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2 KINGS 15

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. This chapter documents the violent succession of Israel's kings. The VERB "conspired" (BDB 905, KB 1153)
   1.  Baasha kills Nadab ‒ 1 Kgs. 15:27
   2.  Zimri kills Elah ‒ 1 Kgs. 16:9,16,20
   3.  Jehu kills Joram ‒ 2 Kgs. 9:14
   4.  Shallum kills Zechariah ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:10,15
   5.  Pekahiah kills Pekah ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:25
   6.  Hoshea kills Pekah ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:30

      The Tyndale OT Commentaries, p. 252, has a good summary of Israel's fate after the last of the Jehu dynasty.

      "In the last twenty years six rulers were to follow each other, but only one was to die naturally. Anarchy, rivalry and regicide led to terminal bloodshed which fulfilled Hosea's prophecies (1:4)"

2. This chapter discusses several kings.
   1.  Azariah of Judah (Uzziah) ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:1-7
   2.  Zechariah of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:8-12
   3.  Shallum of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:13
   4.  Menahem of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:14-22
   5.  Pekahiah of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:23-26
   6.  Pekah of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:27-31
   7.  Jotham of Judah ‒ 2 Kgs. 15:32-38

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:1-7
  ¹In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. ²He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ³He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. ⁴Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. ⁵The Lord struck the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. And he lived in a separate house, while Jotham the king's son was over the household, judging the people of the land. ⁶Now the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁷And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son became king in his place.

15:1 "Azariah" From verses 13,30,32,34 we realize that he was also called Uzziah. For a full and complete understanding of this good king in Judah, read 2 Chronicles 26. See NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1270-1271.

For a discussion about these two names, see full note at 2 Kgs. 14:21.

15:2 "reigned fifty-two years" Azariah/Uzziah had a long and successful reign. The only Judean king who reigned longer was Manasseh.

The total number of years includes co-regencies.

The MT has "Jecoliah" (BDB 408, cf. 2 Chr. 26:3), a FEMININE proper name which means "YHWH has been able."

15:3 This is a strange verse to me. Not because of the phrase "he did right in the sight of the Lord" (cf. 1 Kgs. 11:33,38; 14:8; 15:5,11; 22:43; 2 Kgs. 10:30; 12:3; 14:3; 15:3,34; 16:2; 18:3; 22:2) but the second phrase, "according to all that his father Amaziah had done" (cf. 2 Kgs. 14:3; 2 Chr. 25:2 and especially 2 Chr. 25:14-16).

Josephus (Antiq. 9.10.3) says of him, "He was a good man, and by nature righteous and magnanimous, and very laborious in taking care of the affairs of his kingdom."

Also note Antiq. 9.11.2.

15:4 "the high places" These were the local worship sites. They were originally used for the worship of Canaanite fertility deities, but after the conquest of Canaan by Israel, they became YHWHistic shrines. They were used quite extensively and condoned during the period of the Judges and used, even by Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs. 3:3-4), but at this period they had become amalgamated again with the fertility cults.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE

▣ "were not taken away" This became a recurrent issue (cf. 1 Kgs. 15:14; 22:43; 2 Kgs. 12:3; 14:4; 15:4,35).

15:5 "The Lord struck the king" To fully understand the reason for this good king being struck with leprosy one must read 2 Chr. 26:16-23.

▣ "lived in a separate house" Uzziah, because he was a leper, was excommunicated from any social contact with the people, therefore, his son, Jotham, was co-regent during the last several years of his reign.

The FEMININE NOUN (BDB 345) occurs only here and in the parallel in 2 Chr. 26:21. Its basic meaning is "freedom," but that does not fit this context. The meaning of "separate" is simply an assumption from the context and Lev. 13:46. Some (AB, p. 166) think "freedom" relates to Uzziah being freed from his regal responsibilities as royal judge (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 238, 241).

The NEB has "he lived confined to his room" Peshitta has "a house in seclusion." Josephus (Antiq. 9.10.4) says "so he abode out of the city for some time and lived a private life."

▣ "the people of the land" See full note at 2 Kings. 14:21.

15:7 In 2 Chr. 26:23 Uzziah is buried in a field or garden, not in the royal tombs. Josephus (Antiq. 9.10.4) says this was because he was a leper.

Some suppose that this is the same garden in which Manasseh was also buried (cf. 2 Kgs. 21:18,26).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:8-12
  ⁸In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ¹⁰Then Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him and struck him before the people and killed him, and reigned in his place. ¹¹Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹²This is the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, "Your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." And so it was.

15:8 The Tyndale OT Commentary, p. 252, says

"The apparent discrepancy with 14:23 and 15:1 can be explained if (1) a co-regency of Azariah with his father is allowed and (2) Zechariah's six months spanned two separate years (753-752 B.C.), cf 1 Kgs. 22:51)"

However, Roland deVaux has a good caution about "co-regency" in Ancient Israel, p. 101.

"Solomon was anointed king during the lifetime of his father (1 K 1:32-40), who did not die until some time later (1 K 2:1-10). Similarly Yotham assumed power when his father Ozias became a leper (2 K 15:5), but we are not told that he was at once anointed. These are the only two co-regencies mentioned in the Bible, though there may have been others not mentioned. Some modern historians list a whole series of them: Josaphat, Ozias and Manasseh in Judah, and Jeroboam II in Israel, are all said to have reigned at the sane time as their fathers. But these are only hypotheses whose main purpose is to harmonize the discordant date of Biblical chronology. In the two certain cases, Solomon and Yothem assumed power because their fathers were too old or too ill to rule; the term co-regency is therefore somewhat inaccurate, and the situation is not quite the same as in Egypt or Assyria."

Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 55-60, discusses and lists the co-regencies, following Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings.

15:9 The Jeroboam of v. 8 is Jeroboam II, while the Jeroboam of v. 9 is Jeroboam I, who set up the two golden calves at Bethel and Dan as alternate worship sites for YHWH (i.e., 1 Kgs. 16:19,26; 22:52; 2 Kgs. 3:3; 9:9; 10:29,31; 13:2,6,11; 14:24; 15:9,18,24). However, they quickly became idolatrous, especially under the influence of Ahab and Jezebel.

15:10 "Shallum" See note at vv. 13-14.

The MT has an Aramaic word which seems out of place (see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 862 and NET Bible, p. 615, #20). The UBS Text Project, p. 359, cannot decide which text is original. There is a place name "Ibleam" mentioned in 2 Kgs. 9:27. Ibleam was the place Jehu was assassinated (cf. 2 Kgs. 9:27).

15:12 "This is the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu" This refers to YHWH's promise, through a prophet, that Jehu's descendants would reign to the fourth generation (cf. 2 Kgs. 10:30).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:13-16
  ¹³Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned one month in Samaria. ¹⁴Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah and came to Samaria, and struck Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, and killed him and became king in his place. ¹⁵Now the rest of the acts of Shallum and his conspiracy which he made, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. ¹⁶Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open to him; therefore he struck it and ripped up all its women who were with child.

15:13-14 "Shallum" This person reigned only one month and his general, Menahem, rebelled and took the throne. We learn that Menahem was his military general from Josephus (Antiq. 9.11.1).

15:14 "Tirzah" This was Jeroboam I's royal residence (cf. 1 Kgs. 14:17). It was made a second capital by Baasha. Omri built and made Samaria the main capital of Israel (cf. 1 Kgs. 16:23-24).

The MT has "Tipsah" (BDB 820). The UBS Text Project, p. 360, gives it a "C" rating (considerable doubt). Tiphsah was located on the Euphrates River, northeast of Hamath (cf. 1 Kgs. 4:24). However, most modern scholars reject Menahem's ability to attack as far north as the Euphrates.

There was a city named "Tappuah," located about 4 miles northwest of Hebron, called "Beth-tappuah" (cf. Josh. 17:8).

▣ "they did not open to him" This was common practice in the ANE. If a city opened its gates it was spared and made a vassal but if not, it was repopulated.

▣ "he. . .ripped up all its women who were with child" This was also a common practice (cf. 2 Kgs. 8:12; Hos. 13:16; Amos 1:13). In a way, this shows how much Israel (YHWH's covenant people) had been influenced by the pagan military practices of the surrounding peoples. This terrible practice was first mentioned in a hymn to Tiglath-pileser I (1118-1078 B.C.).

This is not an example of "holy war" (Joshua) but anger and personality on Menahem's part. Josephus (Antiq. 9.11.1) says "continued to reign with cruelty and barbarity for ten years."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:17-18
  ¹⁷In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel and reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

15:18 This is a recurrent phrase describing YHWH's displeasure of the golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan.

▣ There is a Hebrew phrase, "all his days," at the end of v. 18 in the MT. It is uncertain if it should go with v. 18 or v. 19.

1. v. 18, Menahem did evil all his days
2. v. 19, NEB, "In his times, Pul King of Assyria invaded"

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:19-22
  ¹⁹Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his rule. ²⁰Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not remain there in the land. ²¹Now the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ²²And Menahem slept with his fathers, and Pekahiah his son became king in his place.

15:19 "Pul, king of Assyria" This is the ruler of the Assyrian empire also known as Tiglath-pileser III (cf. 1 Chr. 5:26; NIDOTTE, vo. 4, pp. 1250-1251). When he ascended the Babylonian throne by assassinating Ashur-nirari V, he took the name Pul or Pulu in 729 B.C..

For "Assyria" see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 417-419.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF ASSYRIA

▣ "came against the land" In 743 B.C. Pul received tribute from Rezin of Damascus. In 739 he received tribute from Menahem, king of Israel. In 734 he moved even further south through the kingdoms of Phoenicia and Philistia.

▣ "talents" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES, II. A. 1.

15:20 "mighty men of wealth" This designation originally referred to brave and successful warriors but it came to be used of wealthy people (NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 810-811 and vol. 2, p. 119, #5).

Roland deVaux used this verse to estimate the total population of Israel at this period as about 800,000 (Ancient Israel, pp. 65-66).

▣ "shekels" See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE WEIGHTS AND VOLUMES, II. A. 2.

▣ "to pay the king of Assyria" Israel became a vassal when

1. Jehu paid tribute to Shalmaneser III in 841 B.C.
2. Menahem paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser III in 738 B.C.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:23-26
  ²³In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years. ²⁴He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. ²⁵Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his officer, conspired against him and struck him in Samaria, in the castle of the king's house with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of the Gileadites, and he killed him and became king in his place. ²⁶Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

15:25 "Argob and Arieh" It is uncertain if these two names were

1. part of the attackers
2. part of the king's court (UBS Text Project, p. 360)
3. names for gateway figures (i.e., eagle and lion) which would parallel "the castle of the king's house" (NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 518)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:27-28
  ²⁷In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. ²⁸He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:29-31
  ²⁹In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria. ³⁰And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck him and put him to death and became king in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah. ³¹Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

15:29 "Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria" He is called by his throne name "Pul" in v. 19. Notice all the place names mentioned are in northern Israel.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF ASSYRIA

▣ "he carried them captive to Assyria" This was the beginning of the northern kingdom's exile (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, "Exile," pp. 595-605)!

The Bible speaks of two major deportations of Israel by Assyria.

1. here by Tiglath-pileser III in 734 B.C.
2. later at the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C.
   1. siege started by Shalmaneser V
   2. siege was victorious under Sargon II (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:1-6; 18:9-12)

The cursings of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 had come to fruition (cf. 2 Kgs. 17:19-23)!

For a good brief discussion see R. K. Harrison, Old Testament Times, "The Decline of Israel," pp. 228-229, and "The Last Days of Israel," pp. 229-231.

15:30 "Hoshea" We learn from the annals of Tiglath-pileser III that he helped/encouraged Hoshea assassinate Pekah. Hoshea was a pro-Assyrian king.

▣ "in the twentieth year of Jotham" There is some confusion between this date and v. 33. The best resource for me has been Edwin R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 15:32-38
  ³²In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. ³³He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok. ³⁴He did what was right in the sight of the Lord; he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. ³⁵Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord. ³⁶Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ³⁷In those days the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah against Judah. ³⁸And Jotham slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.

15:32-34 "Jotham" He was one of Judah's good kings (cf. 2 Chronicles 27). He did not attempt to offer incense in the temple, as his father Uzziah had done (cf. 2 Chr. 26:16-21) which displeased YHWH.

15:35 "Only the high places were not taken away" See note at v. 4.

▣ "He built the upper gate of the house of the Lord" For a fuller list of Jotham's building projects see 2 Chr. 27:3.

15:37 This is the beginning of Syria and Israel trying to force Judah to join a military alliance to repulse the king of Assyria. This is later called the "Syro-Ephraimite Alliance" (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1244-1245).

15:38 "Ahaz" His full name was possibly Jeho-ahaz. This is what he is called in the Assyrian records.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What was a "co-reign"?
2. What were "high places"?
3. Why does 2 Chronicles say Uzziah was a leper?
4. What was the Syro-Ephraimatic revolt?

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