Matthew Poole's Commentary In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. Azariah, his good reign, but is punished with leprosy, and dieth, 2 Kings 15:1-7. Zachariah reigneth ill; is slain by Shallum; who reigneth a month, and is slain by Menahem, 2 Kings 15:8-15. He is strengthened by Pul king of Assyria: his son succeedeth him, 2 Kings 15:16-22. He is slain by Pekah, 2 Kings 15:23-26. A part of the Israelites is carried away captive to Assyria by Tiglath-pileser, 2 Kings 15:27-29. Hoshea slayeth Pekah, and succeedeth him. Jotham’s good reign over Judah: Ahaz succeedeth him, 2 Kings 15:30-38. Quest. How can this be true, seeing Amaziah, the father of this Azariah, lived only till the fifteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign, 2 Kings 14:2,23? Answ. This might be either, first, Because Jeroboam was made king by and reigned with his father eleven or twelve years, and afterwards reigned alone; and so there is a twofold beginning of his kingdom; by the former this was his twenty-seventh year, and by the latter his fifteenth year. Or, secondly, Because there was an interreign for eleven or twelve years in the kingdom of Judah; either through the prevalency of that faction which cut off Amaziah the father, and kept the son out of his kingdom; or because Azariah was very young when his father was slain, and the people were not agreed to restore him to his right till his sixteenth year, 2 Kings 14:21 2 Chronicles 26:1. And yet these eleven or twelve years of interreign, in which he was excluded from the exercise of his regal office, some think to be included in those fifty-two years which are here ascribed to Azariah’s reign, 2 Kings 15:2, which may well be doubted. Azariah, called also Uzziah here, 2 Kings 15:13,30. Began Azariah to reign; solely and fully to exercise his regal power. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. Besides the sixteen years of his minority last mentioned. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done; i.e. In the same manner, unsincerely, and but for a time. Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places. Save that; understand this as howbeit, 2 Kings 14:4. And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house. And Jotham the king's son was over the house, judging the people of the land. He was a leper; the cause whereof see 2 Chronicles 26:16. Dwelt in a several house; separated from conversation with others by virtue of that law, Leviticus 13:46, which being the law of the King of kings, bound kings no less than subjects. Over the house, judging the people of the land, i.e. he governed the king’s court and whole kingdom, in his name, and as his vicegerent. And the rest of the acts of Azariah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? No text from Poole on this verse. So Azariah slept with his fathers; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead. No text from Poole on this verse. In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. The thirty and eighth year of Azariah; of which See Poole "2 Kings 15:2". And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. No text from Poole on this verse. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. Shallum the son of Jabesh; one of his chief captains. Before the people openly and impudently; which he presumed to do, either because he remembered that the promise of the kingdom made to Jehu was confined to the fourth generation, 2 Kings 10:30, which he observed to be now expired; or because he perceived that the people were generally disaffected to their king, and favourable to his attempt. And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass. No text from Poole on this verse. Shallum the son of Jabesh began to reign in the nine and thirtieth year of Uzziah king of Judah; and he reigned a full month in Samaria. No text from Poole on this verse. For Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. No text from Poole on this verse. And the rest of the acts of Shallum, and his conspiracy which he made, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up. Tiphsah; either that Tiphsah mentioned 1 Kings 4:24, or another city of that name. The coasts thereof from Tirzah, i.e. all the people dwelling between Tirzah and Tiphsah. Because they opened not to him; because they refused to open the gates of their city to him, and to submit to him as conqueror. The women he ripped up; that by this example of severity he might affright all the rest of the people into obedience. In the nine and thirtieth year of Azariah king of Judah began Menahem the son of Gadi to reign over Israel, and reigned ten years in Samaria. No text from Poole on this verse. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. No text from Poole on this verse. And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. Pul the king of Assyria; called by heathen authors Pulbelochus, who by the help of Arbaces the Mede vanquished Sardanapalus the last monarch of Assyria, and translated the kingdom to Chaldea, and was the first king of Babylon and Assyria; Arbaces being made king of the Medes and Persians. Against the land, to wit, of Israel, as the context shows. Menahem gave, i.e. agreed or promised to give, as the next verse explains it. That his hand might be with him, to confirm the kingdom in his hand; that he might assist him against all that did or should oppose him. By which it appears that his cruelty to Tiphsah was so far from establishing him, as he expected, that it weakened and endangered him so far, that he was forced to call in a foreign prince to his aid. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. Of each man, i.e. of each of those wealthy Israelites. But as each of these were not equally wealthy, so it is not probable that he taxed them equally. Others therefore render it to or for each man, i.e. for every Assyrian soldier; which interpretation is favoured by the placing of the words in the Hebrew text, which differs from that in our translation. And the rest of the acts of Menahem, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? No text from Poole on this verse. And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead. No text from Poole on this verse. In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. No text from Poole on this verse. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. No text from Poole on this verse. But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh, and with him fifty men of the Gileadites: and he killed him, and reigned in his room. Argob and Arieh might be either Pekah’s partners in this treason, or the king’s courtiers or officers, who were now slain with him. Fifty men of the Gileadites; who assisted him in the execution of his treason. And the rest of the acts of Pekahiah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. In the two and fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekah the son of Remaliah began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. No text from Poole on this verse. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. No text from Poole on this verse. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. Tiglath-pileser, or, Tilgath-pilneser, 2 Chronicles 28:20, called in heathen authors Phulasar, or Phul-assur, the son of that Pul or Phul above, 2 Kings 15:19. Abel-beth-maachah; of which see 1 Kings 15:20. Janoah; a city of Ephraim, Joshua 16:6. Kedesh and Hazor; two cities of Naphtali, Joshua 12:22 19:36. Gilead; all the land beyond Jordan, which was nigher to the Assyrian than the rest. Galilee, to wit, the Upper Galilee, as may be gathered from the following words, all (or, even all) the land of Naphtali; which seem to be added by way of explication or restriction, to show what Galilee he meant, even the Upper, in which Naphtali’s lot fell. See Poole "Isaiah 9:1". And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. Smote him, and slew him; which he did more easily effect, because the people were enraged against Pekah, as the man who by his murder of king Pekahiah the son of Menahem, whom the Assyrian monarch set up and favoured, and by his unnecessary war with Ahaz, had brought the Assyrian upon them, and caused the loss of one half of that kingdom. In the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. Quest. How could this be, when Jotham reigned only sixteen years, below, 2 Kings 15:33? Answ. The meaning is, that he began his reign in the twentieth year after the beginning of Jotham’s reign; or, which is the same thing, in the fourth year of Ahaz, son of Jotham, as appears from 2 Kings 16:2. But the sacred writer, having not yet made mention of Ahaz, thought it more proper to number Hoshea’s years by Jotham, of whom he had spoken, than by Ahaz. Besides, as Jotham did reign divers years in his father’s life, so might Ahaz in Jotham’s life, and Jotham might for divers reasons (which it is needless here to inquire) resign up the administration of the kingdom wholly into Ahaz’s hands some years before his death, and therefore might be said to reign but sixteen years, though he lived longer. And the rest of the acts of Pekah, and all that he did, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. No text from Poole on this verse. In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. No text from Poole on this verse. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. When he began to reign, to wit, properly and alone; for he had reigned before this, as his father’s deputy and viceroy. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. No text from Poole on this verse. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD. Not of the temple, properly so called; but of one of the courts of the temple, probably that which led to the king’s palace, 2 Chronicles 23:20; called also the new gate, Jeremiah 26:10 36:10. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? No text from Poole on this verse. In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. In those days i.e. towards the end of Jotham’s reign. The Lord began to send, i.e. disposed their hearts to unite their forces together, and to make preparation for a war against Judah; which yet they did not execute till Ahaz’s reign. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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