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Texts -- 2 Kings 15:1-36 (NET)

Context
Azariah’s Reign over Judah
15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jeroboam’s reign over Israel , Amaziah’s son Azariah became king over Judah . 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he began to reign , and he reigned for fifty-two years in Jerusalem . His mother’s name was Jecholiah , who was from Jerusalem . 15:3 He did what the Lord approved , just as his father Amaziah had done . 15:4 But the high places were not eliminated ; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places . 15:5 The Lord afflicted the king with an illness; he suffered from a skin disease until the day he died . He lived in separate quarters , while his son Jotham was in charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land . 15:6 The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, including all his accomplishments , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah . 15:7 Azariah passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David . His son Jotham replaced him as king .
Zechariah’s Reign over Israel
15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah , Jeroboam’s son Zechariah became king over Israel . He reigned in Samaria for six months . 15:9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord , as his ancestors had done . He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin . 15:10 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him; he assassinated him in Ibleam and took his place as king . 15:11 The rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel . 15:12 His assassination brought to fulfillment the Lord’s word to Jehu , “Four generations of your descendants will rule over Israel .” That is exactly what happened . 15:13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah’s reign over Judah . He reigned for one month in Samaria . 15:14 Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh . He killed him and took his place as king . 15:15 The rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, including the conspiracy he organized , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel . 15:16 At that time Menahem came from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah . He struck down all who lived in the city and the surrounding territory , because they would not surrender . He even ripped open the pregnant women .
Menahem’s Reign over Israel
15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah , Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel . He reigned for twelve years in Samaria . 15:18 He did evil in the sight of the Lord ; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin . During his reign , 15:19 Pul king of Assyria invaded the land , and Menahem paid him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and to solidify his control of the kingdom . 15:20 Menahem got this silver by taxing all the wealthy men in Israel ; he took fifty shekels of silver from each one of them and paid it to the king of Assyria . Then the king of Assyria left ; he did not stay there in the land . 15:21 The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, including all his accomplishments , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel . 15:22 Menahem passed away and his son Pekahiah replaced him as king .
Pekahiah’s Reign over Israel
15:23 In the fiftieth year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah , Menahem’s son Pekahiah became king over Israel . He reigned in Samaria for two years . 15:24 He did evil in the sight of the Lord ; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin . 15:25 His officer Pekah son of Remaliah conspired against him. He and fifty Gileadites assassinated Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh , in Samaria in the fortress of the royal palace . Pekah then took his place as king . 15:26 The rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, including all his accomplishments , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel .
Pekah’s Reign over Israel
15:27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah’s reign over Judah , Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel . He reigned in Samaria for twenty years . 15:28 He did evil in the sight of the Lord ; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin . 15:29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel , King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon , Abel Beth Maacah , Janoah , Kedesh , Hazor , Gilead , and Galilee , including all the territory of Naphtali . He deported the people to Assyria . 15:30 Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah . He assassinated him and took his place as king , in the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah . 15:31 The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel .
Jotham’s Reign over Judah
15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah , Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah . 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign , and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem . His mother was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok . 15:34 He did what the Lord approved , just as his father Uzziah had done . 15:35 But the high places were not eliminated ; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places . He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple . 15:36 The rest of the events of Jotham’s reign, including his accomplishments , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Another instance of incomplete obedience followed the great victory God gave His people and the military commanders' sacrificial, voluntary worship of Yahweh.32:1-19 Maybe the leaders of Reuben and Gad concluded that their br...
  • The Danites' defeat of the inhabitants of Laish appears cruel and unjustified (cf. 9:45-49). The town that seemed so desirable to the spies was really vulnerable and isolated. Its advantages proved to be weaknesses. Since God...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The second major part of the Book of Kings records the histories of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.123During this era of 209 years (931-722 B.C.) the two kingdoms experienced differing relati...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Kings)3. Ahaziah's evil reign in Israel -1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 1:184. Jehoram's evil reign in Israel 2:1-8:155. Jehoram's evil reign in Judah 8:16-246. Ahaziah's evil reign in Judah 8:25-9:29C. The ...
  • Most Bible students know Azariah by his other name, Uzziah (vv. 13, 30, 32, 34; 2 Chron. 26; Isa. 1:1; Hosea 1:1, Amos 1:1; Zech. 14:5; et al.). His 52-year reign (790-739 B.C.) was longer than any other king of Judah or Isra...
  • Zechariah reigned only six months (753-752 B.C.) before his successor Shallum assassinated him. Zechariah was the fourth and last king of Jehu's dynasty (v. 12; cf. 10:30). The fact that the people made Shallum king after he ...
  • Shallum's reign was even shorter than Zechariah's. It lasted only one month (752 B.C.).Menahem was the commander-in-chief of Jeroboam II's army.95He was serving in Tirzah, Israel's former capital. Menahem regarded Shallum as ...
  • Menahem began Israel's seventh royal family. His reign lasted 10 years (752-742 B.C.).Assyrian inscriptions have identified Pul as Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727 B.C.; cf. v. 29; 16:7, 10; 1 Chron. 5:26). Pul was the throne nam...
  • In 742 B.C. Pekahiah began his two-year reign (742-740 B.C.). It ended when Pekah, one of his military officers, assassinated him in Samaria along with Argob and Arieh, who were probably Israelite princes (v. 25)....
  • Though the writer did not clarify this point, it seems that Pekah had been ruling over Israel in Gilead since 752 B.C., the year Menahem assassinated Shallum. This must be the case in view of the writer's chronological refere...
  • Jotham's 16 year reign over Judah (750-735 B.C.) began while Pekah was in power in Gilead. He shared the last four of these years with his coregent son Ahaz.Jotham added the upper gate of the temple (v. 35), an opening betwee...
  • Hosea was Israel's last king. He reigned in Samaria for 9 years (732-722 B.C.). He was a bad king, but he was not as bad as his predecessors.108Shalmaneser V (727-722 B.C.) had succeeded his father Tiglath-Pileser III on Assy...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. "An Interpretation of the Babylonian Exile: A Study of 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39."Scottish Journal of Theology27:3:(August 1974):329-52.Albright, William F. The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pel...
  • The Chronicler gave us much more information about Uzziah than we have in Kings (2 Kings 15:1-7). Uzziah ("Yahweh is strong") was evidently the king's throne name and Azariah ("Yahweh helps") his personal name.Uzziah, as his ...
  • God had warned his people Israel that disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant might result in exile from the Promised Land if that disobedience was wide-spread and prolonged (cf. Lev. 26:14, 33; Deut. 28:36, 48, 63). This is real...
  • 6:1 Why did Isaiah date this passage since he did not date most of his others?70Probably he did so because King Uzziah had been the best king of Judah since Solomon. Nevertheless during the last part of his reign he suffered ...
  • Whereas the sign of Immanuel was for Ahaz primarily, the sign of Maher-shalal-hash-baz was for all the people of Judah. The preceding prophecies to Ahaz (7:10-25) are generally negative, but the following prophecies to the Ju...
  • Perverse conduct was the consequence of Israel's apostasy and infidelity, and it led to slavery.2:14-15 Israel was Yahweh's firstborn son, not a slave or even a home-born servant.77As such he enjoyed the special care and prov...
  • This message to the people involved another symbolic act (cf. 13:1-11). This incident may have occurred between 609 and 605 B.C.19:1 Yahweh told Jeremiah to take some of Judah's elders and senior priests and to go and purchas...
  • This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah's Temple Sermon (vv. 2-6), the prophet's arrest and trial (vv. 7-16), the elders' plea for his life (vv. 17-19, 24), and the incident involving Uriah and his executio...
  • 36:9 During the winter of 604-603 B.C., the people, not the king, declared a fast. The occasion for the fast may have been the arrival of Babylonian armies on the Philistine plain or the Babylonians' defeat of Ashkelon then.4...
  • 16:15 However, Jerusalem became self-centered and unfaithful to the Lord; she forgot Him when she became preoccupied with His blessings (cf. Deut. 6:10-12; 8). She went after every people that passed by rather than remaining ...
  • 23:5-8 Oholah proved unfaithful to the Lord by lusting after her attractive neighbors, the Assyrians."The appeal, then as now, was to youth, strength, position, wealth and self-gratification; that is, the world in all its daz...
  • Hosea began ministering near the end of an era of great material prosperity and military success for both Israel and Judah (cf. 2 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chron. 26:2, 6-15). In the first half of the eighth-century B.C. Assyrian inf...
  • The Lord used Hosea's family members as signs to communicate His message of coming judgment on Israel.1:2 At the beginning of Hosea's ministry, Yahweh commanded him to take a wife of harlotry and to have children of harlotry....
  • This warning confronted the tribe of Ephraim, or perhaps all Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.5:8 Blowing trumpets in cities announced the coming of an invader. Throughout Israel's towns the sentries would blow alarm...
  • This section focuses on Israel's domestic sins.7:1 The Lord longed to heal Israel, but when He thought about doing so new evidences of her sins presented themselves. The prophets He sent to them were mainly ineffective in ste...
  • This pericope condemns Israel's foreign policy.7:8 Ephraim had mixed itself with the pagan nations, like unleavened dough mixed with leaven. She had done this by making alliances with neighbor nations as well as by importing ...
  • 13:15 With the removal of God's compassion (v. 14), Israel's prosperity would end. Hosea described that change like a hot eastern desert wind sweeping over Israel and drying up all its water sources. Israel had flourished amo...
  • 6:1 The prophet began this message by announcing coming woe (Heb. hoy, cf. 5:18). Those who felt at ease in Zion (Jerusalem) and secure in Samaria were the subjects of his message. Those who felt at ease in Samaria, partially...
  • 7:7 Amos saw a third vision. The Lord was standing beside a vertical wall with a plumb line in His hand. A plumb line was a string with a weight on the end. People used it, and still use it, to determine if a vertical structu...
  • 23:1 As we have seen, there were three groups of people present in the temple courtyard. These were the disciples of Jesus, His critics, namely the various groups of Israel's leaders, and the crowds of ordinary Israelites. Je...
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