Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 27

Introduction

REIGN OF JOTHAM. (Compare 2 Kings 15:32-38.)

This chapter furnishes us a fuller record of Jotham’s reign than we find in Kings, but is, nevertheless, only a brief notice of a few of his principal works. Unlike his father, he ventured not with sacrilegious step to enter the temple of Jehovah, and so was better than he. On the whole, the general character of his reign showed in him a purpose and desire to do “that which was right in the sight of the Lord.”

His principal works were: 1) “The high gate of the house of the Lord,” called “the higher gate” in Kings: probably the northern gate of one of the courts of the temple.

2) “On the wall of Ophel he built much.” Ophel was the southern slope of the temple mountain, and here recent excavations have revealed a great wall, fourteen feet thick, running southward from the southeast angle of the Haram area, and having every appearance of having been built for purposes of fortification. Probably it is the very ancient wall built by Jotham, and subsequently strengthened by Manasseh. 2 Chronicles 33:14.

3) “Cities in the mountains of Judah;” probably store cities. 4) “In the forests he built castles and towers.” He thus sought to put all parts of his kingdom in a state of security and defence.

His only war of which we have any definite account was “with the king of the Ammonites.” The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, his father, but for some reason revolted from Jotham. This rebellion, however, was effectually subdued, and the king received from them large amounts of silver and wheat and barley for three successive years. The chronicler is careful to show that Jotham’s prosperity was “because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God;” that is, he established or madehis ways firm before his God by a ready obedience to the Divine law.

But 2 Chronicles 27:7 shows that Jotham had “wars,” and 2 Kings 15:37, shows that the great Syro-Israelitish war began during his reign. This war, however, did not greatly affect Judah till in the reign of Ahaz.