The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 313

party. He did not seek conqneets in Philietia but died during the siege, the capture fall- for himself. Even unto Gaze.. Gaza seems ing into the first yeo.r of Sargon (see the to ho.ve remained faithful to Assyria from its 'Eponym Canon,' pp. 65, 66). Even in cnpture in n.o. 720. And the borders thereof, the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the uinth from the tower of the watchmen unto the year of Hoshea King of Israel (see tlrn com- fenoed city. (On this expression, see the ment on ver. 9), Samaria was taken (comp. commont upon eh. xvii. 9.) eh. xvii. 6). Ver. 11.-And the King of Aeayria-i.e. Vere. !J-12.-TDE PUNISHMENT 01!' 81.- Sa.rgon--did carry away Israel unto Assyria MABIA FOR DIBOBEDIENOE. In coutrast with -the empire, not the country-and put them Hezekiah'e piety and consequent prosperity, in Halah and in Habor by the rivar of Gozan, the author places the dieobedienc~ (ver. 12) and in the citiu of the Medea (see the com- ment on eh, xvii. 6). o.nd consequent extinction of the sister Ver. 12.-Because they obeyed not the kingdom (vere. 9-11), which belonged to voioe of the Lord their God, but transgressed Hezekinh's earlier years, and was o.n event his oovenant, and all that Moses the servant of the greatest importance to him, since it of the Lord commanded, and would not hear made his dominions contermino11S with those them, nor do them (compare the expanded version of this statement in eh. xvii. 7-23). of Assyria, and exposed his no,tbern frontier The sin of Se.maria may be summed up to atto.ck at any moment from the Assyrian under threo l1eads : (1) disobedience; (2) forces. According to all probable hnman breach of the covenant ; and (3) disregard calculation, the fall of Samaria should have of Moses, a.nd the other "serva.nts of the been followed at once byan att11ckon Judma; Lord." and but for the change of dynasty, and Vers. 13-16. -FIBST EXPEDITION OF troubles on all sides which ensued there- SENNACHERIB AG~INBT HEZEKIAH. The upon, this would naturally have taken pl11ce. writer now, as is his manner, omitting as As it was, Judma was allowed a breathing- comparatively unimportant all Hezekfab's space, during. which she strengthened her dealings with Sargon, which were without power in Pbilistia (see the comment on the positive result, proceeds to give a brief preceding verse), and otherwise prepared account of Sennacherib's first expedition herself to resist attack (see 2 Cbron. xxxiii. against him, and of its unfortunate, if not 3-6; Isa. xxii. 8-11). disgrf\Ceful, issue: (1) tbe capture of all the important cities except Jerusalem; (2) Ver. 9.-Andit oame to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was tile seventh the submission of Hezekiah to any terms year of Hoshea son of Elah King of Israel. which Senna.cherib chose to impose; and Hczekio.h began to reign before Hoshea had (3) the purchase of peace by the payment completed his third year (ver. 1). His of three hundred talents of silver an<l thirty first year th11S mu parallel with part of Ho- talents of gold out of the treasures of the ehea.'s third a.nd part of his fourth; his fourth with part of Hoshea's sixth and part of his temple and of the royal palace. The narra- seventh; his Rixth with part of Hoshea's tive obtains copious illustration from the eighth and part of his ninth. Tha.t Shal- inscriptions of Sennacherib. maneser King of Asoyria ea.me up age.inst Samaria, o.nd besieged it (see the comment Ver. 13.-Now in the fourteenth year ot on eh. xvii. 4, 5). King Hezekiah did Sennaoherib King of Ver. 10.-And at the end of three years Assyria come up. It is impossible to a.ccept they took it. The expression, " e.t the end this note of time IIS genuine without reject- of three yee.rs," does not shC\W that the ing o.ltogether the authority of tbo Assyrian three years were complete. On the con- inscriptions. Sa.rgon took Samaria in bis trary, as the siege bege.n in Hezekia.h's first year, B.O. 722, and then bad a reign of fourth year, probably in the spring, and between seventeen and eighteen years, for was over in bis sixth, say, by the autumn, fifteen of which we have his annals. He the entire duration was not more than two certainly did not associa.te Senno.cherib with him on the throne, nor did the latter ye11rs and e. half. The plural verb, C1:1??\ exercise any authority a.t all until B.o. 705, "they took it," is remo.rkable, since it would when, 11 on the 12th of Ah (July), he the have seemed more natural to write 1=17;.i~:. "he throne ascended" (' Eponym Canon,' p. 67). tookit"-andsotbe LXX., the Vulgate, and Sennacherib plnces his first expe<litiou the Byriac-but the writer seem.e. to have o.guinst Hezekiah in his fourth year, B.O. known that Bhe.lmaneser did not take it, 701. Thus, according to the Assyrian r& 1160 THE SECOND BOO!!. OF THE KINGS. [tm. :it.vru. l-37,