2 Kings 15:38--16:20

15:38 Jotham passed away ¹  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz replaced him as king.

Ahaz’s Reign over Judah

16:1 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. ²  He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. ³  16:3 He followed in the footsteps of ⁴  the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, ⁵  a horrible sin practiced by the nations ⁶  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. ⁷  They besieged Ahaz, ⁸  but were unable to conquer him. ⁹  16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria ¹⁰  recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. ¹¹  Syrians ¹²  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. ¹³  March up and rescue me from the power ¹⁴  of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked ¹⁵  me.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were ¹⁶  in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute ¹⁷  to the king of Assyria. 16:9 The king of Assyria responded favorably to his request; ¹⁸  he ¹⁹  attacked Damascus and captured it. He deported the people ²⁰  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. ²¹  King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a drawing of the altar and a blueprint for its design. ²²  16:11 Uriah the priest built an altar in conformity to the plans King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. ²³  Uriah the priest finished it before King Ahaz arrived back from Damascus. ²⁴  16:12 When the king arrived back from Damascus and ²⁵  saw the altar, he approached it ²⁶  and offered a sacrifice on it. ²⁷  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 ²⁸  altar. 16:15 King Ahaz ordered Uriah the priest, “On the large altar ²⁹  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.” ³⁰  16:16 So Uriah the priest did exactly as ³¹  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” ³²  down from the bronze bulls that supported it ³³  and put it on the pavement. 16:18 He also removed the Sabbath awning ³⁴  that had been built ³⁵  in the temple and the king’s outer entranceway, on account of the king of Assyria. ³⁶ 

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. ³⁷  16:20 Ahaz passed away ³⁸  and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.

2 Kings 16:2

16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ³⁹  He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. ⁴⁰ 

2 Kings 1:9

1:9 The king ⁴¹  sent a captain and his fifty soldiers ⁴²  to retrieve Elijah. ⁴³  The captain ⁴⁴  went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. ⁴⁵  He told him, “Prophet, ⁴⁶  the king says, ‘Come down!’”

2 Kings 1:1

Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders

1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. ⁴⁷ 

Isaiah 7:1-13

Ahaz Receives a Sign

7:1 During ⁴⁸  the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel marched up to Jerusalem ⁴⁹  to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ⁵⁰ 

7:2 It was reported to the family ⁵¹  of David, “Syria has allied with ⁵²  Ephraim.” They and their people were emotionally shaken, just as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. ⁵³  7:3 So the Lord told Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub ⁵⁴  and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. ⁵⁵  7:4 Tell him, ‘Make sure you stay calm! ⁵⁶  Don’t be afraid! Don’t be intimidated ⁵⁷  by these two stubs of smoking logs, ⁵⁸  or by the raging anger of Rezin, Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 7:5 Syria has plotted with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah to bring about your demise. ⁵⁹  7:6 They say, “Let’s attack Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it. ⁶⁰  Then we’ll set up the son of Tabeel as its king.” ⁶¹  7:7 For this reason the sovereign master, ⁶²  the Lord, says:

“It will not take place;

it will not happen.

7:8 For Syria’s leader is Damascus,

and the leader of Damascus is Rezin.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will no longer exist as a nation. ⁶³ 

7:9 Ephraim’s leader is Samaria,

and Samaria’s leader is the son of Remaliah.

If your faith does not remain firm,

then you will not remain secure.” ⁶⁴ 

7:10 The Lord again spoke to Ahaz: 7:11 “Ask for a confirming sign from the Lord your God. You can even ask for something miraculous.” ⁶⁵  7:12 But Ahaz responded, “I don’t want to ask; I don’t want to put the Lord to a test.” ⁶⁶  7:13 So Isaiah replied, ⁶⁷  “Pay attention, ⁶⁸  family ⁶⁹  of David. ⁷⁰  Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God?

[15:38]  ¹ tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

[16:2]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:2]  ³ tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”

[16:3]  ³ tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”

[16:3]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”

[16:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”

[16:5]  ⁵ tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.

[16:5]  ⁶ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “from Elat.”

[16:6]  ⁷ tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”

[16:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “son.” Both terms (“servant” and “son”) reflect Ahaz’s subordinate position as Tiglath-pileser’s subject.

[16:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “hand, palm.”

[16:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “who have arisen against.”

[16:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “that was found.”

[16:8]  ⁸ tn Or “bribe money.”

[16:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “listened to him.”

[16:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “the king of Assyria.”

[16:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “it.”

[16:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “in Damascus.”

[16:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the likeness of the altar and its pattern for all its work.”

[16:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “according to all that King Ahaz sent from Damascus.”

[16:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “so Uriah the priest did, until the arrival of King Ahaz from Damascus.”

[16:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the king.”

[16:12]  ¹² tn Heb “the altar.”

[16:12]  ¹³ tn Or “ascended it.”

[16:14]  ¹² tn The word “new” is added in the translation for clarification.

[16:15]  ¹³ tn That is, the newly constructed altar.

[16:15]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to all which.”

[16:17]  ¹⁵ sn See the note at 1 Kgs 7:23.

[16:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “that [were] under it.”

[16:18]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “that they built.”

[16:18]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

[16:2]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”

[1:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”

[1:9]  ²² tn Heb “to him.”

[1:9]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ²⁴ sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.

[1:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).

[1:1]  ²¹ sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.

[7:1]  ²² tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:1]  ²³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:1]  ²⁴ tn Or perhaps, “but they were unable to attack it.” This statement sounds like a summary of the whole campaign. The following context explains why they were unable to defeat the southern kingdom. The parallel passage (2 Kgs 16:5; cf. Num 22:11; 1 Sam 17:9 for a similar construction) affirms that Syria and Israel besieged Ahaz. Consequently, the statement that “they were not able to battle against them” must refer to the inability to conquer Ahaz.

[7:2]  ²³ tn Heb “house.” In this context the “house of David” includes King Ahaz, his family, and the royal court. See also Jer 21:12; Zech 12:7-8, 10, 12, for a similar use of the phrase.

[7:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “rests upon.” Most understand the verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”), but HALOT 685 s.v. II נחה proposes that this is a hapax legomenon which means “stand by.”

[7:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and his heart shook and the heart of his people shook, like the shaking of the trees of the forest before the wind.” The singular pronoun “his” is collective, referring to the Davidic house/family. לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the seat of the emotions.

[7:3]  ²⁴ tn The name means “a remnant will return.” Perhaps in this context, where the Lord is trying to encourage Ahaz, the name suggests that only a few of the enemy invaders will return home; the rest will be defeated.

[7:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “the Washerman’s Field.”

[7:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “guard yourself and be quiet,” but the two verbs should be coordinated.

[7:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and let not your heart be weak”; ASV “neither let thy heart be faint.”

[7:4]  ²⁷ sn The derogatory metaphor indicates that the power of Rezin and Pekah is ready to die out.

[7:5]  ²⁶ tn This sentence opens with the conjunction יַעַן כִּי (ya’an ki, “because”). Consequently some take vv. 5-6 with what precedes, as another reason why Ahaz might be tempted to fear (see v. 4). However, it is more likely that vv. 5-6 give the basis for the Lord’s announcement in vv. 7-9. The conjunction יַעַן כִּי here introduces the basis for judgment (as in 3:16; 8:6; 29:13), which is then followed by the formal announcement of judgment.

[7:6]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and let us break it open for ourselves”; NASB “make for ourselves a breach in its walls”; NLT “fight our way into.”

[7:6]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and we will make the son of Tabeel king in its midst.”

[7:7]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 14, 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[7:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Ephraim will be too shattered to be a nation”; NIV “to be a people.”

[7:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “if you do not believe, you will not endure.” The verb forms are second plural; the Lord here addresses the entire Davidic family and court. (Verse 4 was addressed to the king.) There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text, designed to draw attention to the alternatives set before the king (cf. 1:20). “Believe” (תַאֳמִינוּ, ta’aminu) is a Hiphil form of the verb אָמָן (’aman); “endure” (תֵאָמֵנוּ, te’amenu) is a Niphal form of this same verb.

[7:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “Make it as deep as Sheol or make it high upwards.” These words suggest that Ahaz can feel free to go beyond the bounds of ordinary human experience.

[7:12]  ³² tn Ahaz uses the verb נָסַה (nasah, “test”) in its negative sense of “challenge, provoke.” However, this is false piety, a smokescreen designed to cover up his lack of faith in the Lord.

[7:13]  ³³ tn Heb “and he said.” The subject is unexpressed, but the reference to “my God” at the end of the verse indicates the prophet is speaking.

[7:13]  ³⁴ tn The verb is second plural in form, because the prophet addresses the whole family of David. He continues to use the plural in v. 14 (with one exception, see the notes on that verse), but then switches back to the second singular (addressing Ahaz specifically) in vv. 16-17.

[7:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “house.” See the note at v. 2.

[7:13]  ³⁶ sn The address to the “house of David” is designed to remind Ahaz and his royal court of the protection promised to them through the Davidic covenant. The king’s refusal to claim God’s promise magnifies his lack of faith.