Because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord ,.... In his law, and by his prophets: but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded ; which evils are at large insisted on in the preceding chapter as the cause of their captivity: and would not hear them, nor do them ; contrary to the agreement of their fathers at Sinai, who promised to do both, Exodus 24:3 . read more
A striking reformation, a ruthless despotism, and an unprincipled diplomacy. "How it came to pass," etc. Amongst the incidents recorded and the characters mentioned in this chapter, there stand out in great prominence three subjects for practical contemplation: The many strange and somewhat revolting historic events that make up the bulk of this chapter will come out in the discussion of these three subjects. I. A STRIKING REFORMATION . Hezekiah, who was now King of Judah, and... read more
THE PUNISHMENT OF SAMARIA FOR DISOBEDIENCE . In contrast with Hezekiah's piety and consequent prosperity, the author places the disobedience ( 2 Kings 18:12 ) and consequent extinction of the sister kingdom ( 2 Kings 18:9-11 ), which Belonged to Hezekiah's earlier years, and was an event of the greatest importance to him, since it made his dominions conterminous with those of Assyria, and exposed his northern frontier to attack at any moment from the Assyrian forces. According... read more
Captivity and its cause. (See homily on preceding chapter, 2 Kings 18:6-23 .)—C.H.I. read more
Because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them (compare the expanded version of this statement in 2 Kings 17:7-23 ). The sin of Samaria may be summed up under three heads: read more
These verses repeat the account given in the marginal reference. The extreme importance of the event may account for the double insertion. read more
18:1-25:30 HISTORY TO THE FALL OF JUDAHNew policies under Hezekiah (18:1-12)With the destruction of the kingdom of Israel in the north and the disastrous reign of Ahaz in the south, Assyrian influence in Palestine was at its peak. In spite of this, the young king Hezekiah set out on the bold task of reforming Judah’s religion and freeing Judah from Assyrian power. He destroyed all the local idolatrous shrines (something that no king since David had been able to do), and because of this the... read more
Moses the servant of the LORD. See note on Deuteronomy 34:5 . read more
1. Hezekiah’s goodness 18:1-12Hezekiah began reigning as his father Ahaz’s vice-regent in 729 B.C. and ruled as such for 14 years. In 715 B.C. he began his sole rule over Judah that lasted until 697 B.C. (18 years). He then reigned with his son Manasseh who served as his vice-regent for 11 more years (697-686 B.C.). His 29-year reign (2 Kings 18:2) was from 715-686 B.C. [Note: See J. Barton Payne, "The Relationship of the Reign of Ahaz to the Accession of Hezekiah," Bibliotheca Sacra 125:501... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 18:9-16
The kingdom of Assyria had now grown considerable, though we never read of it till the last reign. Such changes there are in the affairs of nations and families: those that have been despicable become formidable, and those, on the contrary, are brought low that have made a great noise and figure. We have here an account, I. Of the success of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, against Israel, his besieging Samaria (2 Kgs. 18:9), taking it (2 Kgs. 18:10), and carrying the people into captivity (2... read more