Chapter 16

1 Ahaz’s wicked reign. 5 Ahaz, assailed by Rezin and Pekah, hireth Tiglath-pileser against them. 10 Ahaz, sending a pattern of an altar from Damascus to Urijah, diverteth the brasen altar to his own devotion. 17 He spoileth the temple. 19 Hezekiah succeedeth him.

2. Did not … right. The majority of the rulers of Judah had been relatively upright kings; from now on many were evil. The reign of Ahaz marked the beginning of the nation’s final decline. Efforts were made by Hezekiah and Josiah to stay the tide of iniquity, but the effects were only temporary. A nation cannot long endure without righteousness and without good leadership. Evil men automatically bring about their own ruin.

3. Of the kings of Israel. Ahaz “made … images for Baalim” (2 Chron. 28:2), thus imitating the practices of Ahab and Jezebel in Israel.

Pass through the fire. “Burnt his children in the fire” (2 Chron. 28:3). Such abominations were common among the nations of Palestine (Deut. 12:31; 2 Kings 3:27). Manasseh was guilty of the same outrage (2 Kings 21:6). The practice was continued in the days of Jeremiah (Jer. 7:31). These terrible rites were forbidden the Israelites under the penalty of death (Lev. 18:21; 20:2).

5. Came up. See 2 Kings 15:37; Isa. 7:1. The object of this bold invasion was to install a new dynasty in Jerusalem and to bring an end to the dynasty of David (Isa. 7:6). Assyrian sources indicate that Azariah took a strong stand against Assyria, if “Azariau of Iauda” is to be identified with Azariah of Judah (see on 2 Kings 14:28). This policy of resistance was probably continued under Jotham. At the time of Ahaz, however, it seems that a pro-Assyrian policy was adopted. Israel and Syria may have attacked Ahaz because of his pro-Assyrian tendencies. Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord sent messages of encouragement to Ahaz, informing him that Israel and Syria would ultimately fail in their attack against the kingdom of Judah (Isa. 7:4–7; 8:4).

Could not overcome. Israel and Syria did, however, succeed in taking many captives (2 Chron. 28:5–8). In addition to this trouble from the north the Edomites in the south and the Philistines in the west harassed Judah (2 Chron. 28:17, 18). Some suggest that the states of the Mediterranean seacoast had entered into a confederacy against Assyria and were taking concerted measures against Ahaz because of his refusal to join them in resisting the encroachments of that rising power.

6. Recovered Elath. See on ch. 14:22.

Jews. Heb.Yehudim, from Yehudah (Judah), one of the 12 sons of Jacob. This is the first occurrence of the word in the Scriptures. The term is applied at first only to the citizens of the southern kingdom of Judah. After the captivity it is used to designate all who returned to Palestine irrespective of tribal affiliations (Ezra 4:12; Neh. 1:2). By the time of the Christian Era the name comprehends any descendant of Jacob (Matt. 2:2).

7. Sent messengers. Ahaz took this step against the advice of the prophet Isaiah, who encouraged him to place his trust in God and not in man (Isa. 7:7–13; 8:13).

Save me. Such a cry should have been addressed only to the God of heaven. The direction of the petition to Tiglath-pileser was a sad reflection on Ahaz’ lack of faith in God. The Lord had repeatedly promised to deliver His people in time of affliction. Isaiah urged the king to place his confidence in God and not in man, but Ahaz refused to hear the advice of the prophet.

8. Silver and gold. Ahaz divested the Temple of its treasures and bestowed the dedicated wealth upon a heathen king. He was willing to bind himself by an alliance to a pagan ruler and to disassociate himself from the Ruler of heaven.

9. Hearkened unto him. Perhaps the first benefit resulting from this alliance was an Assyrian attack upon Philistia which, according to the Assyrian Eponym Canon, or limmu list (see pp. 55, 155), occurred in the year 734 b.c.

Against Damascus. According to the Assyrian Eponym Canon the campaign took two years, 733 and 732. According to Assyrian sources the city of Damascus was taken in 732.

Kir. The exact location of this place is not known. According to Isa. 22:6 it was probably in or near the territory of Elam. Elam was a region east of Babylon bounded on the north by Assyria. The Assyrians frequently transported captives across the whole breadth of their empire. Amos had foretold that the Syrians would go into captivity to Kir (Amos 1:5).

10. To Damascus. The occasion was probably to celebrate Tiglath-pileser’s triumph in Damascus after his capture of the city. Perhaps all the tributary kings of Western Asia were summoned there to give their homage and pay their tribute to the Assyrian ruler.

An altar. Whether a Syrian or an Assyrian altar the writer does not reveal, but in view of Tiglath-pileser’s recent victories it was probably Assyrian (see on v. 12). The heathen altar, dedicated to the worship of some heathen god, captured the fancy of the king of Judah. Most scholars agree that Tiglath-pileser required Ahaz to erect an Assyrian altar and offer sacrifices on it as a token of submission to the gods of Assyria. This was a common requirement made of vassal kings.

Urijah. This may have been the Uriah who placed his signature on Isaiah’s “great roll” (Isa. 8:1, 2).

11. Built an altar. This was a shocking deed for a priest of God. The priesthood was dedicated to the service of God, not to the service of idols, and yet this priest of the Lord built a heathen altar that was to take the place of the sacred altar of God in the Temple.

12. Offered thereon. An act of brazen effrontery to the God of heaven. According to 2 Chron. 28:23 Ahaz had previously “sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” Now that the Syrian gods had failed to deliver Syria out of the hands of Tiglath-pileser, Ahaz evidently regarded the Assyrian gods as the more powerful and henceforth was ready to give them homage.

Such warped thinking on the part of the king of Judah illustrates the extent to which God’s original plan for Israel had failed. It was God’s purpose through the nation of Israel to give a demonstration of the absolute superiority of the God of Israel that would eventually lead all nations to seek after the God of the Hebrews. The very opposite effect resulted from the defection of Israel’s kings. Neighboring nations were led to regard with disdain the God who according to their interpretation had repeatedly shown Himself inferior to the gods of Israel’s conquerors (see Ex. 32:12; Num. 14:13; Deut. 9:28; Ps. 79:10).

13. He burnt. Ahaz himself officiated as priest. Only a short time before, the priests had resisted Azariah when he endeavored to burn incense in the Temple, and the king was smitten with leprosy for his attempt to assume this priestly prerogative (2 Chron. 26:16–19). Now the priest made a heathen altar in response to the command of the king and he permitted the king to officiate as priest, as was the custom in heathen lands. The nation was rapidly declining.

14. The brasen altar. The brazen altar had formerly occupied the honored position directly in front of the Temple porch. The new altar had apparently been placed between the brazen altar and the east gate. This would cause the brazen altar to obstruct the view of the Temple. Probably for this reason it was removed from its ancient position and placed to the north of the new altar, between it and the north wall of the Temple court.

15. The great altar. The new altar took the place of Solomon’s brazen altar. It is called “great,” probably not with reference to size, for it may have been much smaller than Solomon’s altar of huge dimensions (2 Chron. 4:1), but from the standpoint of its function. The new altar was now to supersede the old one for many of the principal offerings prescribed by the Mosaic code (see Ex. 29:38–42; Num. 28:3–31; 29:2–39).

Brasen altar. The designation “brasen” may imply that the new altar was of different material, probably stone.

Enquire. Heb. baqar, “to inquire,” “to seek,” “to look for.” The passage may be understood in two ways. It may mean that Ahaz was going to look into the matter as to what use was to be made of the brazen altar; or it may apply specifically to the use of the altar for divination. Some have suggested that Ahaz had adopted the Babylonian custom of divination by means of omen-sacrifices in which the will of the gods was ascertained by examining the entrails of sacrificial animals (see Eze. 21:21–23).

17. Cut off. Ahaz probably needed the bronze as a present for the king of Assyria (v. 18). He was obviously hard pressed and forced to secure metal wherever he could.

Borders of the bases. These “bases” were the stands for the ten brazen lavers built by Solomon (1 Kings 7:27–39). The borders were probably ornamental panelings. The bases themselves were not destroyed, for when Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar these were among the items taken to Babylon (2 Kings 25:13, 16; Jer. 52:17, 20).

The sea. See 1 Kings 7:23–26. The great bronze laver itself was not destroyed, but was simply removed from the brazen oxen upon which it rested. When Jerusalem fell, this laver was broken up and taken to Babylon (Jer. 52:17) as a part of the booty.

18. Covert for the sabbath. Exactly what is meant by this expression is not clear. It was probably some covered hall or stand used on the Sabbath by honored guests—perhaps the king and members of the royal court. This is the only instance where this structure is mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

King’s entry. The meaning of this expression is not clear. Some have thought that the reference is to the ascent by which the king went up into the house of the Lord (1 Kings 10:5). The entire verse is obscure in the Hebrew. The LXX renders it: “And he made a base for the throne in the house of the Lord, and he turned the king’s entrance without in the house of the Lord because of the king of the Assyrians.” Some think that Ahaz anticipated a visit to Jerusalem by Tiglath-pileser and was making preparations to receive him.

19. The rest of the acts. Among the other acts of Ahaz were the erection of altars on the roof of the palace (ch. 23:12), apparently designed for the worship of the host of heaven; the cutting in pieces of the sacred vessels of the Temple; the shutting up of the Temple itself and the termination of its services (2 Chron. 28:24; 29:3, 7).

20. Was buried. Not in the sepulchers of the kings, according to the parallel account (2 Chron. 28:27).

Ellen G. White comments

1–20PK 322–330

1     PK 322

3     PK 324

5     PK 328

7, 8      PK 329