XIII.
(1-3) THE REIGN OF JEHOAHAZ.
(1) In the three and twentieth year of Joash. — Josephus makes it the twenty-first year of Joash, but wrongly. According to 2 Kings 12:1, Joash succeeded in the seventh year of Jehu, and Jehu reigned twentyeight years (2 Kings 10:36).
Seventeen years. — This agrees with 2 Kings 14:1.
(2) And he did. — See Notes on 2 Kings 3:3.
(3) He delivered them into the hand of Hazael. — Comp. 2 Kings 10:32, seq. The meaning is that Jehovah allowed Israel to be defeated in successive encounters with the Syrian forces, and to Suffer loss of territory, but not total subjugation. According to the Assyrian data, Shalmaneser warred with Hazael in 842 B.C., and again in 839 B.C. (See Notes on 2 Kings 8:15; 2 Kings 9:2.)
All their days. — Rather, all the days, i.e., continually (not all the days of Jehoahaz, nor of Hazael and Ben-hadad). The phrase is an indefinite designation of a long period of disaster.