he made also molten images for Baalim; the several Baals or idols of the nations round about, as well as served Jeroboam's calves; see Jdg 2:11, and he is said in Ch2 28:3,
to burn incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom; to Molech, the god of the Ammonites, who was worshipped there. See Gill on Kg2 16:2, Kg2 16:3, Kg2 16:4.
and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus; whereas in a later expedition, related in Kg2 16:5, they did not succeed:
and he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel; whose name was Pekah:
who smote him with a great slaughter; as is next related.
slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all
valiant men; a great slaughter to be made at one time, and of valiant men, but not so great as that in Ch2 13:17,
because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers; this was not a reason with Pekah for slaying them, he himself being an idolater, but why the Lord suffered them to be slain by him.
and Azrikam the governor of the house; steward or treasurer in the king's house, in the same office as Sheban was, Isa 22:15.
and Elkanah that was next to the king: prime minister of state.
and took away also much spoil from them; wealth and riches out of their cities, and even from Jerusalem; for by the preceding verse it seems as if they came thither:
and brought the spoils to Samaria; or rather "towards Samaria" (k), as some render the word; for they were not as yet come to it, nor did they bring it and their captives thither, see Ch2 9:15.
(k) "versus Samariam", Piscator, Rambachius.
and he went out before the host that came to Samaria; that was coming thither; he went out of Samaria to meet them:
and said unto them, behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand; he let them know it was not owing to their wisdom and conduct, their prowess and courage, that they had got the victory over them, but because the Lord was displeased with them for their sins, and therefore gave them up into their hands:
and ye have slain them in a rage that reaches up unto heaven; that is, with an exceeding great rage and fury, and the cry of which reached to heaven also, and was displeasing to God; he suggests to them, that they had exceeded all bounds, and had not shown that compassion to their brethren, when fallen into their hands, they ought to have done, and which therefore was resented by the God of heaven, see Zac 1:15.
but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God? for which they deserved to be chastised as well as their brethren the men of Judah, and might expect it, and especially if they used them in a barbarous manner, and contrary to the will of God.
and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken of your brethren; their women, sons and daughters, even all of them, the whole 200,000:
for the fierce wrath of God is upon you; hangs over your heads, and will fall upon you, unless you do this.
Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war; who were bringing the captives and spoils to Samaria; but these princes, being influenced by what the prophet said, hindered their proceeding any further.
for whereas we have offended against the Lord already; by exceeding in their cruelty against their brethren of Judah, as well as by worshipping the calves:
ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: by making slaves of those they had taken captives, which was against the express law of God:
for your trespass is great; which they had committed already, by their idolatrous practices:
and there is fierce wrath against Israel; which they perceived by what the prophet had said.
and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them; put clothes on their backs, and shoes on their feet, who either were taken or carried away before they could put on their garments, or had been stripped of them:
and gave them to eat, and drink, and anointed them; not only fed them, being hungry and thirsty, but anointed them for refreshment after travelling; the Targum is, "washed them", from dirt and filth contracted by travelling:
and carried all the feeble of them on asses; women and children that were not able to walk afoot so far back again:
and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren; a city on the borders both of Judah and Israel, and famous for the number of palm trees near it, see Jdg 1:16 in all which these inhabitants of Samaria acted the part of the good Samaritan, Luk 10:33,
then they returned to Samaria: the prophet, with the princes, and the army, and the whole congregation.
and smitten Judah, and carried away captives; taking the advantage of the weak and low condition Ahaz was in, and which was the reason of his sending to the king of Assyria.
and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho, with the villages thereof and Timnah with the villages thereof; of which see Jos 15:10.
and Gimzo also, and the villages thereof; which though nowhere else mentioned in Scripture, yet we frequently read in Jewish writings (l) of Nahum, a man of Ganizu, which perhaps is the same place with this:
and they dwelt there; kept them in their hands, and inhabited them.
(l) T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 108. 2, &c.
transgressed sore against the Lord; by committing gross idolatry the same Targum is,"they dealt falsely with the Word of the Lord.''
and distressed him, but strengthened him not; exhausted his treasures, and laid a tribute upon him, but did not help him against the Edomites and Philistines, or recover for him the cities they had taken from him; and, in taking Damascus, he served himself more than Ahaz, and paved the way for seizing upon the ten tribes.
and gave it unto the king of Assyria; sent it to him as a present, to engage him on his side, and assist him against his enemies, Kg2 16:10.
but he helped him not; See Gill on Ch2 28:20.
this is that King Ahaz; that monster of iniquity, than whom there was none worse, nor any so bad, of all the kings of Judah.
and he said, because the gods of the kings of Syria help them; which looks as if this was before Damascus was taken by the king of Assyria, and when Rezin king of Syria prevailed over Ahaz:
therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me; against the Edomites and Philistines; wherefore rather to this, his idolatry, respect is had in Ch2 28:22,
but they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel; the worship of them was the cause of all the calamities that came upon that part of Israel of which he was king.
(m) So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord: that the people might not come and worship there, but on the high places he made:
and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem; that the priests might sacrifice there, and not in the temple.