2 Kings 15 Explained

2 Kings 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reigns of Azariah (Uzziah) and his son, Jotham, the kings of Judah, as well as of Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah, the kings of Israel. Twelve first verses of the narrative belong to a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.

Text

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 38 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century).

Structure

This chapter can be divided into the following sections:

Analysis

This chapter displays a contrast between the stability of the southern kingdom and the downward sliding of the northern kingdom, with two royal records of Judah bracketing the narrative of five Israel kings in quick succession. Each reign is judged using a standard formula, one for the kings of Judah (verses 15:3 9, 15:34 9) and another for the kings of Israel (verses 15:9 9, 15:18 9, 15:24 9, 15:28 9).

Azariah (Uzziah), king of Judah (15:1–7)

The regnal records of Azariah the son of Amaziah, the king of Judah, can be demarcated by the introductory form (verses 1–4) and the concluding form (verses 5–7). The main account is in verse 5 regarding the king's leprosy and the active role of his son, Jotham, in ruling the kingdom on his behalf, but the length of the co-regency is not explicitly recorded. The period of his reign coincides largely with the reign of Jeroboam, who ruled over a kingdom territory comparable to that of Solomon, so Azariah's kingdom was a vassal to the kingdom of Israel. 26 9 provides a more detailed account of Azariah's reign, especially the reason God striking him with leprosy, his 'military actions against Philistia, the Arabs of Geur-Baal, and the Meunites', as well as 'his efforts to fortify Jerusalem and to secure the hold on the Shephelah.'

Verse 1

In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign.[1]

Verse 2

He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem.[3]

Verse 5

And the Lord touched the king, so that he was a leper to the day of his death, and he lived in a separate house. And Jotham the king's son was over the household, governing the people of the land.[4]

Verse 7

And Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David, and Jotham his son reigned in his place.[7] The time of Azariah's death coincides with the time Isaiah received his call to be a prophet ("in the year that King Uzziah died";).E.L. Sukenik found an Aramaic inscription that reads, "Here were brought the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah. Do not open!" and once marked the tomb of Uzziah outside Jerusalem.[8]

Zechariah, king of Israel (15:8–12)

Zechariah, the last ruler of the Jehu dynasty, only reigned for six months and his assassination ends a long period of stability in the kingdom of Israel. It is set in the frame of the divine guidance that God himself announced to the founder of the dynasty (2 Kings 10:30) and confirms the fulfillment of it in verse 12.

Verse 8

In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months.[9]

Verse 10

And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead[10]

Verse 12

This was the word of the Lord which He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” And so it was.[12]

Shallum, king of Israel (15:13–16)

After bringing an end to the Jehu dynasty (verse 10), Shallum could only reign for a month before he was slain by Menahem. The literary structure consists of an 'introductory regnal form' (verse 15:13 9), the body of the account (verse 14) and the 'concluding regnal form' (verse 15:15–16 9). Menahem's submission to Assyria (verses 15:19–20 9) suggests that his action was to stop an attempt to revolt against the Assyrian by Shallum.

Menahem, king of Israel (15:17–22)

The 10-year reign of Menahem provides a 'rare period of stability' in the final years of the northern kingdom, which was the result of Menahem's tributary payment to the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III (also known as Pul, cf. ANET 272). The tribute, along with those from other monarch, is listed with Menahem's name explicitly in the annals of the Assyria (ANET 283–284). To pay that tribute, Menahem instituted an oppressive tax, fifty shekels (about 1 pounds, or 575 grams[14]) of silver per person from all the wealthy men in Israel (verse 20), which may contribute to the coup against his son after he died.

Verse 17

In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem the son of Gadi began to reign over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria.[15]

Verse 19

And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.[16]

Tiglath-Pileser records the tribute from Menahem in one of his inscriptions (ANET 283).[19]

Pekahiah, king of Israel (15:23–26)

The main regnal account of Pekahiah, the 17th king of Israel, only mentions his assassination by a group of 50 men from Gilead led by Pekah ben Remaliah, his own captain (verse 25).

Verse 23

In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah Pekahiah the son of Menahem began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned two years.[20]

Pekah, king of Israel (15:27–31)

The main record of Pekah's reign in this section focuses on the invasion of Tiglath-Pileser III into Israel in 734–732 BCE and his murder in a coup led by Hosea ben Elah, backed by the Assyrians, as noted in the annals of Assyria (ANET 284[21]). Pekah's alliance with Rezin of Damascus in the Syro-Ephraimite War to resist the Assyrians and attack Judah, a vassal to the Assyrians, is recorded in multiple passages (verse 37, 2 Kings 16:5, 7–9; Isaiah 7:1–17; Isaiah 9:1) and also in the annals of the Assyrians (ANET 283–284).

Verse 27

In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years.[22]

Jotham, king of Judah (15:32–38)

Like his father (Azariah or Uzziah), Jotham was given a good assessment 'in the sight of the ' (verse 34; cf. verse 3), although both kings did not remove the 'high places', which was later done by Hezekiah (18:4 9) and Josiah (23:8 9), nor perform notable political actions. Jotham's memorable achievement was the building of 'the upper gate of the house of the LORD' (verse 15:35 9).

Verse 32

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.[23]

Verse 33

He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.[24]

See also

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. 2 2 Kings ESV
  2. [Edwin R. Thiele|Thiele, Edwin R.]
  3. 2 2 Kings NKJV
  4. 2 2 Kings MEV
  5. Note [a] on 2 Kings 15:5 in MEV
  6. Note [a] on 2 Kings 15:5 in NET Bible
  7. 2 2 Kings ESV
  8. [William F. Albright|Albright, W. F.]
  9. 2 2 Kings NKJV
  10. 15:10 KJV KJV
  11. Note on 2 Kings 15:10 in NET Bible
  12. 2 2 Kings NKJV
  13. Note [b] on 2 Kings 15:12 and note on 2 Kings 10:30 in NET Bible
  14. Note on 2 Kings 15:20 in MEV
  15. 2 2 Kings ESV
  16. 15:19 KJV KJV
  17. Note on 2 Kings 15:19 in MEV
  18. Note on 2 Kings 15:19 in ESV
  19. https://www.livius.org/sources/content/anet/283-the-annals-of-tiglath-pileser/ The Annals of Tiglath-pileser
  20. 15:23 KJV KJV
  21. . Quote: "They overthrew their king Pekah (Pa-qa-ḥa) and I placed Hoshea (A-ú-si-ʼ) as king over them. I [Tiglath-Pileser III] received from them 10 talents of gold, 1,000 (?) talents of silver as their [tri]bute, and brought them to Assyria"
  22. 2 2 Kings NKJV
  23. 15:32 ESV ESV
  24. 15:33 ESV ESV
  25. Web site: Biblical Archaeology 15: Ahaz Bulla. 12 August 2011.
  26. http://www.archaeological-center.com/en/monographs/m1 First Impression
  27. Note on 2 Kings 15:33 in NKJV