Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 15

Verse 1

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 .

Verse 3

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .

according to all: i.e. he began well, but see 2 Chronicles 26:3-23 .

Verse 4

Save that. Compare 1 Kings 12:31 .

Verse 5

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.

Verse 6

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 .

Verse 7

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.

Verse 8

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 .

Verse 9

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 .

Verse 10

smote him: as prophesied (Amos 7:9 ).

Verse 11

behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. .

Verse 12

He spake. Compare 2 Kings 10:30 and Hosea 1:4 .

Verse 13

Uzziah. See note on 2 Kings 14:21 .

Verse 14

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.

Verse 17

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.

Verse 18

the sins. Some codices, with Aram, and Septuagint, read "any of the sins". See note on 1 Kings 14:16 .

Verse 19

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 .

Verse 20

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 .

Verse 23

fiftieth year. From 2 Kings 15:17 there appears to be an interregnum of some months.

Verse 25

Pekah. Compare Isaiah 7:1 .

Verse 27

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.

Verse 29

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.

Verse 34

all: i.e. all [the good].

Verse 35

He built. Compare 2 Chronicles 27:3 .

Verse 36

the rest. Compare 2 Chronicles 27:2-8 .

are they not . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

Verse 37

Rezin. The war which broke out in the reign of Ahaz was already threatening. Compare Isaiah 7:1-16 .