2 Kings 16:2

16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ¹  He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. ² 

2 Kings 18:3

18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. ³ 

2 Kings 18:2

18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. ⁴  His mother ⁵  was Abi, ⁶  the daughter of Zechariah.

2 Kings 17:3

17:3 King Shalmaneser of Assyria threatened ⁷  him; Hoshea became his subject and paid him tribute.

2 Kings 1:2

1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria ⁸  and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, ⁹  “Go, ask ¹⁰  Baal Zebub, ¹¹  the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”

Proverbs 20:11

20:11 Even a young man ¹²  is known ¹³  by his actions,

whether his activity is pure and whether it is right. ¹⁴ 

¹ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

² tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”

³ tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the Lord, according to all which David his father had done.”

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn Heb “the name of his mother.”

⁶ tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”

⁷ tn Heb “went up against.”

⁸ map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

⁹ tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”

¹⁰ tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”

¹¹ sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal corruption of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.

¹² sn In the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs the Hebrew term נַעַר (na’ar) referred to an adolescent, a young person whose character was being formed in his early life.

¹³ sn The Hebrew verb נָכַר (nakhar) means “to recognize” more than simply “to know.” Certain character traits can be recognized in a child by what he does (cf. NCV “by their behavior”).

¹⁴ sn Character is demonstrated by actions at any age. But the emphasis of the book of Proverbs would also be that if the young child begins to show such actions, then the parents must try to foster and cultivate them; if not, they must try to develop them through teaching and discipline.