2 Kings 16:5-7

16:5 At that time King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel attacked Jerusalem. ¹  They besieged Ahaz, ²  but were unable to conquer him. ³  16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria ⁴  recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. ⁵  Syrians ⁶  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. ⁷  March up and rescue me from the power ⁸  of the king of Syria and the king of Israel, who have attacked ⁹  me.”

2 Kings 16:2

16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. ¹⁰  He did not do what pleased the Lord his God, in contrast to his ancestor David. ¹¹ 

2 Kings 1:5-6

1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, ¹²  he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, ¹³  “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. ¹⁴  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’”

2 Kings 1:18

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. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 7:1

Ahaz Receives a Sign

7:1 During ¹⁶  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 ¹⁷  to do battle, but they were unable to prevail against it. ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 14:28

The Lord Will Judge the Philistines

14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, ¹⁹  this message was revealed: ²⁰ 

[16:5]  ¹ tn Heb “went up to Jerusalem for battle.”

[16:5]  ² tn That is, Jerusalem, Ahaz’s capital city.

[16:5]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “from Elat.”

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

[16:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “hand, palm.”

[16:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “who have arisen against.”

[16:2]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[16:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he did not do what was proper in the eyes of the Lord his God, like David his father.”

[1:5]  ¹² tn Heb “to him.”

[1:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “said to him.”

[1:6]  ¹⁴ 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).

[1:18]  ¹⁵ 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?”

[7:1]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:1]  ¹⁸ 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.

[14:28]  ¹⁹ sn Perhaps 715 b.c., but the precise date is uncertain.

[14:28]  ²⁰ tn Heb “this oracle came.”