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In the second year of Joash, son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign.
Verse 1. Second, from his being associated in the empire. It was the first of his reigning alone.
He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, yet not like David his father. He did according to all that Joash his father had done.
Verse 3. David. Yet not with a perfect heart. 2 Chronicles 25:2.—Father. He imitated his early piety, as well as his miserable end. Calmet.
However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
Verse 4. But, and so forth All that Amasias did, at first, was right, (verse 3.) but this only. See 3 Kennicott. 22:24. Bible.—Joas had also left such high places. Calmet. 12:3.
As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father,
but the children of the murderers he didn’t put to death, according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the LORD commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”
Verse 6. Sin. This is the rule of human tribunals, to which God is not restrained. Salien. Ezekiel 18:20. Menochius.—The action of Amasias is commended as something unusual ( Calmet.) among princes, who are but too apt to exceed the bounds of moderation ( Bible.) to revenge their murdered parents. Calmet.
He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel, to this day.
Verse 7. Edom, who had rebelled under Joram. Calmet. 8:20. The particulars of this war are given, 2 Chronicles 25:5. Josephus (ix. 9.) says, Amasias designed also to attack Amalec and Gebal in the same country.—Pits. Called the woody vale, Genesis 14:8. ( Menochius.) south-west of the Dead Sea, (Adric.) or rather to the south of Palmyra, towards Bosra, 3 Kennicott. 9:18.—Rock. Petra, the capital of the country, formerly called Rekem Arke, or Hagor. Most of the houses are hewn out of the rock. Hebrew Sela signifies “a rock;” and many think that this was some other place, whence the Idumeans were hurled down, after the victory. Amasias gave it the name of Jectehel, “obedience of God,” in memory of his having obtained this success, in consequence of his having obeyed the prophet, and sent away 100,000, for whom he had paid 100 talents to the king of Israel.
Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s look one another in the face.”
Verse 8. Let us see one another. This was a challenge to fight. Challoner. Worthington.—The interviews of ambitious kings are often baneful. Bible.—Abner said in the same sense, “Let the young men rise and play,” 2 Kennicott. 2:14; and Virg. Æneid xii. Inter se coiisse viros & cernere ferro. Amasias had many reasons to be displeased with the king of Israel. He might justly redemand part of the money, ( Calmet.) as he had not employed the soldiers. Bible.—They had also committed depredations in Juda. Paral. Jehu had slain Ochozias, and many of his relations. Calmet.—Josephus also observes that he now required Israel to return to his obedience, and acknowledge the power of the lawful descendants of David. Sanctius.
Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.
Verse 9. Thistle. Hebrew choach, something prickly; ( Bible.) “a thorn.” Syr. and Arab. “a plum-tree.” Nothing could be more cutting ( Calmet.) than this answer of Joas, to shew the king of Juda how much he despised his power. Bible.—The ancients were much pleased with such ingenious similes. See Judges 9:7.
You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?”
Verse 10. Home, to boast of thy victory, ( Bible.) but do not offer to molest others. Calmet.—God permitted that Amasias should pay no attention to this advice, nor to the prophet who reproached him for adoring the idols which he had brought from Edom, 2 Chronicles 25:14.
But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
Verse 11. Saw, or fought, verse 8. Calmet. 23:29. Bethsames was in the tribe of Dan, ( Calmet.) but belonging to the king of Juda.
Judah was defeated by Israel; and each man fled to his tent.
Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh and came to Jerusalem, then broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
Verse 13. Cubits. Josephus says 300, and that he led Amasias in triumph through the ruins, (Ant. ix. 10.) on the west side, ( Calmet.) or on the north. Villalp. Menochius.
A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.
He took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in the LORD’s house and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
Verse 14. Hostages, as he left Amasias, on condition he should pay tribute, ( Menochius.) and took “the children of the nobles” (Chal.) to secure his fidelity. Bible.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Verse 15. Valour. Hence it appears that Juda made a stout resistance, though Josephus would insinuate the contrary.
Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, fifteen years.
Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.
Verse 19. Lachis, in the tribe of Dan. Some say that the kings resided there twelve years, in a kind of exile. Malvenda.—But the conspiracy only took place in the last year of his reign. Usher, A. 3194.—Some powerful men rose up against him, and the people were displeased with his conduct. Menochius.—But the majority did not approve of his death, so that they granted him the funeral honours, and appointed his son to succeed. Calmet.
They brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in David’s city.
All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.
Verse 21. Azarias. Hebrew Hazarya. Sometimes printed more correctly Azieu, at others Azrien, ( Bible.) by the blundering of transcribers, who have confounded the name of the king Ozihu (Azieu or Ozias) with that of the priest Ozrichu. (Azrien.) Carpzovius maintains that Azarias and Usias are two names of the same person. Crit. p. 789. But if he should find Carpzovius, Carpzorvius, and Carpzoviu, in the same book, would he not think them the same name erroneously printed? Kennicott, (Dis. i. p. 478.) who observes that the Syr. and Arab. versions have here, as in the sequel, Uzia, and S. Mat. (1:8) calls the king Ozias, conformably to 2 Chronicles 26:1. and so forth The MSS. also vary. Kennicott.
He built Elath and restored it to Judah. After that the king slept with his fathers.
Verse 22. Built, or rebuilt Elath; which gives its name to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. David had possession of all Idumea. Amasias had reconquered a great part, and his son pushed his conquests still further.
In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years.
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.
He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to the LORD, the God of Israel’s word, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher.
Verse 25. Wilderness, or the Dead Sea, to which place the dominion of Israel originally extended, under Jeroboam I. Calmet.—Opher, in the tribe of Zabulon. Challoner.—Prot. “which was of Gath-hepher.” Bible.—We have not all the works of the prophets, nor did they write all their predictions. Calmet.—Here we learn at what time Jonas lived. Menochius.
For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter for all, slave and free; and there was no helper for Israel.
Verse 26. In prison is not expressed in the original, ( Calmet.) which has, “not any shut up, nor last.” Neither those who had strong castles, nor the poorest people, were exempt from suffering. Bible.—None durst appear. 3 Kennicott. 14:10. Menochius.
The LORD didn’t say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
Verse 27. Israel, like Amalec. 1 Kennicott. 15:3. Menochius.
Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Verse 28. To Juda, or “of Juda;” Judæ; ( Bible.) as those strong cities had been conquered by David. The Syr. and Arab. omit this word entirely, and suppose, with many others, that Jeroboam kept possession of these cities. Calmet. Tirinus.—In Israel, or “to Israel,” over which he reigned. Bible.
Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
Verse 29. Slept, dying a natural death; though the idolatrous priests of Bethel falsely asserted, that Amos had foretold he should fall by the sword. Amos 7:11.