon's reign. This is the wall that Jehoash tore down. This made the city of Jerusalem absolutely defenseless. Josephus (Antiq. 9.9.3) tells us that Jerusalem opened her gates to the northern king on the threat of Amaziah's death. ▣ "the Gate of Ephraim" Most gates were named by the direction they faced. Therefore, this gate was to the north. ▣ "400 cubits" A cubit is the distance between a man's elbow and his longest finger. It averaged about 18 inches. Therefore, we are talking about a 600 foot section of wall. Josephus (Antiq. 9.9.3) tells us the wall was removed so completely that Jehoash drove his chariot through the breech. SPECIAL TOPIC: CUBIT 14:14 "He took all the gold and silver" There was not much left for Hazael's siege earlier had taken most of the booty (cf. 2 Kgs. 12:18). ▣ "the hostages" This is the first mention in the OT of hostages being taken (cf. 2 Chr. 25:24; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 517, #9). These may have been relatives of Amaziah to ensure his peaceful actions. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, p. 230, asserts that Amaziah was, himself, taken to Ssamaria and released only years later, at the death of Jehoash, King of Israel.
2 Reis 14:15-16
14:15-16 This small paragraph seems to be out of place. It breaks into a context about Amaziah. It is a repeat from 2 Kgs. 13:12-13.
2 Reis 14:17-22
14:19 "They conspired against him in Jerusalem" This is said by the rabbis to be because of his idolatry related to his defeat of Edom (cf. 2 Chr. 25:27). The "they" is not specified (cf. v. 20). ▣ "Lacish" This was a strong fortified city to the southeast of Jerusalem, on the coastal plain. 14:20 "they brought him on horses" This seems to refer to the royal chariot. ▣ "Azariah" He is also known as Uzziah (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1270-1271). The names Azariah and Uzziah are very similar in Hebrew; both in meaning and spelling. Azariah, עזריהו (BDB 741, which means "YHWH has strength") Uzziah, עזיהו (BDB 739, which means "My strength is YHWH") 14:21 "All the people" This must refer to religious leaders military leaders civil leaders land owners the manual laborers This may be synonymous to "the people of the land" (2 Kgs. 11:14). See Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 70-72. 14:22 "He built Elath" This means Azariah, or possibly Amaziah, fortified this important seaport to the south of Judah on the Red Sea. Solomon had opened up this sea route and Azariah was reestablishing his influence over this whole southern area. ▣ "slept" This is an euphemism for death.
2 Reis 14:23-27
14:23 "Jeroboam the son of Joash" This refers to Jeroboam II. He reigned from 786-746 B.C. Notice how little space and detail is given to this long reigning, politically and militarily successful king of Israel (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 771-772). SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY ▣ "in Samaria" This has been the capital of the northern ten tribes since the dynasty of Omri. ▣ "forty-one years" Jeroboam II had a prosperous and long reign. Josephus (Antiq. 9.10.1) says forty years. 14:24 "he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat" This refers to Jeroboam I. He was an exiled Ephraimite labor leader who led the northern ten tribes in revolt against Rehoboam, Solomon's son, in 922 B.C. He was the first king of Israel. The sin referred to is his establishing of the golden calf worship in Dan and Bethel. This was not idolatry initially, for the calves represented YHWH (i.e., Exodus 32), but it was the sin of making graven images (i.e., Exod. 20:4) and distracting his people from worshiping at the only true temple in Jerusalem. However, these two northern shrines quickly became associated with fertility worship. 14:25 "the entrance of Hamath" This is always referred to as the northern limits of the promised land (cf. Num. 34:8; Josh. 13:5; Jdgs. 3:3; and 1 Kgs. 8:65). This would parallel the dimensions of Solomon's kingdom. ▣ "the sea of Arabah" This refers to the Dead Sea (cf. Deut. 3:17; Josh. 3:16; 12:3). ▣ "Jonah the son of Amittai" Jonah was a northern prophet. His name and the name of his father were rare names (cf. Jonah 1:1). Nineveh was the capital of Assyria (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 798-801). 14:26-27 This is the theological reasoning for Jeroboam II's success (cf. Neh. 9:19-35). These chapters are a good example of the type of theological history recorded in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. It must be remembered that it is not history as we know it today, but selected history with a theological interpretation. SPECIAL TOPIC: THE OLD TESTAMENT AS HISTORY SPECIAL TOPIC: OT HISTORIOGRAPHY COMPARED WITH NEAR EASTERN CULTURES SPECIAL TOPIC: OT HISTORICAL NARRATIVE 14:26 "was very bitter" The MT has the VERB (BDB 598, KB 632, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) which means "to be contentious" or "to be rebellious," but this does not fit this verse. So the LXX and Peshitta emend it to a similar root (BDB 600, KB 638) "to be bitter." מרה ‒ contentious (see NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 1101) מרר ‒ bitter ▣ "bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel" See note at 1 Kgs. 14:10; 2 Kgs. 9:8; Isa. 45:14; and NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 364, #3. 14:27 "He would blot out the name of Israel" This phrase occurs only here and Deut. 9:14; 29:19. This is a Hebrew idiom for complete destruction. It was possibly related to the lists of citizens of a community. Moses used similar imagery in Exod. 32:32-33. See NIDOTTE, vol. 2, pp. 913-914. ▣ "under heaven" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN. ▣ "but He saved them" See notes at 2 Kgs. 13:5. SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION (OT Term) ▣ "by the hand" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND. ▣ "of Jeroboam" YHWH used an evil king (v. 24) to accomplish His purposes.
2 Reis 14:28-29
14:28 "how he fought and how he recovered for Israel, Damascus and Hamath" This probably refers to simply the taking of land which belonged to the kingdom of Syria and Hamath, but it is possible that during this period, Israel captured these two capitals and extended its influence far to the north of the promised land. ▣ "which had belonged to Judah" The MT has "for Judah in Israel." The UBS Text Project, p. 359, gives this a "B" rating (some doubt). It suggests the phrase be translated "and how he recovered for Israel (Damascus and Hamath) which had belonged to Judah." 14:29 "Zechariah his son became king in his place" This fulfills the prophecy made to Jehu in 2 Kgs. 10:30, that four generations of his descendants would sit on the throne.