2 Kings 16
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2 Kings 16 is the sixteenth
chapter Chapter or Chapters may refer to: Books * Chapter (books), a main division of a piece of writing or document * Chapter book, a story book intended for intermediate readers, generally age 7–10 * Chapters (bookstore), Canadian big box bookstore ...
of the second part of the
Books of Kings The Book of Kings (, ''Sefer (Hebrew), Sēfer Malik, Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Is ...
in the
Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
of the
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a compiler in the seventh century BCE with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of
Ahaz Ahaz (; ''Akhaz''; ) an abbreviation of Jehoahaz II (of Judah), "Yahweh has held" (; ''Ya'úḫazi'' 'ia-ú-ḫa-zi'' Hayim Tadmor and Shigeo Yamada, ''The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC), ...
, the
king of Judah The Kings of Judah were the monarchs who ruled over the ancient Kingdom of Judah, which was formed in about 930 BC, according to the Hebrew Bible, when the United Kingdom of Israel split, with the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel rejecti ...
.


Text

This chapter was originally written in the
Hebrew language Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language unti ...
. It is divided into 20 verses.


Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
are of the
Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
tradition, which includes the
Codex Cairensis The Codex Cairensis (also: ''Codex Prophetarum Cairensis'', ''Cairo Codex of the Prophets'') is a Hebrew manuscript containing the complete text of the Hebrew Bible's Nevi'im (Prophets). It has traditionally been described as "the oldest dated He ...
(895), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into
Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
known as the
Septuagint The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include
Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...
(B; \mathfrakB; 4th century) and
Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...
(A; \mathfrakA; 5th century).


Analysis

This chapter is organized chiastically: :A formulaic introduction (16:1–4) ::B threat to Jerusalem and bribe of Tiglath-pileser (16:5–9) :::C state visit to Damascus (16:10–11: altar) ::::D Ahaz ministers at the altar (16:12–14) :::C' continuing worship at the altar (16:15–16) ::B' tribute to Tiglath-pileser and plunder of temple (16:17–18) :A' summary (16:19–20) Centering on Ahaz's interest in the altar of Damascus, the narrator highlights the typology of this passage, contrasted the images of
Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
and
Jeroboam Jeroboam I (; Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''Yārŏḇʿām''; ), frequently cited Jeroboam son of Nebat, was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Kingdom of Israel following a Jeroboam's Revol ...
at altars in the First Book of Kings (, ), to Ahaz standing before the altar, a replica of that in Damascus, becoming 'another Jeroboam', setting up an alternative worship to that of Solomon's temple, so Judah repeats the sin of Israel and would suitably be doomed at the end. Ahaz is judged more severely than any king of Judah other than
Manasseh Manasseh () is both a given name and a surname. Its variants include Manasses and Manasse. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Ezekiel Saleh Manasseh (died 1944), Singaporean rice and opium merchant and hotelier * Jacob Manasseh ( ...
, as he followed the ways of Israel's kings rather than
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
's.
Ahaziah of Judah Ahaziah of Judah (; ''Okhozias''; ) or Jehoahaz I (; ), was the sixth king of Judah, and the son of Jehoram and Athaliah, the daughter (or possibly sister) of king Ahab of Israel. He was also the first Judahite king to be descended from bot ...
did the same (2 Kings 8:27), but with the "excuse" of being part of
Ahab Ahab (; ; ; ; ) was a king of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), the son and successor of King Omri, and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Bible. He is depicted in the Bible as a Baal worshipper and is criticized for causi ...
's family, whereas no excuse is given for Ahaz. Going further that imitating Israel's alternative worship, Ahaz revived the customs of the Canaanite nations that Israel had originally displaced (16:3) causing 'idolatrous shrines sprinkled throughout the land'. Meanwhile, the kingdoms Israel and Aram, in alliance against Assyria, attacked Ahaz from the north (
Isaiah 7 Isaiah 7 is the seventh Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the Biblical prophet, prophet I ...
), and Rezin of Syria took a town of Judah (), 'driving the inhabitants into a mini-exile'. Not turning to YHWH, Ahaz turned to Tiglath-Pileser III for help and declared himself as the "servant and son" of the Assyrian king (16:7). The Assyrians ransacked Damascus and drove the Arameans into exile. Thus, both Israel and Judah were pressured into 'compromising alliances with Gentiles': Israel allied with Aram, 'its traditional enemy', while Judah allied with Assyria, bringing the image of "the sons of God 'marrying' the daughters of men" (), and then "a flood" of Gentiles swept 'both Judah and Israel into exile' (-).


Ahaz and the Syro-Ephraimite War (16:1–9)

The introductory regnal account of
Ahaz Ahaz (; ''Akhaz''; ) an abbreviation of Jehoahaz II (of Judah), "Yahweh has held" (; ''Ya'úḫazi'' 'ia-ú-ḫa-zi'' Hayim Tadmor and Shigeo Yamada, ''The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC), ...
emphasizes on his wickedness, that despite his encounters with the prophet
Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...
(
Isaiah 7 Isaiah 7 is the seventh Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the Biblical prophet, prophet I ...
:1– 9:6), he acted like the kings of Israel (cf. 2 Kings 8:18), failed to follow David's example (cf. ; ). The evidence is that the "abominable" worship practices of the Canaanites (cf. Deuteronomy 20:18) including "passing his son through fire" (verses 3–4; cf Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kings 17:17), tying to the practices of Jeroboam () and Manasseh (). Facing the attack of the Syro-Ephraimitic forces, Ahaz didn't accept the advice of Isaiah to seek YHWH's protection, but appealed to Tiglath-Pileser, who didn't need Ahaz's invitation to attack Aram. Ahaz's approach made Israel obligated to the Assyrians, whereas Tiglath-Pileser didn't feel the same way and even imposed further tribute on Ahaz for the rescue.


Verse 1

:''In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign.'' *Cross references: *"In the 17th year of
Pekah Pekah (, ''Peqaḥ''; ''Paqaḫa'' 'pa-qa-ḫa'' ) was the eighteenth and penultimate king of Israel. He was a captain in the army of king Pekahiah of Israel, whom he killed to become king. Pekah was the son of Remaliah. Pekah became king in ...
": According to Thiele's
chronology Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the deter ...
, Ahaz became co-regent with his father, Jotham, in the kingdom of Judah, in September 735 BCE and became a sole king between September 732 BCE and September 731  BCE, overlapping Pekah's 20th (and last) year, and Jotham's 20th year.


Verse 2

:''Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.'' *"Reigned 16 years": according to Thiele's chronology, Ahaz became co-regent in September 735 BCE, then as sole king for 16 years between September 732 BCE and September 731  BCE until he died a few weeks (or days) before Nisan 715 BCE.


Verse 5

:'' Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.'' *Cross reference: Isaiah 7:1 The Syro-Ephraimitic army could not afford to lay prolonged siege of Jerusalem while Aram's border was open to Assyrians' assault. That was foreseen by Isaiah when giving his advice to Ahaz (Isaiah 7–9).


Ahaz paganizes the Temple (16:10–20)

This section focuses on the new altar that Ahaz made following the design of the one he saw in Damascus, when he went there to meet (perhaps to give his oath of allegiance) to Tiglath-pileser who had set up his headquarters in that city. The new altar took the spot of the bronze one commissioned by Solomon (1 Kings 8:64), which is shifted to the north side of the new one, and took over its functions for regular offerings (cf. Numbers 29:39). The heavy bronze instruments that were installed by Solomon in the temple court () and other structures in the temple were changed by Ahaz 'because of the king of Assyria". The altars on the roof of Ahaz's upper chamber were later destroyed by king
Josiah Josiah () or Yoshiyahu was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE). According to the Hebrew Bible, he instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Until the 1990s, the biblical description of Josiah’s ...
(.


Archaeology


Ahaz

Much of Ahaz's foreign policy is not known from the Books of Kings, but from the
Book of Isaiah The Book of Isaiah ( ) is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Major Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. It is identified by a superscription as the words of the 8th-century BC prophet Isaiah ben Amo ...
and Assyrian inscriptions (''ANET'' 282–284). The " Nimrud Tablet K.3751", which describes the first 17 years of Tiglath-Pileser III's reign, contains first known archeological reference to Judah (Yaudaya or KUR.ia-ú-da-a-a) and the name of "Ahaz" (written as "Jeho-ahaz"), along with his tributes to the Assyrian king in gold and silver.The Pitcher Is Broken: Memorial Essays for Gosta W. Ahlstrom, Steven W. Holloway, Lowell K. Handy, Continuum, 1 May 1995
Quote: "For Israel, the description of the battle of Qarqar in the Kurkh Monolith of Shalmaneser III (mid-ninth century) and for Judah, a Tiglath-pileser III text mentioning (Jeho-) Ahaz of Judah (IIR67 = K. 3751), dated 734-733, are the earliest published to date."
Several bullae bearing the name of Ahaz have been found: # a royal bulla with the inscription: “Belonging to Ahaz (son of) Jehotam, King of Judah.” # stone seal in scarab (
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
) shape with the inscription: "Belonging to Ushna servant of Ahaz" # a royal bulla with the inscription: "Belonging to Hezekiah
on of On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...
Ahaz king of Judah" (between 727 and 698 BCE).


Tiglath-Pileser III

Many inscriptions from the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, the king of Assyria, have been found, most of them from his ancient palace in Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, including: (1) Annals (arranged chronologically); (2) Summary Inscriptions (arranged in a predominantly geographical pattern); and (3) Miscellaneous Texts (labels, dedicatory inscriptions, as well as other fragments).


Rezin

The account of Rezin is found among Tiglath-Pileser's inscriptions, particularly those related to a three-year Assyrian campaign in the Levant from 734 to 732 BCE, as in the following quote: :'' Quote: "In order to save his life, he ("Raḫiānu" or "Rezin") fled alone and entered the gate of his city ikea mongoose … I surrounded (and) captured he city ...ādara, the ancestral home of Raḫiānu ("Rezin") of the land Damascus, he plce where he was born. …Like tell(s) after the Deluge, I destroyed 591 cities of 16 districts of the land Damascus.'' (RINAP 1, Tiglath-Pileser III 20, l. 8’-17’) This is comparable to the account in the 2 Kings 16:9: : ''And the king of Assyria iglath-Pileser IIIhearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.''


Pekah

One annals of Tiglath-Pileser III mentioned Pekah and Hoshea, two last kings of Israel: : ''They overthrew their king Pekah (Pa-qa-ḥa) and I placed Hoshea (A-ú-si-ʼ) as king over them. I iglath-Pileser IIIreceived from them 10 talents of gold, 1,000 (?) talents of silver as their riute, and brought them to Assyria'' (''ANET'' 284) This is comparable to the account in 2 Kings 15:30: :''Then Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah and struck him down and put him to death and reigned in his place, in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah.'' KJV


See also

* Related
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
parts:
2 Kings 15 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 ...
,
2 Kings 17 2 Kings 17 is the seventeenth Chapters and verses of the Bible, 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 Christianity, Christian Bible. The book is a compilation ...
, 2 Chronicles 27,
Isaiah 7 Isaiah 7 is the seventh Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the Biblical prophet, prophet I ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

*
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
translations: *
Melachim II - II Kings - Chapter 16 (Judaica Press)
translation ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org *
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) *
2 Kings chapter 16. Bible Gateway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings 2 16 Second Book of Kings chapters">16