He smote the Philistines even unto Gaza, and the borders thereof ,.... Who in his father's time had invaded Judah, and taken many cities and towns in it, which Hezekiah now recovered, and drove them to their own territories, of which Gaza was one; see 2 Chronicles 28:18 . from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city ; that is, places both great and small, cities, towns, and villages; of this phrase, see 2 Kings 17:9 . read more
From the tower of the watchmen - See the same words, 2 Kings 17:9 ; (note). It seems a proverbial mode of expression: he reduced every kind of fortification; nothing was able to stand before him. read more
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
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
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
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
He smote the Philistines. Hezekiah's Philistine war seems to have followed on an attempt which Sargon made to bring the whole country under the Assyrian dominion. Sargon attacked Philistia in B.C. 720, made Gaza and the other towns subject, and committed the custody of them to tributary kings, in whom he had confidence. But opposition soon manifested itself. Sargon's creatures were expelled—Akhimiti from Ash-clod, Padi from Ekron. Hezekiah assisted in this war of independence, attacked... read more
Sargon had established the complete dominion of Assyria over the Philistines. Hence, the object of Hezekiah’s Philistine campaign was not so much conquest as opposition to the Assyrian power. How successful it was is indicated in the Assyrian records by the number of towns in this quarter which Sennacherib recovered before he proceeded against Jerusalem. read more
2 Kings 18:8. He smote the Philistines even unto Gaza And recovered from them what his father had lost, and more, 2 Chronicles 28:18. From the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city That is, all the country over, both the country villages and fortified towns. When he had purged out the corruptions which his father had brought in, he might expect to recover the possessions which his father had lost. These his victories over the Philistines had been foretold by Isaiah 14:28. read more
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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