2 Kings 18:4 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

We have here a general account of the reign of Hezekiah. It appears, by comparing his age with his father?s, that he was born when his father was about eleven or twelve years old, divine Providence so ordering that he might be of full age, and fit for business, when the measure of his father's iniquity should be full. Here is, I. His great piety, which was the more wonderful because his father was very wicked and vile, one of the worst of the kings, yet he was one of the best, which may... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places ,.... Which the best of the kings of Judah never attempted, and which is observed of them to their discredit: and broke the images, and cut down the groves ; the idols his father set up and served, 2 Kings 16:4 , groves and idols in them, were early instances of idolatry; See Gill on Judges 3:7 , and their use for temples are still continued, not only among some Indian nations F12 See Dampier's Voyage, vol. 1. p. 411. , but among some Christians in... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 18:4

Brake in pieces the brazen serpent - The history of this may be seen in Numbers 21:8 ; (note), Numbers 21:9 ; (note). We find that this brazen serpent had become an object of idolatry, and no doubt was supposed to possess, as a telesm or amulet, extraordinary virtues, and that incense was burnt before it which should have been burnt before the true God. And he called it Nehushtan - נהשתן . Not one of the versions has attempted to translate this word. Jarchi... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

THE EARLY YEARS Or HEZEKIAH . From his narrative of the destruction of the kingdom of Samaria, the writer turns, with evident relief, to the accession of the good king Hezekiah in Judah, and to a brief account of The narrative is still exceedingly brief, and has to be filled out from the Second Book of Chronicles, where the religious reformation of Hezekiah is treated with great fullness (2 Kings 29-31.). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

The secret of a successful fife; or, trust in God, and its results. What a refreshing contrast to some of the lives we have been considering, is this description of the life of Hezekiah! How pleasant it is to read of such a life as his, after we have read of so many kings of Judah and Israel, that "they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin"! It is a pleasant contrast even to the life of Hezekiah's own father Ahaz. It... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

Hezekiah the good . It is with a sense of relief that we emerge from the dark and oppressive atmosphere of the time of Ahaz into the "clear shining" ( 2 Samuel 23:4 ) of a reign like that of Hezekiah. Once more Divine mercy gave Judah a king in whom the best traditions of the theocracy were revived. I. RIGHT CONDUCT . 1. An evil upbringing belied . As if to set laws of heredity at defiance, the worst King of Judah hitherto is succeeded by one of the best—the best after... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-37

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

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places. This was a comparatively late step in Hezekiah's religious reformation. He began, as we learn from Chronicles ( 2 Chronicles 29:3 , 2 Chronicles 29:17 ), "in the first year of his reign, the first month, and the first day," by reopening the temple, which Ahaz had shut up, removing from it all the "filthiness" which Ahaz had allowed to accumulate ( 2 Chronicles 29:5 ), gathering together the priests and Levites and exhorting them ( 2 Chronicles 29:4-11 ),... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

Iconoclasm right or wrong, judicious or injudicious, according to circumstances. The destruction of the brazen serpent of Moses by Hezekiah has always been a favorite argument with extreme iconoclasts for their extreme views. In the time of Henry VIII ; and still more in that of Cromwell, statuary was destroyed or mutilated, precious pictures were burnt, priceless stained-glass windows were shivered to atoms, by those with whom a main justification of their conduct was the example of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 18:4

He removed the high places - This religious reformation was effected in a violent and tumultuous manner (marginal reference). The “high places,” though forbidden in the Law (Deuteronomy 12:2-4, Deuteronomy 12:11-14; compare Leviticus 26:30), had practically received the sanction of Samuel 1Sa 7:10; 1 Samuel 9:12-14, David 2 Samuel 15:32, Solomon 1 Kings 3:4, and others, and had long been the favorite resorts of the mass of the people (see 1 Kings 3:2 note). They were the rural centers for the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 18:4

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:1-37

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 18:4

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 18:4

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