Discovery Box2 Kings 14:16--15:2
Context14:16 Jehoash passed away 1 and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.)
14:17 King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel. 14:18 The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 2 14:19 Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, 3 so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him 4 and they killed him there. 14:20 His body was carried back by horses 5 and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the city of David. 14:21 All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place. 14:22 Azariah 6 built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king 7 had passed away. 8
14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah, son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for forty-one years in Samaria. 9 14:24 He did evil in the sight of 10 the Lord; he did not repudiate 11 the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin. 14:25 He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the Arabah in the south, 12 in accordance with the word of the Lord God of Israel announced through 13 his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher. 14:26 The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; 14 everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer. 15 14:27 The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory 16 from under heaven, 17 so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.
14:28 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 18 14:29 Jeroboam passed away 19 and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 20 His son Zechariah replaced him as king.
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. 21 His mother’s name was Jecholiah, who was from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 15:32
Context15:32 In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Uzziah’s son Jotham became king over Judah.
2 Kings 16:1-20
Context16:1 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham’s son Ahaz became king over Judah. 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 22 He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. 23 16:3 He followed in the footsteps of 24 the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, 25 a horrible sin practiced by the nations 26 whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. 16:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. 27 They besieged Ahaz, 28 but were unable to conquer him. 29 16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria 30 recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. 31 Syrians 32 arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.) 16:7 Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your dependent. 33 March up and rescue me from the power 34 of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked 35 me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were 36 in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute 37 to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; 38 he 39 attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people 40 to Kir and executed Rezin.
16:10 When King Ahaz went to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria in Damascus, he saw the altar there. 41 King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. 42 16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. 43 Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. 44 16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and 45 saw the altar, he approached it 46 and offered a sacrifice on it. 47 16:13 He offered his burnt sacrifice and his grain offering. He poured out his libation and sprinkled the blood from his peace offerings on the altar. 16:14 He moved the bronze altar that stood in the Lord’s presence from the front of the temple (between the altar and the Lord’s temple) and put it on the north side of the new 48 altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar 49 offer the morning burnt sacrifice, the evening grain offering, the royal burnt sacrifices and grain offering, the burnt sacrifice for all the people of Israel, their grain offering, and their libations. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt sacrifice and other sacrifices on it. The bronze altar will be for my personal use.” 50 16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as 51 King Ahaz ordered.
16:17 King Ahaz took off the frames of the movable stands, and removed the basins from them. He took “The Sea” 52 down from the bronze bulls that supported it 53 and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning 54 that had been built 55 in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. 56
16:19 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 57 16:20 Ahaz passed away 58 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.
2 Kings 18:1-37
Context18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 59 His mother 60 was Abi, 61 the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 62 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. 63 He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time 64 the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 65 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. 66 18:6 He was loyal to 67 the Lord and did not abandon him. 68 He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to 69 Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. 70 He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. 71 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress. 72
18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched 73 up against Samaria 74 and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel 75 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey 76 the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. 77 They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. 78
18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, “I have violated our treaty. 79 If you leave, I will do whatever you demand.” 80 So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents 81 of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in 82 the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord’s temple and from the posts which he had plated 83 and gave them to the king of Assyria.
18:17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser 84 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 85 along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went 86 and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 87 18:18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them.
18:19 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 88 18:20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 89 In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 18:22 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’ 18:23 Now make a deal 90 with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 18:24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 91 18:25 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March 92 up against this land and destroy it.’”’” 93
18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 94 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 95 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 18:27 But the chief adviser said to them, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 96 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you.” 97
18:28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 98 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 18:29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! 99 18:30 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 18:31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 100 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 18:32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” 18:33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 101 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? 102 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 103 from my power? 104 18:35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 105 18:36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
18:37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn 106 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.
2 Kings 18:2
Context18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 107 His mother 108 was Abi, 109 the daughter of Zechariah.
2 Kings 1:1-18
Context1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 110 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria 111 and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, 112 “Go, ask 113 Baal Zebub, 114 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. 115 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, 116 he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, 117 “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. 118 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king 119 asked them, “Describe the appearance 120 of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, 121 “He was a hairy man 122 and had a leather belt 123 tied around his waist.” The king 124 said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
1:9 The king 125 sent a captain and his fifty soldiers 126 to retrieve Elijah. 127 The captain 128 went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. 129 He told him, “Prophet, 130 the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, 131 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down 132 from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:11 The king 133 sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, 134 “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” 135 1:12 Elijah replied to them, 136 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God 137 came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:13 The king 138 sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell 139 on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, 140 fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. 141 So now, please have respect for my life.” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down 142 with him to the king.
1:16 Elijah 143 said to the king, 144 “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! 145 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” 146
1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah. 147 In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son. 148 1:18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 149
2 Kings 1:1
Context
[14:16] 1 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:18] 2 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Amaziah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[14:19] 3 tn Heb “and they conspired against him [with] a conspiracy in Jerusalem.”
[14:19] 4 tn Heb “and they sent after him to Lachish.”
[14:20] 5 tn Heb “and they carried him on horses.”
[14:22] 6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Azariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 7 sn This must refer to Amaziah.
[14:22] 8 tn Heb “lay with his fathers.”
[14:23] 9 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[14:24] 10 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[14:24] 11 tn Heb “turn away from all.”
[14:25] 12 tn The phrases “in the north” and “in the south” are added in the translation for clarification.
[14:25] 13 tn Heb “which he spoke by the hand of.”
[14:26] 14 tc Heb “for the
[14:26] 15 tn Heb “[there was] none but the restrained, and [there was] none but the abandoned, and there was no deliverer for Israel.” On the meaning of the terms עָצוּר (’atsur) and עָזוּב (’azur), see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[14:27] 17 tn The phrase “from under heaven” adds emphasis to the verb “blot out” and suggest total annihilation. For other examples of the verb מָחָה (makhah), “blot out,” combined with “from under heaven,” see Exod 17:14; Deut 9:14; 25:19; 29:20.
[14:28] 18 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?” The phrase “to Judah” is probably not original; it may be a scribal addition by a Judahite scribe who was trying to link Jeroboam’s conquests with the earlier achievements of David and Solomon, who ruled in Judah. The Syriac Peshitta has simply “to Israel.” M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 162) offer this proposal, but acknowledge that it is “highly speculative.”
[14:29] 19 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:29] 20 tn The MT has simply “with the kings of Israel,” which appears to stand in apposition to the immediately preceding “with his fathers.” But it is likely that the words “and he was buried in Samaria” have been accidentally omitted from the text. See 13:13 and 14:16.
[15:2] 21 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:2] 22 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:2] 23 tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the
[16:3] 24 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
[16:3] 25 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
[16:3] 26 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
[16:5] 27 tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”
[16:5] 28 tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.
[16:5] 29 tn Heb “they were unable to fight.” The object must be supplied from the preceding sentence. Elsewhere when the Niphal infinitive of לָחָם (lakham) follows the verb יָכֹל (yakhol), the infinitive appears to have the force of “prevail against.” See Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9; and the parallel passage in Isa 7:1.
[16:6] 30 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ’aram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ’edom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.
[16:6] 32 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew
[16:7] 33 tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.
[16:7] 34 tn Heb “hand, palm.”
[16:7] 35 tn Heb “who have arisen against.”
[16:8] 36 tn Heb “that was found.”
[16:8] 37 tn Or “bribe money.”
[16:9] 38 tn Heb “listened to him.”
[16:9] 39 tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”
[16:10] 41 tn Heb “in Damascus.”
[16:10] 42 tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”
[16:11] 43 tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”
[16:11] 44 tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”
[16:12] 45 tn Heb “and the king.”
[16:12] 46 tn Heb “the altar.”
[16:12] 47 tn Or “ascended it.”
[16:14] 48 tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.
[16:15] 49 tn That is, the newly constructed altar.
[16:15] 50 tn Heb “for me to seek.” The precise meaning of בָּקַר (baqar), “seek,” is uncertain in this context. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189.
[16:16] 51 tn Heb “according to all which.”
[16:17] 52 sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.
[16:17] 53 tn Heb “that [were] under it.”
[16:18] 54 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מוּסַךְ (musakh; Qere) / מִיסַךְ (misakh; Kethib) is uncertain. For discussion see HALOT 557 s.v. מוּסַךְ and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 189-90.
[16:18] 55 tn Heb “that they built.”
[16:18] 56 sn It is doubtful that Tiglath-pileser ordered these architectural changes. Ahaz probably made these changes so he could send some of the items and materials to the Assyrian king as tribute. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 190, 193.
[16:19] 57 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Ahaz, and that which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[16:20] 58 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[18:2] 59 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[18:2] 60 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[18:2] 61 tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”
[18:3] 62 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
[18:4] 63 tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.
[18:4] 64 tn Heb “until those days.”
[18:4] 65 tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet), “bronze serpent.”
[18:5] 66 tn Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”
[18:6] 68 tn Heb “and did not turn aside from after him.”
[18:6] 69 tn Heb “had commanded.”
[18:7] 70 tn Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”
[18:7] 71 tn Heb “and did not serve him.”
[18:8] 72 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 17:9.
[18:9] 73 tn Heb “went” (also in v. 13).
[18:9] 74 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:11] 75 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
[18:12] 76 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
[18:12] 77 tn Heb “his covenant.”
[18:12] 78 tn Heb “all that Moses, the
[18:14] 79 tn Or “I have done wrong.”
[18:14] 80 tn Heb “Return from upon me; what you place upon me, I will carry.”
[18:14] 81 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 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.
[18:15] 82 tn Heb “that was found.”
[18:16] 83 tn Heb “At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the
[18:17] 84 sn For a discussion of these titles see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
[18:17] 85 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[18:17] 86 tn Heb “and they went up and came.”
[18:17] 87 tn Heb “the field of the washer.”
[18:19] 88 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
[18:20] 89 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
[18:23] 90 tn Heb “exchange pledges.”
[18:24] 91 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 23-24 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 21. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
[18:25] 93 sn In v. 25 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 22. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
[18:26] 94 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the empire.
[18:27] 96 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[18:27] 97 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
[18:28] 98 tn The Hebrew text also has, “and he spoke and said.”
[18:29] 99 tc The MT has “his hand,” but this is due to graphic confusion of vav (ו) and yod (י). The translation reads “my hand,” along with many medieval Hebrew
[18:31] 100 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
[18:33] 101 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations really rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the main verb. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
[18:34] 102 tn The parallel passage in Isa 36:19 omits “Hena and Ivvah.” The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
[18:34] 103 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[18:34] 104 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 33, 35).
[18:35] 105 tn Heb “that the
[18:37] 106 sn As a sign of grief and mourning.
[18:2] 107 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[18:2] 108 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[18:2] 109 tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”
[1:1] 110 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
[1:2] 111 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:2] 112 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
[1:2] 113 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
[1:2] 114 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] 115 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] 117 tn Heb “said to him.”
[1:6] 118 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] 119 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:7] 120 tn Heb “What was the manner…?”
[1:8] 121 tn Heb “said to him.”
[1:8] 122 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] 123 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
[1:8] 124 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 125 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 126 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
[1:9] 128 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 129 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
[1:9] 130 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
[1:10] 131 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
[1:10] 132 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.
[1:11] 133 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:11] 134 tc The MT reads, “he answered and said to him.” The verb “he answered” (וַיַּעַן, vayya’an) is probably a corruption of “he went up” (וַיַּעַל, vayya’al). See v. 9.
[1:11] 135 sn In this second panel of the three-paneled narrative, the king and his captain are more arrogant than before. The captain uses a more official sounding introduction (“this is what the king says”) and the king adds “at once” to the command.
[1:12] 136 tc Two medieval Hebrew
[1:12] 137 tn Or “intense fire.” The divine name may be used idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the fire. Whether one translates אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) here as a proper name or idiomatically, this addition to the narrative (the name is omitted in the first panel, v. 10b) emphasizes the severity of the judgment and is appropriate given the more intense command delivered by the king to the prophet in this panel.
[1:13] 138 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:13] 139 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
[1:14] 141 tn Heb “their fifty.”
[1:15] 142 sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.
[1:16] 143 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 144 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 145 tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”
[1:16] 146 sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.
[1:17] 147 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[1:17] 148 tn Heb “Jehoram replaced him as king…because he had no son.” Some ancient textual witnesses add “his brother,” which was likely added on the basis of the statement later in the verse that Ahaziah had no son.
[1:18] 149 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not recorded in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[1:1] 150 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
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