2 Kings 16:5-8

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.” 16:8 Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were ¹⁰  in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute ¹¹  to the king of Assyria.

[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.”

[16:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “that was found.”

[16:8]  ¹¹ tn Or “bribe money.”