And he prospered ... went forth. — Whithersoever he would go forth he would prosper. (The italicised and is needless here, as in 2 Kings 18:6.)
Prospered. — Comp. 1 Kings 2:3; Proverbs 17:8. Going forth denotes any external undertaking or enterprise, especially going forth to war. (Comp. the phrase “going out and coming in.”)
He rebelled against the king of Assyria — i.e., refused the tribute which Ahaz his father had paid. In this matter also it is implied that Hezekiah succeeded. The mention of Hezekiah’s revolt here does not imply that it happened at the beginning of his reign, for 2 Kings 18:1-12 are a preliminary sketch of his entire history. The subject here glanced at is continued at large in 2 Kings 18:13 seq.