The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 269

rely. The two confederate prinoos then He had not called iu one foreign powel' began the oampAign. Pekah invaded until Pekah had called in another, There ,Tudrea, and geineJ a great victory 0'l'er was no other prospeot (again humanly Ahaz, which is perhaps exaggerated in 2 Chron. xniii. 6-15; Rezin carried his speaking) of escape. But, ho.d he acoepted arms further south, took Elath, and re- the offers of Isaie.h (vii. 4-16), o.nd relied established the Edomit.es in power (see the wholly on Jehovah, his position would ho.ve comment on ver. 6). Then the allies joined been far better. However, he was una.ble to forces and proceeded to besiege Jerusakm. see this; he made his application; and And they besieged Ahu, but could not over- eome him. The siege is mentioned by Isaiah Tiglath-pileser "came up," and utterly (vii. 1), who was commissioned by God crushed the Syro-Israelite confederaoJ to comfort Ahaz, and assure him that the (ver. 9). city would not fall (Isa. vii. 7). The fortifi- cations of Uzzinh (2 Chron. xxvi. 9) and Ver. 7.-So Ahe.z eent messengers to Jotham (2 Chron. xxvii. 3) had, no doubt, Tiglath-pileser :King of Assyria, saying. greatly strengthened the city since the time This appeal to man rather than to God, when (as related in eh. xiv. 13) it was cap- this trust in "e.n arm of flesh," w11s exactly tnre<l so easily by Joash. what Isaiah had been endee.vonring to pre- Ver. 6.-At that time Bezin Xingof Syria vent, what he viewed as unfaithfulness, and recovered Ele.th to Syria. The Syrians he.d e.s inevitably drawing down God's wrath certainly ne,·er previonsly been mo.sters of both upon king and kingdom. Abaz we.a Blath, which bad always hitherto been young, we.a weak, and had no doubt a largo either Jewish or Edomite (see 1 Kings ix., body of e.dvisers, who considered the prophet 26; xxii. 48; eh. :xiv. 22). Hence it seems to be a fanatic, who had no belief in super- to be nec,esso.ry that we should either ne.turo.1 aid, and who thought that in any translate the Hebrew verb ::i•~r:i by •· gained," emergency recourse was to be had to the "conquered," instead of "recovered;" or mee.sures which human prudence and human else che.nge c:,~." Syria.," into ll"r~," Edom." policy dictated. The aid of Tiglath-pileser The Syrians could ''recover" Elath for seemed to them, under the oircumstancee, Edom ; they could only " ge.in" it for them- the only thing that could save them; and selves. And drave the J'ewa from Elath- they persuaded the weak prince to adopt i.e. expelled tue Jewish ge.rrison which had their views. I am thy servant and thy son. been me.intained in Elath from the time of The offer of submission was unmistakable. its conquest by Uzziah (eh. xiv. 22)-and " Servant," in the language of the time, the Syrians came to Elath; rather, the meant "slave." Oomplete subjection, en- Edomites-c-ci,N1 for ll'CI \"'lit. Rezin could not rolment among Assyria's feudatories, the entire loss of independence, was well under- have thought. of holding ; place so remote stood to be the price that had to be paid from D11mascns as Ele.th ; and, had he done for '. Assyria's protection. Ahaz and his so, the danger of hls kingdom in the next worldly advisers we.re prepared to pay it. year would have necessitated the relinquish- They surrendered themselves, body and soul, ment of so distant a possession. And dwelt into the hands of the great world-power of there -i:nto this day. It is quite certain that the period. Come up, and se.ve me out of Elath belonged to Edom, and not to Syria, the hand of the Xing of Syria, and out of the at ihe time when 1.he Boob of Kings were hand of the Xing of Israel, whioh rise up written. against me. Syria is put forward as at once the more formidable of the two foes, Vers. 7-9.-Ezpedition of Tigla/11.-pueser and the one most open to Assyrian attaok. against Pel:ah and Rezin. In the extremity Alree.dy De.mascus had been more the.n onoe of his danger, when the confederacy had menaced by ABByrian armies (' Eponym declared itself, or perhaps later, when he Canon,' pp. 113, 115, 116), while the king- had suffered terrible defeats, and was about dom of 8amaria had only suffered at her extremities (eh. xv. 29). Samaria could to be besieged in his capital (2 Chron. :xxviii. not well be approached excepting through 5, G), Ahaz invoked the aid of Tigla.th- Syria, e.nd after Syria's downfall. pileser, sent him all the treasure on which Ver. 8.-And Ahaz took the silver and he could lay his hands (ver. 8), offered to gold that was folllld in the house of the Lord, place himseU e.nd his kingdom nnder the and in the treasures of the king's house. Hitherto the temple treasures ho.d been Assyrian mone.rch's suzerainty, and en- diverted from their proper use, o.nd secular- treated him 1.o come and "save him out ized for the sole purpose ( except in one of the hands" of his enemies (ver. 7). inste.nce) of buying off the hostility of a Humanly 1or,er.king, he might be justified. foreign foe, who three.tened the city @d the on. xvt. 1-20.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THI!: KINGS. 315