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2 Chronicles 28

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Ahaz's Wicked Reign and Idolatry 1–8

1
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father; ​
2
but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim. ​
3
Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. ​
4
And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
5
Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. ​
6
For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers. ​
7
And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.
8
And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

Israel's Captivity and Oded's Warning 9–15

9
But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up unto heaven. ​
10
And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your own against Jehovah your God? ​
11
Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you.
12
Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
13
and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a trespass against Jehovah, to add unto our sins and to our trespass; for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. ​
14
So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.
15
And the men that have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. ​

Ahaz Appeals to Assyria for Help 16–21

16
At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. ​
17
For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.
18
The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the towns thereof, Gimzo also and the towns thereof: and they dwelt there.
19
For Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah. ​
20
And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. ​
21
For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but it helped him not.

Ahaz Increases His Apostasy 22–25

22
And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Jehovah, this same king Ahaz. ​
23
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. ​
24
And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. ​
25
And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of his fathers.

Death and Burial of Ahaz 26–27

26
Now 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. ​
27
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 28

Verse 1

like David his father — David is the measure, as it was for Jehoshaphat, who 'walked in the first ways of his father David' (2 Chr 17:3), and 2 Kgs 16:2 words the verdict the same way. 'Right' is yashar. His sixteen years match Jotham's (27:8), and Isaiah dates the siege of Jerusalem to 'the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham' (Isa 7:1).

Verse 2

molten images for Baalim — Massekah, a cast image, which the law forbade outright: 'Thou shalt make thee no molten gods' (Ex 34:17). 'The ways of the kings of Israel' is the phrase used of Jehoram in 21:6 and 21:13, and here it means the northern kings, whom Ahaz imitates in making images for Baalim.

Verse 3

burnt his children in the fire — Ba'ar, to burn, where 2 Kgs 16:3 says he 'made his son to pass through the fire'. The abominations are those forbidden in Deut 18:9–10, and the LORD says of the valley, 'which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart' (Jer 7:31). Manasseh later does the same (33:6).

Verse 5

delivered him into the hand — Natan, the verb of 24:24, where the LORD delivered a great host into the hand of a small company. The Syrians 'smote him' (nakah), a verb that returns in v.23 for the gods of Damascus 'which smote him'. Isa 7:1 records that Rezin and Pekah 'went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail'.

Verse 6

an hundred and twenty thousand in one day — Pekah 'slew in Judah' valiant men (ben chayil), and the reason is given at once: 'because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers'. 'Forsaken' is azab, the verb of 21:10 and 24:20, 24. Zichri's killing of the king's son in v.7 belongs to the same invasion.

Verse 9

a rage that reacheth up unto heaven — Za'af, raging. Oded says the LORD, 'the LORD God of your fathers', was 'wroth' with Judah, the God named in v.6 as the one Judah had forsaken. Israel had taken 'two hundred thousand' of 'their brethren' (v.8). Ezra says 'our trespass is grown up unto the heavens' (Ezra 9:6).

Verse 10

bondmen and bondwomen — Kavash, to subdue, the verb of Gen 1:28. The law of Lev 25:39–43 forbade it of a brother: 'thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant… Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour'. The word for 'sins' is ashmah, guilt, which comes three times in v.13.

Verse 13

ye intend to add more — The heads of Ephraim named in v.12 refuse yasaf, to add, to their guilt (ashmah, three times in this verse). The same verb returns in v.22, where Ahaz 'did… trespass yet more' in his distress, so the northern leaders decline what Judah's king chooses. 'Fierce wrath' is the LORD's, as Oded said in v.11.

Verse 15

the men which were expressed by name — The four named in v.12, Azariah, Berechiah, Jehizkiah and Amasa. Naqav is to mark out by name. They clothe the naked, give 'to eat and to drink', anoint with oil and carry 'all the feeble… upon asses' to Jericho, 'the city of palm trees' (Deut 34:3). Prov 25:21 says, 'If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat.'

Verse 16

send unto the kings of Assyria to help him — Azar, the verb of Uzziah's other name, which in 26:7 was God's help. 2 Kgs 16:7 gives the message, 'I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me'. The LORD had sent Isaiah to Ahaz with a different word: 'Take heed, and be quiet; fear not' (Isa 7:4).

Verse 19

he made Judah naked — Para', to let loose, the verb of Ex 32:25, 'Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies'. 'Brought… low' is kana, to subdue. 'Israel' here names Judah's own line, as in 'Ahaz king of Israel', and 'transgressed sore' is ma'al, the verb of 26:16.

Verse 20

strengthened him not — Chazaq, the verb used since 21:4 for kings who made themselves strong. Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD and of the king's house and given it to Assyria (v.21; 2 Kgs 16:8), and the king 'distressed him, but strengthened him not'. The next king's name, Hezekiah, means 'strengthened of the LORD'.

Verse 22

did he trespass yet more — The Hebrew joins yasaf, to add, with ma'al, to trespass, so he 'added to trespass' in the time of his distress. Isa 1:5 words the same pattern, 'Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more'. The closing 'this is that king Ahaz' marks him out by name.

Verse 23

which smote him — Nakah, the verb of v.5. Amaziah had sought gods that 'could not deliver their own people' (25:15). Ahaz reasons that gods who 'help' (azar) the kings of Syria will help him, and 'they were the ruin of him', kashal, a stumbling. The 'all Israel' who share the ruin is Judah.

Verse 24

shut up the doors of the house of the LORD — Hezekiah's first act is the reverse: he 'opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them' (29:3). He says of this time, 'they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps' (29:7). The altars 'in every corner of Jerusalem' were thrown into the brook Kidron (30:14).

Verse 26

the book of the kings of Judah and Israel — The title also closes the accounts of Asa (16:11), Amaziah (25:26) and Hezekiah (32:32), and Jotham's reads 'Israel and Judah' (27:7). 'First and last' is the formula of 9:29 and 26:22. 'All his ways' recalls v.2, 'he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel'.

Verse 27

not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel — Ahaz is buried 'in the city, even in Jerusalem', and the sepulchres are those of Judah's kings, as in 'Ahaz king of Israel' (v.19). The same exclusion is told of Jehoram (21:20), Joash (24:25) and, in another way, Uzziah (26:23). His son is Hezekiah, 'strengthened of the LORD'.