And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord ,.... By increasing his idolatries, as appears by what he did, in imitation of what he saw at Damascus, where he had an interview with the king of Assyria, 2 Kings 16:10 this is that King Ahaz ; that monster of iniquity, than whom there was none worse, nor any so bad, of all the kings of Judah. read more
For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him ,.... As he foolishly imagined, that they might do him no more hurt; as it is said of the Indians, that they worship the devil, that he may not hurt them; but that a king of Judah should do this is monstrous stupidity; rather therefore the meaning may be, that he worshipped the gods of those that smote him, those of the men or soldiers of Damascus F13 So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. see 2 Chronicles 28:5 for the... read more
And gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God ,.... And converted them to his own use, sold them, or melted the gold and silver, of which they were, and made money of them, his treasures being exhausted: and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord : that the people might not come and worship there, but on the high places he made: and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem ; that the priests might sacrifice there,... read more
He sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus , which smote him - "This passage," says Mr. Hallet, "greatly surprised me; for the sacred historian himself is here represented as saying, The gods of Damascus had smitten Ahaz. But it is impossible to suppose that an inspired author could say this; for the Scripture everywhere represents the heathen idols as nothing and vanity, and as incapable of doing either good or hurt. All difficulty is avoided if we follow the old Hebrew... read more
Shut up the doors - He caused the Divine worship to be totally suspended; and they continued shut till the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah, one of whose first acts was to reopen them, and thus to restore the Divine worship, 2 Chronicles 29:3 . read more
This King Ahaz: the progress of a king literally devoid of religion. In such words, the significance of which no one can mistake, is the royal person who is the chief subject of this chapter pointed to ( 2 Chronicles 28:22 ). Ahaz is the bad son of a good father. He is a type of those who begin badly, who are untaught by experience, who grow worse by suffering and adversity, and who end by maddening themselves, to their own destruction! The career of his father Jotham is written,... read more
This is that King Ahaz. I. A DEGENERATE SON . Aliaz, "Grasper" or "Possessor." In the Tigiath-Plleser inscriptions, which probably confounded him with the son of Jehoram ( 2 Chronicles 21:17 ), he is called Jehoahaz, "Whom Jehovah grasps," though the Scripture writers may have dropped the prefix "Jeho-" on account of his wickedness. 1 . He possessed his father ' s nature. Of necessity, as his father's son ( Genesis 5:3 ). Yet he improved not upon that nature, but rather... read more
Sin in its issues. To what will sin lead us? What, when it nears its end and when it is finished, will it bring forth? We have the answer in this portion of Ahaz's life. I. INFATUATION . He robbed the palace and even plundered the temple in order to bribe the King of Assyria to help him, instead of going to the house of the Lord as a servant and suppliant of Jehovah, to seek and find his help. That is to say, he committed robbery and sacrilege in order to secure the succour of a man... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 28:16-27
Here is, I. The great distress which the kingdom of Ahaz was reduced to for his sin. In general, 1. The Lord brought Judah low, 2 Chron. 28:19. They had lately been very high in wealth and power; but God found means to bring them down, and make them as despicable as they had been formidable. Those that will not humble themselves under the word of God will justly be humbled by his judgments. Iniquity brings men low, Ps. 106:43. 2. Ahaz made Judah naked. As his sin debased them, so it exposed... read more