2 Kings 18:1-12 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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2 Kings 18-20. The Reign of Hezekiah. These three Chapter s give an account of the reign of the best king of Judah, and a parallel but somewhat less full account is found in Isaiah 36-39. There is another account in 2 Chronicles 29 f. The annalistic tablets, etc., of the Assyrian kings give us more information about Hezekiah than about any other king. They confirm the good impression given in the Bible; but the chronology, if we follow them, has to be completely modified. To understand the history contained in 2 Kings 18-20 the following facts and dates should be borne in mind: (a) Samaria fell in the reign of Sargon, in 722 B.C. (b) Merodachbaladan (2 Kings 20:12) established himself as king in Babylon (721), and held his own against Sargon till 710. (c) Sargon's army overran Judah about 711 (Isaiah 20:1). (d) Sargon died 706 and his son Sennacherib invaded Judah 701. (e) Sennacherib died 681. Consequently (i.) the illness of Hezekiah and the mission of Merodach-baladan took place before 711, so that 2 Kings 20 really comes earlier than 2 Kings 18:13; (ii.) Sennacherib's invasion was near the end of the reign of Hezekiah; and (iii.), despite 2 Kings 19:37, Sennacherib lived nearly twenty years after the loss of his army. See further, p. 59.

2 Kings 18:1-12. Accession of Hezekiah. Fall of Samaria. Hezekiah's reforms were in full accord with the commands in Dt. It is frequently stated in Kings that no king of Judah, however good he had otherwise been, dared to do this. It gave much offence (cf. 2 Kings 18:22), and provoked a reaction under Manasseh. the brazen serpent: cf. Numbers 21:8 f.* The serpent which Moses made was a fiery serpent, Heb. saraph (cf. the seraphim in the Temple, Isaiah 6:2 *). Nehushtan: the word is obscure. If Hezekiah called the serpent this name it would be reproachful, a thing of brass (cf. mg.). If it was the popular name by which it was worshipped, it may be connected with nahash, a serpent.

2 Kings 18:9. Shalmaneser: see on 2 Kings 17:3.

2 Kings 18:10. they took it: perhaps the writer knew that the king who besieged Samaria (2 Kings 18:9) was not the captor of the city.

Related Commentaries of 2 Kings 18:1

2 Kings 18:1-12

1 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiaha the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi,b the daughter of Zachariah.

3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.

4 He removed the high places, and brake the images,c and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

5 He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

6 For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.

7 And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.

8 He smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza,d and the borders thereof, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

9 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.

11 And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes:

12 Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them.