Ver. 1. Ahaz was twenty years old.] And reigned but sixteen years; and yet when he died, Hezekiah his son was twenty-five years old. (2 Chronicles 29:1) Some say this was extraordinary, and render this reason: Ahaz so young a father, as Elizabeth an old mother, should have hoped in Emmanuel, born of a virgin. Others solve it thus: The beginning of that reign, when Ahaz was but twenty years old, is to be referred to Jotham, his father; for Ahaz was twenty years old when he—namely Jotham—began to reign: as Jehoiachin was eight years old when he—namely Jehoiakim his father—began to reign: for Jehoiachin was eighteen when he himself began to reign. (2 Chronicles 36:9 2 Kings 24:8) Like David his father.] No, nor like either Jotham, his immediate father, or Hezekiah, his son and successor; betwixt which two Ahaz standeth here in the history, as a thorn between two lilies, or as a collier between a couple of fullers, himself being so much the worse and more wicked, by how much better they were, and more virtuous. Brought. Consent. Dr Gouge.
Ver. 2. For hs walked in the ways of the kings of Israel.] Yea, he outdid them in wickedness. See on 2 Kings 16:3,4. Sundry holy prophets, as Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, &c., declaimed earnestly against his abominable practices, and proclaimed hell-fire in case he repented not; but he either turned the deaf ear to them, or, if he gave them the hearing, yet he heeded them not; luporum instar, ingenium non mutavit.
Ver. 3. And burnt his children in the fire.] Some he burnt outright, in honour of Moloch, or Saturn (indeed the devil), and others he caused to pass through the fire, with the safeguard of their lives, though not haply of their hair; believing that thereby they were purged from their spiritual filthiness. The Tartars do the like at this day: the Papists also, in their supposed purgatory, dream of such a like purgation. The king of Spain put his eldest son into the hands of the bloody Inquisitors, to be murdered by them, that he might approve himself an obedient son to the Pope, who thereupon blasphemously applied unto him that saying of the apostle, He spared not his own son, but gave him for us. See 2 Kings 16:3. Jerome. Caten.
Ver. 4. He sacrificed also, &c.] See 2 Kings 16:4.
Ver. 5. Wherefore the Lord his God,] i.e., That should have been his God, and would have been too, had he been oughts as he ought. Into the hand of the king of Syria,] i.e., Of Rezin, whom God raised up to be a scourge to Judah, to chastise them for their idolatry and other impieties. And they smote him,] viz., When they took Elah. See 2 Kings 16:6.
Ver. 6. For Pekah the son of Remaliah.] Here was aliud ex alio malum: the other evil from other man, but these hammers of the Most High did but beat upon cold iron. See 2 Kings 15:27.
Ver. 7. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim.] Heros fortis Ephraita, a man of extraordinary courage and strength: he must be so, that slew so many grandees and their guards.
Ver. 8. Two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters.] These also were sinners against their own souls: for “the children gathered wood, and the fathers kindled the fire, and the women kneaded dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke the Lord to anger.” (Jeremiah 7:18)
Ver. 9. And he went before the host.] He put his life in his hand, and met them in the face. This was a bold attempt: and God, of whom it was, succeeded it. Prophets have ever been reverenced; poets were among the Greeks, as Tyrtaeus and others; the Bard; a kind of priests, were here in Albion by the greatest commanders. Zedekiah, a king, is here taxed for not humbling himself before Jeremiah, a poor prophet. (2 Chronicles 36:12) And ye have slain them with a rage.] Which is the worst counsellor, as knowing neither mean nor measure. That reacheth unto heaven.] That thing must needs be very great, one end whereof reacheth as high as heaven.
Ver. 10. But are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord?] At the loss of Calais, when a proud Frenchman asked an English captain, When will you fetch Calais again? he gravely answered, When your sins shall weigh down ours.
Ver. 11. Now hear me therefore.] Here we have the picture of a good preacher. Oded teacheth, reproveth, exhorteth, turneth himself into all shapes, of spirit and of speech, that he may work upon his hearers; and he had his desire. See Timothy’s task. (2 Timothy 4:2,3)
Ver. 12. Then certain of the heads.] So mightily did the word of God in the mouth of this one prophet work upon them; although he used not the Lord’s name unto them, because he thought them, saith Jerome, for their idolatries, unworthy.
Ver. 13. Ye shall not bring in the captives hither.] This was right; the commanders take part with the prophet in opposing and beating down the sins of the people. To add more to our sins, and to our trespass.] That is, To the iniquity of our sin, as David calleth it, (Psalms 32:5) the guilt that followeth upon it, that biteth like a serpent, and stingeth as an adder. (Proverbs 23:32)
Ver. 14. So the armed men left the captives.] See here what a few may do against a multitude, in a good cause, if they set to work in good earnest. See John 7:45.
Ver. 15. And anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them.] This was to “break off their iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, that there might be a lengthening of their tranquillity.” (Daniel 4:27) Clementia plus potest quam violentia. Courtesy can do no more than cruelty, said Antigonus. Julius Caesar, Vespasian, Aurelian, and our Queen Elizabeth, are famous in history for showing mercy to their enemies. Plut.
Ver. 16. Did Ahaz send unto the king of Assyria.] Heb., Kings; so he is called, because king of kings, a mighty monarch. To him, therefore, Ahaz sendeth for help, at that time when the prophet Isaiah bade him trust only in God, and offered him a most satisfying sign for his confirmation. (Isaiah 7:14-16) [See Trapp on “2Ki 16:7”]
Ver. 17. For again the Edomites.] “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; whenas he that trusteth in the Lord”—which Ahaz would not hear of—“mercy shall compass him round about,” (Psalms 32:10) as it did his good son Hezekiah.
Ver. 18. The Philistines also.] For a punishment of Judah’s incorrigibleness. The Syrians before and the Philistines behind, &c. (Isaiah 9:12,13)
Ver. 19. For he made Judah naked.] He stripped them of the sincere service of God—which is the beauty and bulwark of a nation—and might have been called, as our Henry III was, regni dilapidator, the kingdom’s bane and break-neck.
Ver. 20. And Tilgathpilneser.] See 2 Kings 16:10. And distressed him, but strengthened him not.] This beast observing the hedge to be low, went over it, making Ahaz his tributary: how else is it said, that Hezekiah rebelled against him? (2 Kings 18:7) Many princes have lost what they had, by calling in foreigners to their help. The Romans and Turks got much by this means.
Ver. 21. And Ahaz took away a portion.] He hoped hereby to ingratiate with the Assyrian; but the hope of the wicked shall perish, saith Solomon. See on 2 Kings 16:8.
Ver. 22. And yet in the time of his distress.] So stubborn was he and stiff necked, he would sooner break than bend. Such refractories also were Pharaoh, Saul, the Scribes and Pharisees, the railing thief that suffered with our Saviour: “reprobate silver” the Scripture calleth them; (Jeremiah 6:30) they add rebellion to their sin, (Job 34:37) and to their sinews of iron, brows of brass. (Isaiah 48:4) This is that king Ahaz.] That stigmatical Belialist. There are three men in Scripture that have a special brand or mark of ignominy set upon them: Cain, (Genesis 4:15) Dathan, (Numbers 26:9) and Ahaz here; the reason whereof was, chiefly, the sin of stubbornness.
Ver. 23. Unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him.] So he thought, at least—for they could not smite him (Jeremiah 10:5 1 Corinthians 8:4) -in the same sense as Christ is said to have bought reprobates, (2 Peter 2:1) putative scilicet. And he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria.] That he might not seem to be mad without reason, he had somewhat to say for this absurd practice of his. Therefore I will sacrifice.] God had helped him against “the two tails of those smoking firebrands,” (Isaiah 7:4) yet he could not find in his heart to sacrifice to him. But they were the ruin of him.] So had the gods of Edom been of Amaziah, (2 Chronicles 25:14,15) for a warning to him. So were their senseless idolatries the ruin of the Roman and Greek empires.
Ver. 24. And Ahaz gathered together.] See 2 Kings 16:8. And shut up the doors of the house of the Lord.] As Julian shut up the churches of the Christians. Herein Ahaz was worse than Athaliah; who suffered Jehoiada and the priests to execute their offices in the temple, though herself worshipped idols.
Ver. 25. And in every several city of Judah.] So zealous are idolaters, and busy in digging descents down to hell, and destroying souls; the pseudo-Catholics, for instance.
Ver. 26. And all his ways.] See 2 Chronicles 27:7.
Ver. 27. And Ahaz slept with his fathers.] He died a natural death, though he was so detestable a miscreant. God putteth off the punishment of many wicked wretches till the other world.