1.
In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign.
twenty and seventh year. So in 2 Chronicles 26:1-3 . Azariah being then sixteen (2 Kings 15:2 ), and therefore only three on the death of his father Arnaziah. Hence, there were thirteen years interregnum (16 - 3 = 13). Arnaziah died in the fourteenth year of Jeroboam. Therefore Azariah began to reign in the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam (13 + 14 = 27). This is the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam's partnership with his father on his going to the Syrian wars. Azariah = Uzziah. See note on 2 Kings 14:21 .
2.
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.
3.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done;
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
according to all: i.e. he began well, but see 2 Chronicles 26:3-23 .
4.
Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.
Save that. Compare 1 Kings 12:31 .
5.
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.
the LORD smote = Jehovah smote. Chronicles comes in here to explain why. See 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 , and note on "Kings" in title of 1 Kings (p. 447).
a leper. One of nine afflicted with leprosy. See note on Exodus 4:6 . No reason is given here, but it is given in Chronicles according to the object of the latter book. See note above.
several house = a lazar house. See note on 2 Kings 15:7 .
over the house , or palace: i.e. the king's house, as regent or co-regent.
6.
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?
the rest of the acts. For details see 2 Chronicles 26:1-15 . The writings of HOSEA, JOEL, Amos, and JONAH belong to this period: from the latter days of Joash (king of Judah) to the end of Uzziah. See the notes on the events in these reigns in their respective prophecies. They foretell the doom of Judah.
are they not . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
7.
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.
Azariah. In the year of his death (649) Isaiah had his vision (Isaiah 6:1-9 . John 12:4 )), when the "voice" from the Temple prophesied the Dispersion (see the Structure of Isaiah). Uzziah had been driven from the Temple to a lazar house, when Isaiah saw the vision of the Temple in heaven.
slept with his fathers. See note on Deuteronomy 31:16 .
Jotham. The first-named of the four kings in whose reigns Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 1:1 ). Micah also began to prophesy and mourn over the coming dispersion of Israel.
in his stead. There had been an interregnum of eleven or twelve years.
8.
In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months.
thirty and eight year. Compare with 2 Kings 14:29 . Jeroboam died in the fourteenth year of Azariah (or Uzziah). There must have been an interregnum of twenty-four years. See App-50 and comments on 2 Kings 15:1 .
9.
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.
evil. Hebrew. ra'a' . App-44 .
as = according as.
sins Hebrew. Chata. See App-44 .
made Israel to sin. See note on 1 Kings 14:16 .
10.
And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead.
smote him: as prophesied (Amos 7:9 ).
11.
And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. .
12.
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.
He spake. Compare 2 Kings 10:30 and Hosea 1:4 .
13.
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.
Uzziah. See note on 2 Kings 14:21 .
14.
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.
Tirzah. The capital before Samaria (1 Kings 14:17 ; 1Ki 14:15 , 1 Kings 14:21 ; 1 Kings 16:8 ). Now Telluzah, about nine miles north of Samaria.
15.
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.
16.
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.
17.
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.
Azariah. See note on 2 Kings 14:21 .
Menahern. Their names are mentioned, together with Rezin (2 Kings 16:9 ), in Tiglath-pileser's inscriptions.
18.
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.
the sins. Some codices, with Aram, and Septuagint, read "any of the sins". See note on 1 Kings 14:16 .
19.
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. Thought to be the same as Tiglath-pileser (a throne name). But see 1 Chronicles 5:26 .
came against. Probably at invitation of Menahern. Compare Hosea 5:13 ; Hosea 7:11 ; Hosea 8:9 .
talents. See App-51 .
20.
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.
exacted. Judah usually bought off foreign invaders (2 Kings 12:18 ; 2 Kings 16:8 ; 2 Kings 18:15 ).
there = then. Hebrew. sham. Compare Judges 5:11 .Psalms 14:5 .
21.
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?
22.
And Menahem slept with his fathers; and Pekahiah his son reigned in his stead.
23.
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.
fiftieth year. From 2 Kings 15:17 there appears to be an interregnum of some months.
24.
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.
25.
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.
Pekah. Compare Isaiah 7:1 .
26.
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.
27.
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.
twenty years. See App-50 . The Assyrian inscription shows only four years. But why is writing on stone always assumed to be correct, and on parchment, always wrong? There were two chronological mistakes on the Duke of Cambridge's monument erected in Whitehall, London, which were the subject of a correspondence in the London newspapers of that date. (The Duke died in March, 1904.) On the coffinplate of King Edward VII, his death is put as occurring in the "ninth" instead of in the "tenth" year of his reign. In the inscription of DARIUS HYSTASPIS on the Behistun Rock (see App-57 ), no less than fourteen "mistakes" made by the graver (one of them actually corrected by himself) are noted as such by the authors of the exhaustive work on that subject issued by the Trustees of the British Museum.
28.
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.
29.
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Jonoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
Tiglath pileser. See note on "Pul", 2 Kings 15:19 .
Abel-beth-maachah . . . Gilead. These names are mentioned in Tiglath's own inscriptions.
carried them captive. This deportation took place in 734 B.C., and is referred to in Isaiah 9:1 , Isaiah 9:2 . father, for whom he reigned four years. See note on 2 Kings 15:30 above.
Zadok. The high priest (1 Chronicles 6:12 ). Perhaps this was why he invaded the priests' office.
30.
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.
31.
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.
32.
In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.
33.
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.
34.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done.
all: i.e. all [the good].
35.
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.
He built. Compare 2 Chronicles 27:3 .
36.
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?
the rest. Compare 2 Chronicles 27:2-8 .
are they not . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
37.
In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah.
Rezin. The war which broke out in the reign of Ahaz was already threatening. Compare Isaiah 7:1-16 .
38.
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.