2 Kings 14:17
Ver. 17. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years. Which, with the fourteen he reigned contemporary with him, made the twenty nine years he reigned, 2Ki 14:2. The Vulgate Latin version is, "twenty five years". 2 Kings 14:18Ver. 18. And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?] Not in the canonical book of Chronicles; though there are some things of him recorded there, which are not here; but in the annals of each reign, written by the king's historian appointed for that purpose. 2 Kings 14:19Ver. 19. Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem,.... Against Amaziah; the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the principal men of it; perhaps those whose sons the king of Israel had carried away as hostages, which they imputed to the ill conduct of Amaziah, as well as the breaking of the wall of Jerusalem, and the pillaging of the temple, and the king's palace:and he fled to Lachish; a fortified city in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:39 but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there; in a private manner, as Josephus {g} relates.{g} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 9. sect. 3.) 2 Kings 14:20Ver. 20. And they brought him on horses,.... That is, in a chariot or hearse drawn by horses; though the Jews {h} suppose he was carried on horses, and that because he worshipped the gods of the Edomites, who were themselves carried on horses; and he was not carried on the shoulders of men, because he neglected to serve the God of Israel, whose mysteries were carried on the shoulders of men:and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David; and very probably in the sepulchre of the kings, though his father was not.{h} Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. paralip. fol. 85. L. 2 Kings 14:21Ver. 21. And all the people of Judah took Azariah,.... Called Uzziah in the next chapter, and so in the book of Chronicles; both names signifying much the same, the one "the help of the Lord", the other "the strength of the Lord":(which was sixteen years old;) yet as he began to reign in the twenty seventh year of Jeroboam, 2Ki 15:1 and Jeroboam began to reign in the fifteenth yaer of Amaziah, 2Ki 14:23, he could be but four years of age, for the solution of which, See Gill on "2Ki 15:1":and made him king instead of his father Amaziah; which was after his death, and not when he fled to Lachish, as Kimchi thinks. 2 Kings 14:22Ver. 22. He built Elath,.... A port which belonged to Edom, De 2:8 which very probably David took from them when he made them tributary, and which they retook when they revolted, and Amaziah got again when he defeated them; and this his son rebuilt and fortified:and restored it to Judah; annexed it to the kingdom of Judah, as in the days of David and Solomon:after that the king slept with his fathers; after the death of his father Amaziah. 2 Kings 14:23Ver. 23. 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,.... So that he reigned fourteen or fifteen years contemporary with him; for Amaziah reigned twenty nine years:[and reigned] forty and one years; Josephus says {i} forty, giving only the round number.{i} Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 9.) c. 10. sect. 1. 2 Kings 14:24Ver. 24. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord,.... Was guilty of idolatry:he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin; the worship of the calves is especially meant; he was in all respects of the same cast with his ancestor of the same name, from whom he had it, in veneration of him. 2 Kings 14:25Ver. 25. He restored the coast of Israel,.... The cities upon it, which had been taken away from them by their enemies:from the entering of Hamath; which was the northern border of the land of Canaan, the entrance into it from Syria, see Nu 34:8,unto the sea of the plain: of Jordan, called sometimes the salt sea and the Dead Sea; the lake Asphaltites, as Josephus {k}, where formerly stood Sodom and Gomorrah:according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai; the same with him whose prophecy among the small prophets bears this name; and though his prophecy concerning Jeroboam's success and victories is not there, nor anywhere else, recorded at length, yet needed not to be doubted of; this is the first of the prophets spoken of whose books are extant:which was of Gathhepher; a city in the tribe of Zebulun, Jos 19:13, which contradicts a notion of the Jews, that no prophet came out of Galilee, when the very first of those that were the penmen of the books of prophecies was from thence, see Joh 7:52.{k} Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 9.) c. 10. sect. 1. 2 Kings 14:26Ver. 26. For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter,.... Being sorely oppressed by their enemies, especially the Syrians; and he was moved to have compassion upon them, and show mercy to them: for, there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel: they were in the most forlorn and helpless condition;See Gill on "De 32:36". 2 Kings 14:27Ver. 27. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven,.... Had not as yet declared it by any of his prophets, that he would do it, as he afterwards did by Hosea, Ho 1:4, and was fulfilled in the reign of Hoshea king of Israel, 2Ki 17:1.but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash; the instrument of their deliverance from the hands of their enemies, and of recovering their borders as afore time. 2 Kings 14:28Ver. 28. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred,.... His valiant acts and warlike exploits:and how he recovered Damascus and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel; which cities, in the times of David and Solomon, were tributary to Judah, but afterwards fell into the hands of the Syrians, from whom Jeroboam recovered them, and annexed them to the kingdom of Israel; or, as Kimchi, though Jeroboam was king of Israel, yet, having taken them, he restored them to the king of Judah, to whom they belonged:are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? where all events of any moment were registered. 2 Kings 14:29Ver. 29. And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel,.... Died, and was buried with them:and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead: who was of the fourth generation from Jehu, as was promised to him, 2Ki 10:30.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.