Nevertheless, they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, but walked therein ,.... Continued to worship the calves still, which was an instance of great ingratitude; the Syriac and Arabic versions read, "he departed not"; Jehoahaz the king: and there remained the grove in Samaria ; which Ahab made there, 1 Kings 16:33 , neither Jehu nor his son had it cut down, though Baal was destroyed. read more
The grove also in Samaria - Asherah, or Astarte, remained in Samaria, and there was she worshipped, with all her abominable rites. read more
God's severity and God's goodness alike shown in the history of Israel under Jehoahaz. I. GOD 'S SEVERITY . Two sins only are noted as existing among the people at this time—the calf-worship, and the maintenance of the "grove" or asherah ( 2 Kings 13:6 ). One of these, the worship of the calves, was ancestral. It had been an established usage for a hundred and twenty years, and had been upheld by every king from the date of its institution. Even the prophets, with one exception ( 1... read more
Israel's humiliation under Jehoahaz. The story of the reign of Jehoahaz, Jehu's son, is a story of unmitigated misfortune. We note— I. JEHOAHAZ 'S EVIL REIGN . 1. The downward movement in Israel . With the extinction of Ahab's house, the rooting out of Baal, and the establishment of Jehu's dynasty, Israel obtained a new chance of doing well. But Jehu's reforming zeal soon died out, and he fell back into godless ways. His son followed the worse, and not the better,... read more
THE REIGN OF JEHOAHAZ . The writer returns in this chapter to the history of the Israelite kingdom, taking it up from the death of Jehu, which was recorded in the closing verses of 2 Kings 10:1-36 . He sketches briefly the reign of Jehu's son and successor, Jehoahaz, in the present section, after which he passes to that of John's grandson, Jehoash or Joash. The Syrian oppression was the great event of Jehoahaz's reign. read more
The reigns of Jehoahaz and Joash, kings of Israel. Observe here I. THE PERPETUITY OF EVIL . How sad it is to read of one king after another, "He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord"! And then the statement is usually made, "He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." A bad man does harm to others besides himself. "None of us liveth to himself." Not merely while we live, but after we are gone, our lives and words and deeds will... read more
The death of Elisha. "In the three and twentieth," etc. The Book of Kings is, to a large extent, a record of crime, and of crime of the most heinous and aggravated character. The terrible monstrosities recorded are, for the most part, ascribable, directly or indirectly, to kings. In this very chapter we have a sketch of two of those monarchs who have been among the greatest curses of their race. Jehoahaz, son and successor of Jehu King of Israel, whose reign was disastrous to the kingdom to... read more
REIGNS OF JEHOAHAZ , SON OF JEHU , AND JOASH , SON OF JEHOAHAZ , OVER ISRAEL . NOTICES OF ELISHA . WAR OF ISRAEL WITH SYRIA . read more
Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin. "The house of Jeroboam" is an unusual expression in this connection, and is scarcely appropriate, since every "house" had acted in the same way, Some manuscripts omit the word, and it is wanting in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic versions. Thenius would cancel it. But walked therein ; literally, he walked . But here again a corruption may be suspected. Instead of הָלָךְ we should read ... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 13:1-9
This general account of the reign of Jehoahaz, and of the state of Israel during his seventeen years, though short, is long enough to let us see two things which are very affecting and instructive:? I. The glory of Israel raked up in the ashes, buried and lost, and turned into shame. How unlike does Israel appear here to what it had been and might have been! How is its crown profaned and its honour laid in the dust! 1. It was the honour of Israel that they worshipped the only living and true... read more