---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse 2 Chronicles 28:1. Ahaz was twenty years old — For the difficulties in this chronology, 2 Kings 16:1. Verse 2 Chronicles 28:3. Burnt his children in"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28"
---

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:1](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/1). ***Ahaz was twenty years old*** — For the difficulties in this chronology, [2 Kings 16:1](../../../kjv/2-kings/16/1).

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:3](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/3). ***Burnt his children in the fire*** — There is a most remarkable addition here in the *Chaldee* which I shall give at length: "Ahaz burnt his children in the fire; but the WORD of the Lord snatched Hezekiah from among them; for it was manifest before the Lord that the *three* righteous men, *Hananiah, Mishael*, and *Azariah*, were to proceed from him; who should deliver up their bodies that they might be cast into a burning fiery furnace, on account of the great and glorious NAME, (יהוה) and from which they should escape. *First, Abram* escaped from the furnace of fire among the Chaldeans, into which he had been cast by Nimrod, because he would not worship their idols. *Secondly, Tamar* escaped burning in the house of judgment of Judah, who had said, *Bring her out, that* *she may be burnt*. *Thirdly, Hezekiah* the son of Ahaz escaped from the burning, when Ahaz his father cast him into the valley of the son of Hinnom, on the altars of Tophet. *Fourthly, Hananiah,* *Mishael*, and *Azariah*, escaped from the burning fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. *Fifthly, Joshua*, the son of Josedek the high priest, escaped, when the impious Nebuchadnezzar had cast him into a burning fiery furnace, with Achaab the son of Kolia, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, the false prophet. *They* were consumed by fire; but Joshua the son of Josedek escaped because of his righteousness."

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:5](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/5). ***Delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria*** — For the better understanding of these passages, the reader is requested to refer to what has been advanced in the notes on the sixteenth chapter of [2 Kings 16:5](../../../kjv/2-kings/16/5), &c.

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:6](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/6). ***A hundred and twenty thousand*** — It is very probable that there is a mistake in this number. It is hardly possible that *a* *hundred and twenty thousand* men could have been slain in one day; yet all the *versions* and *MSS*. agree in this number. The whole people seem to have been given up into the hands of their enemies.

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:9](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/9). ***But a prophet of the Lord - whose name was Oded*** — To this beautiful speech nothing can be added by the best comment; it is simple, humane, pious, and overwhelmingly convincing: no wonder it produced the effect mentioned here. That there was much of humanity in the heads of the children of *Ephraim* who joined with the prophet on this occasion, the *fifteenth* verse sufficiently proves. They did not barely dismiss these most unfortunate captives, but they took that very spoil which their victorious army had brought away; and they clothed, fed, shod, and anointed, these distressed people, set the feeblest of them upon asses, and escorted them safely to Jericho. We can scarcely find a parallel to this in the universal history of the wars which savage man has carried on against his fellows, from the foundation of the world.

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/16). ***The kings of Assyria to help him.*** — Instead of מלכי *malchey*; KINGS; the *Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic*, and *Chaldee*, one MS., and the parallel place, [2 Kings 16:7](../../../kjv/2-kings/16/7), have מלך *melek*, KING, in the *singular* number. This king was *Tiglath-pileser*, as we learn from the second book of Kings.

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:21](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/21). ***But he helped him not.*** — He did him no ultimate service. [2 Kings 16:9](../../../kjv/2-kings/16/9).
After ver. [2 Chronicles 28:15](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/15), the [2 Chronicles 28:23](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/23), [2 Chronicles 28:24](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/24), and [2 Chronicles 28:25](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/25) verses are introduced before the [2 Chronicles 28:16](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/16), in the *Syriac* and *Arabic*, and the [2 Chronicles 28:22](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/22) verse is wholly wanting in both, though some of the expressions may be found in the twenty-first verse.

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:23](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/23). ***He sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote**********him*** — "This passage," says *Mr. Hallet*, "greatly surprised me; for the sacred historian himself is here represented as saying, *The* *gods of Damascus had smitten* Ahaz. But it is impossible to suppose that an *inspired* author could say this; for the Scripture everywhere represents the heathen *idols* as *nothing* and *vanity*, and as incapable of *doing either good* or *hurt*. All difficulty is avoided if we follow the *old Hebrew copies*, from which the *Greek* *translation* was made, Και ειπεν ὁ βασιλεις Αχαζ, εκζητησω τους Θεους Δαμασκου τους τυπτοντας με, *And King Ahaz* SAID, I WILL SEEK TO THE GODS OF DAMASCUS WHICH HAVE SMITTEN ME; and then it follows, both in Hebrew and Greek, *He said moreover, Because the* *gods of the king of Syria help them; therefore will I sacrifice to* *them, that they may help me*. Both the *Syriac* and *Arabic* give it a similar turn; and say that *Ahaz sacrificed to the gods of* *Damascus, and said, Ye are my gods and my lords; you will I* *worship, and to you will I sacrifice*."

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:24](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/24). ***Shut up the doors*** — He caused the Divine worship to be totally suspended; and they continued shut till the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah, one of whose first acts was to reopen them, and thus to restore the Divine worship, [2 Chronicles 29:3](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/29/3).

Verse [2 Chronicles 28:27](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/28/27). ***The kings of Israel*** — It is a common thing for the writer of this book to put *Israel* for *Judah*. He still considers them as *one people*, because proceeding from one stock. The *versions* and *MSS*. have the same reading with the Hebrew; the matter is of little importance, and with this interpretation none can mistake.

```json
{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/images/missing.jpg","width":640,"height":370,"caption":"Clarke's Commentary -  2 Chronicles 28"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28","name":"Clarke's Commentary -  2 Chronicles 28","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28#primaryimage"},"datePublished":null,"dateModified":null,"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Verse 2 Chronicles 28:1. Ahaz was twenty years old — For the difficulties in this chronology, 2 Kings 16:1. Verse 2 Chronicles 28:3. Burnt his children in","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries","name":"Commentaries"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary","name":"Clarke's Commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles","name":"2 Chronicles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/2-chronicles/28","name":"28"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]}
```