Discovery Box2 Kings 23:31--24:20
Context23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 1 His mother 2 was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 23:32 He did evil in the sight of 3 the Lord as his ancestors had done. 4 23:33 Pharaoh Necho imprisoned him in Riblah in the land of Hamath and prevented him from ruling in Jerusalem. 5 He imposed on the land a special tax 6 of one hundred talents 7 of silver and a talent of gold. 23:34 Pharaoh Necho made Josiah’s son Eliakim king in Josiah’s place, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz to Egypt, where he died. 8 23:35 Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh the required amount of silver and gold, but to meet Pharaoh’s demands Jehoiakim had to tax the land. He collected an assessed amount from each man among the people of the land in order to pay Pharaoh Necho. 9
23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 10 His mother was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah. 23:37 He did evil in the sight of 11 the Lord as his ancestors had done.
24:1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, 12 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. 13 Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. 14 24:2 The Lord sent against him Babylonian, Syrian, Moabite, and Ammonite raiding bands; he sent them to destroy Judah, as he had warned he would do through his servants the prophets. 15 24:3 Just as the Lord had announced, he rejected Judah because of all the sins which Manasseh had committed. 16 24:4 Because he killed innocent people and stained Jerusalem with their blood, the Lord was unwilling to forgive them. 17
24:5 The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 18 24:6 He passed away 19 and his son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. 24:7 The king of Egypt did not march out from his land again, for the king of Babylon conquered all the territory that the king of Egypt had formerly controlled between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River.
24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 20 His mother 21 was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan, from Jerusalem. 24:9 He did evil in the sight of 22 the Lord as his ancestors had done.
24:10 At that time the generals 23 of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city. 24 24:11 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. 24:12 King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered 25 to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, 26 took Jehoiachin 27 prisoner. 24:13 Nebuchadnezzar 28 took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. 24:14 He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. 24:15 He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. 29 24:16 The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. 30 24:17 The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s 31 uncle, king in Jehoiachin’s place. He renamed him Zedekiah.
24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. 32 His mother 33 was Hamutal, 34 the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 24:19 He did evil in the sight of 35 the Lord, as Jehoiakim had done. 36
24:20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. 37 Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
2 Kings 24:1
Context24:1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, 38 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. 39 Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. 40
2 Kings 3:15-17
Context3:15 But now, get me a musician.” 41 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 42 3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 43 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 44 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’
2 Kings 3:2
Context3:2 He did evil in the sight of 45 the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
2 Kings 1:1-8
Context1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 46 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria 47 and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, 48 “Go, ask 49 Baal Zebub, 50 the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron. 51 1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.
1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, 52 he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, 53 “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. 54 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king 55 asked them, “Describe the appearance 56 of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, 57 “He was a hairy man 58 and had a leather belt 59 tied around his waist.” The king 60 said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
Jeremiah 2:10-28
Context2:10 Go west 61 across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus 62 and see.
Send someone east to Kedar 63 and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, 64
for a god that cannot help them at all! 65
2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! 66
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
2:13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
they have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water, 67
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
2:14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he? 68
If not, why then is he being carried off?
2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph. 69
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted. 70
2:16 Even the soldiers 71 from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. 72
2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, 73
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. 74
2:18 What good will it do you 75 then 76 to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians? 77
What good will it do you 78 to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians? 79
2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. 80
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful 81
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, 82
to show no respect for me,” 83
says the Lord God who rules over all. 84
2:20 “Indeed, 85 long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me. 86
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’ 87
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers. 88
2:21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 89
2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” 90
says the Lord God. 91
2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to 92 the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! 93
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 94
2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 95
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 96
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 97
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 98 and want to pursue them!’
2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel 99 will suffer dishonor for what they have done. 100
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
2:27 They say to a wooden idol, 101 ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’ 102
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. 103
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
2:28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that 104 you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
[23:31] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:31] 2 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[23:32] 3 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[23:32] 4 tn Heb “according to all which his fathers had done.”
[23:33] 5 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has “when [he was] ruling in Jerusalem,” but the marginal reading (Qere), which has support from Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses, has “[preventing him] from ruling in Jerusalem.”
[23:33] 7 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold (cf. NCV, NLT); CEV “almost four tons of silver and about seventy-five pounds of gold.”
[23:34] 8 tn Heb “and he took Jehoahaz, and he came to Egypt and he died there.”
[23:35] 9 tn Heb “And the silver and the gold Jehoiakim gave to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the silver at the command of Pharaoh, [from] each according to his tax he collected the silver and the gold, from the people of the land, to give to Pharaoh Necho.”
[23:36] 10 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:37] 11 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[24:1] 12 tn Heb “In his days.”
[24:1] 13 tn Heb “came up.” Perhaps an object (“against him”) has been accidentally omitted from the text. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 306.
[24:1] 14 tn The Hebrew text has “and he turned and rebelled against him.”
[24:2] 15 tn Heb “he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the
[24:3] 16 tn Heb “Certainly according to the word of the
[24:4] 17 tn Heb “and also the blood of the innocent which he shed, and he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the
[24:5] 18 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoiakim, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[24:6] 19 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[24:8] 20 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:8] 21 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[24:9] 22 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[24:10] 24 tn Heb “went up [to] Jerusalem and the city entered into siege.”
[24:12] 26 sn That is, the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, 597
[24:12] 27 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jehoiachin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:13] 28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nebuchadnezzar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:15] 29 tn Heb “and he deported Jehoiachin to Babylon; the mother of the king and the wives of the king and his eunuchs and the mighty of the land he led into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
[24:16] 30 tn Heb “the entire [group], mighty men, doers of war.”
[24:18] 32 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[24:18] 33 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[24:18] 34 tc Some textual witnesses support the consonantal text (Kethib) in reading “Hamital.”
[24:19] 35 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[24:19] 36 tn Heb “according to all which Jehoiakim had done.”
[24:20] 37 tn Heb “Surely [or, ‘for’] because of the anger of the
[24:1] 38 tn Heb “In his days.”
[24:1] 39 tn Heb “came up.” Perhaps an object (“against him”) has been accidentally omitted from the text. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 306.
[24:1] 40 tn The Hebrew text has “and he turned and rebelled against him.”
[3:15] 41 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
[3:15] 42 tn Heb “the hand of the
[3:16] 43 tn Heb “making this valley cisterns, cisterns.” The Hebrew noun גֵּב (gev) means “cistern” in Jer 14:3 (cf. Jer 39:10). The repetition of the noun is for emphasis. See GKC 396 §123.e. The verb (“making”) is an infinitive absolute, which has to be interpreted in light of the context. The translation above takes it in an imperatival sense. The command need not be understood as literal, but as hyperbolic. Telling them to build cisterns is a dramatic way of leading into the announcement that he would miraculously provide water in the desert. Some prefer to translate the infinitive as an imperfect with the Lord as the understood subject, “I will turn this valley [into] many pools.”
[3:2] 45 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[1:1] 46 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
[1:2] 47 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:2] 48 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
[1:2] 49 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
[1:2] 50 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.
[1:3] 51 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are going to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question.
[1:6] 53 tn Heb “said to him.”
[1:6] 54 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).
[1:7] 55 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:7] 56 tn Heb “What was the manner…?”
[1:8] 57 tn Heb “said to him.”
[1:8] 58 tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).
[1:8] 59 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
[1:8] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:10] 61 tn Heb “For go west.”
[2:10] 62 tn Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation.
[2:10] 63 sn Kedar is the home of the Bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
[2:11] 64 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the
[2:11] 65 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
[2:12] 66 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
[2:13] 67 tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the
[2:14] 68 tn Heb “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a house born slave?” The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative answer.
[2:15] 69 tn Heb “Lions shout over him, they give out [raise] their voices.”
[2:15] 70 tn Heb “without inhabitant.”
[2:16] 71 tn Heb “the sons of…”
[2:16] 72 tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (yÿro’ukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (ra’a’; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1 and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yir’ukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (ra’ah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”
[2:17] 73 tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[2:17] 74 tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”
[2:18] 75 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 76 tn The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).
[2:18] 77 tn Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.
[2:18] 78 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 79 tn Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.
[2:19] 80 tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”
[2:19] 81 tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.
[2:19] 82 tn Heb “to leave the
[2:19] 83 tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”
[2:19] 84 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord
[2:20] 85 tn Or “For.” The Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) here introduces the evidence that they had no respect for him.
[2:20] 86 tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.
[2:20] 87 tc The MT of this verse has two examples of the old second feminine singular perfect, שָׁבַרְתִּי (shavarti) and נִתַּקְתִּי (nittaqti), which the Masoretes mistook for first singulars leading to the proposal to read אֶעֱבוֹר (’e’evor, “I will not transgress”) for אֶעֱבֹד (’e’evod, “I will not serve”). The latter understanding of the forms is accepted in KJV but rejected by almost all modern English versions as being less appropriate to the context than the reading accepted in the translation given here.
[2:20] 88 tn Heb “you sprawled as a prostitute on….” The translation reflects the meaning of the metaphor.
[2:21] 89 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.
[2:22] 90 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
[2:22] 91 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
[2:23] 92 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
[2:23] 93 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
[2:23] 94 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the
[2:24] 95 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:24] 96 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
[2:25] 97 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
[2:25] 98 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
[2:26] 99 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
[2:26] 100 tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:27] 101 tn Heb “wood…stone…”
[2:27] 102 sn The reference to wood and stone is, of course, a pejorative reference to idols made by human hands. See the next verse where reference is made to “the gods you have made.”
[2:27] 103 tn Heb “they have turned [their] backs to me, not [their] faces.”
[2:28] 104 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.
