II Kings 19, Defeat of Assyria

The date is approximately 701 BC. The nation of Israel disappeared into Assyria some twenty year prior and now the Assyrians have surrounded Jerusalem and demanded that King Hezekiah surrender. 

2 Kings 19:1-4, Despair and prayer

When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the point of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives."

In distress, Hezekiah tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and goes into the temple. He sends for the prophet Isaiah. His communication to Isaiah includes a desperate plea. Judah is at a desperate point, like a woman giving birth who has no more strength and may die on the birthing stool, with her unborn child. 

Hezekiah identifies YHWH as Isaiah's God. He repeats to Isaiah that the Assyrian field commander has ridiculed the "living God".

2 Kings 19:5-7, Isaiah speaks

When King Hezekiah's officials came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, `This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard--those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put such a spirit in him that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'"

Isaiah goes to Hezekiah and says, "You will be victorious because the king of Assyria has taunted YHWH and will soon be defeated." It is not good to taunt YHWH!

2 Kings 19:8-13, Withdrawal

When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.

Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king [of Egypt], was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:"Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, `Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena or Ivvah?"

 

The field commander who taunts Jerusalem and YHWH has now to withdraw as the king of Assyria is fighting Libnah. (Lachish is 35-40 miles southwest of Jerusalem; Libnah is a few miles closer to Jerusalem in the same direction.) When the king of Assyria is drawn away to meet the king of Egypt, he still manages to send Hezekiah a final taunt, repeating the earlier claim of victories over all gods.

2 Kings 19:14-19, Prayer of Hezekiah

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.

"It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."

Hezekiah takes the message from the king of Assyria, reads it and then takes it into the temple and spreads it out before the ark and cherubim. He offers a despondent, pleading prayer for escape from Assyria. He identifies YHWH as the Creator, the One in charge of all kingdoms.

2 Kings 19:20-22, Isaiah to Sennacherib

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 

I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. 

This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: 

"`The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you. 

The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses her head as you flee. 

Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? 

Against whom have you raised your voice 

and lifted your eyes in pride? 

Against the Holy One of Israel! 

Isaiah's response is a message to Assyria. Assyria may have defeated the other gods and kingdoms, but this is the land of the one true God. Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion, laughs at the taunts of the macho king of Assyria. She tosses her head in contempt. The virgin city will not be possessed by the impotent king. The mockery is clear.

2 Kings 19:23-24, Isaiah to Sennacherib

By your messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said, 

"With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains,

the utmost heights of Lebanon. 

I have cut down its tallest cedars, 

the choicest of its pines.

 I have reached its remotest parts, 

the finest of its forests. 

I have dug wells in foreign lands 

and drunk the water there. 

With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt."

Isaiah repeats Assyria's boasts. The king of Assyria claims to has conquered the highest mountains, the remotest parts of the forests, to have dug wells in foreign lands and dried up the streams of Egypt. But these are empty boasts before the One who really did divide the waters of Egypt at the Red Sea.

2 Kings 19:25-26, Have you not heard?

"`Have you not heard? 

Long ago I ordained it. 

In days of old I planned it; 

now I have brought it to pass, 

that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone. 

Their people, drained of power, 

are dismayed and put to shame. 

They are like plants in the field, 

like tender green shoots, 

like grass sprouting on the roof, 

scorched before it grows up.

YHWH warns Assyria that everything they have done has been part of His plan. They tore down fortified cities, drained people of power. But...

2 Kings 19:27-28, Your insolence has reached my ears

"`But I know where you stay 

and when you come and go 

and how you rage against me. 

Because you rage against me 

and your insolence has reached my ears, 

I will put my hook in your nose 

and my bit in your mouth, 

and I will make you return by the way you came.' 

YHWH's message to Assyria, given through Isaiah, is that He has planned long ago the coming destruction of Assyriah. The Assyrian insolence will be met. Indeed, Assyria will receive the treatment it gives to its captives, a hook through the nose, a bit in the mouth (like a horse) so that every turn they make is the turn YHWH directs.

2 Kings 19:29-31, Three years to sow and reap

"This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: 

"This year you will eat what grows by itself, 

and the second year what springs from that. 

But in the third year sow and reap,

 plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 

Once more a remnant of the house of Judah 

will take root below and bear fruit above. 

For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, 

and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. 

The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

While the Assyrians are being defeated, the people of Judah will be able to plant vineyards and reap from them.  A band of people will survive the threats of Assyria.

2 Kings 19:32-34, YHWH will defend Jerusalem

"Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria: 

"He will not enter this city 

or shoot an arrow here. 

He will not come before it with shield 

or build a siege ramp against it. 

By the way that he came he will return; 

he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. 

I will defend this city and save it, 

for my sake and for the sake of David my servant."

Assyria will not be allowed to return and conquer Jerusalem.

2 Kings 19:35-37, Angel of YHWH devastates the army of Assyria

That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning--there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.

Sennacherib will not enter the city of Jerusalem. Thousands of Assyrian soldiers are killed and Assyria withdraws. Later Sennacherib is assassinated by two of his sons and a third son, Esarhaddon, becomes king of Assyria. So much for the taunts of Sennacherib!

There are parallel passages, with additional information on this seige and the downfall of Sennacherib, in 2 Chronicles 32:1-23  and Isaiah 36-37. A Biblical Archaeology Society article has more on the assassination of Sennacherib here.

We now have considerable archaeological material from the seventh century BC, much of it from Assyrian and Babylonian sources. The Taylor Prism (also called Sennacherib's Annals) is a clay hexagonal block that boasts of Sennacherib's exploits, including his siege of Jerusalem.

First published December 29, 2023, updated November 10, 2026

II Kings 18, Judah Under Siege

Israel is no more. It has been absorbed by Assytia. However, the southern kingdom survives. But Assyria continues to grow in power and will shortly turn its eye on Judah.

2 Kings 18:1-8, Hezekiah, a good king

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah.

He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
 

Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

Hezekiah takes the throne in Judah and desires to return to the worship of YHWH, as described by Moses. One of the things the Israelites had been worshiping was a bronze replica of a serpent, presumably the replica Moses held up in the desert in Numbers 21:8-9. 

The idol is given a name, Nehushtan. The NIV footnotes claim that Nehushtan (נְחֻשְׁתָּן) sounds like the Hebrew for "bronze and snake and unclean thing". The phrase translated "bronze snake" has alliteration: nachash nechosheth (נָחָשׁ נְחשֶׁת).

2 Kings 18:9-12, Capture of Israel by Shalmaneser

In King Hezekiah's fourth year, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah's sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.

This happened because they had not obeyed the LORD their God, but had violated his covenant--all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.

Incidences of the previous chapter on Israel are summarized. Shalmaneser may turn on Judah next.

Hubbard argues that the dates of Hezekiah's reign do not line up with computations based on the Assyrian attack (next verse) which occurred in 701 BC and the date of Hoshea's reign. It is likely (says Hubbard) that we have scribal errors in the writing down of the numbers. Or that the method of recording dates has changed. (This issue also occurs in verse 1 of the previous chapter.)

2 Kings 18:13-16, Ransom

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me." The king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At this time Hezekiah king of Judah stripped off the gold with which he had covered the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Seven years after capturing Israel, Assyria attacks Judah. This time the king of Assyria is listed as Sennacherib. In between Shalmaneser and Sennacherib is Sargon, who historians say reigned 17 years.  (So there seems to be discrepancy in the timeline here?)

To appease Sennacherib, Hezekiah empties the temple treasury and gives all to the Assyrian king.

2 Kings 18:17-21, Challenge from Assyria

The king of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came up to Jerusalem and stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Washerman's Field. They called for the king; and Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to them.

The field commander said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: `This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have strategy and military strength--but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.'
 

The Assyrians don't seem to be mollified by the ransom paid by Hezekiah. They may believe that there are more riches to be found in Jerusalem!

As has happened elsewhere, when an enemy king surrounds a city, he makes various demands, challenges and taunts. The Assyrians want Hezekiah to know he should not rely on Egypt. Egypt is described no more powerful than a splintered reed, which might cut one's hand if one leans on it, but is essentially useless. The field commander's taunt about Egypt is to make it clear that relying on Egypt will merely get one's hand full of slivers.

2 Kings 18:22-25, YHWH also taunted

And if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"--isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem"?

"`Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses--if you can put riders on them! How can you repulse one officer of the least of my master's officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.'"

The taunts continue. The Assyrian commander is aware of Hezekiah's removal of the altars in the high places, moving all worship back to Jerusalem. If Hezekiah is relying on that god, Sennacherib says, that is also foolish! That god, YHWH, will not protect Jerusalem! (Spoiler alert: taunting Egypt is one thing. Taunting YHWH, who led Israel out of Egypt, is quite another!)

2 Kings 18:26-27, Request for Aramaic

Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, "Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall."

But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall--who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?"
 

The taunts of the Assyrian commander are part of a ploy to weaken the people of Jerusalem and get them to give in without a fight. The commanders of Judah want the conversation to be in Aramaic, the language of diplomacy, not Hebrew, the language of the people. The Judean leaders are indeed concerned about low morale among the populace.

2 Kings 18:28-35, Taunts in Hebrew

Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew: "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand. Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, `The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

"Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Choose life and not death! 

"Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, `The LORD will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"

The Assyrian commander continues to taunt Hezekiah in Hebrew. He offers two choices -- surrender and receive peace (and eventual exile to a prosperous land) or fight and die. In the taunt the Assyrian says, "No one has been able to defeat us." (This is the taunt of every empire builder after a string of victories, whether Napolean or Hitler or the Assyrian king. But a string of victories does not go on forever.) In these ancient taunts, the gods of defeated tribes are named.

Hubbard argues the promises of the Assyrian commander echo that of YHWH to Israel in Deuteronomy 8:7-9.

2 Kings 18:36-37, Silence

But the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, "Do not answer him." Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah, with their clothes torn, and told him what the field commander had said.

Hezekiah has ordered silence from the people and the Judean commanders report to him all that the Assyrians had said. The king of Assyria, in his taunts, has set up a battle between Assyria and YHWH. The resolution of that fight occurs in the next chapter.

First published December 28, 2023, updated November 9, 2026

The Elephantine Fortress and Its Documents

Outside the Old Testament there are a few ancient documents that give us insight into the divided kingdom and the conflicts between Israel/Judah with Assyria/Babylon. The Elephantine papyri were discovered in an island in the Nile River in the 19th Century and include material from Jewish refugees of the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions.

Around the middle of the seventh century BC, probably during the reign of King Manasseh of Judah, after the downfall of the northern kingdom, Jewish refugees settled near Aswan in Upper Egypt. For more than two centuries there was a Jewish community there on Elephantine Island in the Nile. Soldiers were stationed there during the Archaemenid (First Persian) Empire in the fifth century BC and in 419 BC, Jewish soldiers apparently received instructions on celebrating Passover there. 

Archaeologists have uncovered numerous papyri and pieces of pottery from that site. Since these documents date back to at least the fifth century BC, they give significant insight into the culture of the day, including the religious practices of the Jewish community there.

There was, for a time, a small Jewish temple at Elephantine and Jews there corresponded with priests in Jerusalem. In the various correspondence found at Elephantine are a number of names that appear in the Old Testament. Jehohanan (Johanan) is described in the correspondence as a high priest in Jerusalem; that name appears in Nehemiah 12:22-23. A certain Sanballat is described as governor of Samaria; it is likely that Sanballat is the same governor of Samaria who so strongly opposed the work of Nehemiah. (See, for example Nehemiah 2:10.) Jehohanan was apparently a fairly common Jewish name so scholars debate whether the Levite Jehohanan in Nehemiah is the same individual addressed as high priest in an Elephantine document. But Sanballat is an unusual name and many scholars agree that the Sanballat of the Elephantine correspondence is the Sanballat of Nehemiah.

Also appearing in the Elephantine correspondence regarding Jehohana is an individual named Anani, a name that also shows up in 1 Chronicles 3:24. The name Abednego (given to a companion of Daniel's in Babylon, Daniel 1: 67), meaning "Servant of (the god) Nego," also appears. This name was probably a relatively common name in that culture. Scholars do not believe this is Daniel's friend.

One piece of correspondence regarding Jewish worship at Elephantine was a request sent to a certain Begoas, governor of Judah. The request involved rebuilding a Jewish temple previously constructed at Elephantine. Jewish worship at Elephantine apparently did not fit the orthodox worship required by the Mosaic Covenant. The worship rituals were apparently quite different and the very existence of a Jewish temple at Elephantine was contrary to the Mosaic emphasis on a single common worship place for Israel. There are different explanations as to why this difference might have occurred; some have suggested that the books of Moses were not written until after this time. But an alternative explanation for the rituals at Elephantine could be explained by the apostasy of King Manasseh. Even in the temple in Jerusalem, during the intense idolatry of Manasseh's reign, YHWH was not worshiped. It would not be surprising that refugees, fleeing the advancing Assyrian armies, would not have worshiped YHWH either. Indeed Jeremiah 44 has a message to refugees in Egypt who have ignored the covenant.

Sources

Here are a number of online links related to the documents at Elephantine.

• An online article, Elephantine Papyrus: Proving the book of Nehemiah
• An online article, Two Temples in Egypt, from the Seforim blog. 
• The Jewish Temple at Elephantine, by John Merlin Powis Smith, an article in .pdf
• A Wikipedia page on Jehohanan.
• A Gospel Coalition page on the arrangement of Ezra and Nehemiah in the light of external sources.

First published December 24, 2023; updated October 18, 2026

II Kings 17, The End of Israel

Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria sits on the doorstep of Israel and Judah, already having conquered parts of Israel.

2 Kings 17:1-4, Traitor

In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.

Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up to attack Hoshea, who had been Shalmaneser's vassal and had paid him tribute. But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.

Shalmaneser discovers that Hoshea of Israel has been looking to Egypt for an alliance and so Hoshea is attacked, captured and imprisoned.

Hubbard says that there are issues with the dates of Hoshea's reign, issues that are not easily resolved and may be due to scribal error such as writing '12' in place of another number. This issue persists into chapter 18.

2 Kings 17:5-6, Invasion by Assyria

The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes. 

Finally, after three years, Israel is overwhelmed. The Assyrian practice was to resettle captive people, mixing them into various regions, breaking up any alliances they might attempt to make. The Israelites are deported to a number of towns (in the upper Tigris-Euphrates valley, says Hubbard); later other conquered peoples will be moved into Samaria to replace the Israelites.

2 Kings 17:7-8, Explanation

All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced.

 

The destruction of Israel, says the writer, came about because long ago they had turned away from YHWH, Who had brought them out of Egypt many centuries before. Hubbard argues that verses 7 to 23 here are the climax of the scroll of Kings and form the primary message of this book, written for Jews in the later exile or afterwards.

2 Kings 17:9-13, From watchtower to fortified city

The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger. They worshiped idols, though the LORD had said, "You shall not do this."

 

The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."
 

From "watchtower to fortified city", the Israelites eagerly put up idols to all sorts of gods, despite the past warnings. With a stubborn regularity, they violated the Second Commandment.

2 Kings 17:14-17, Becoming worthless

But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the LORD had forbidden them to do.

They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
 

Worshiping worthless idols leads one to worthlessness. The Israelites absorbed every aspect of the culture around them.

2 Kings 17:18-23, Thrust from the presence of God

So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. They followed the practices Israel had introduced. 

Therefore the LORD rejected all the people of Israel; he afflicted them and gave them into the hands of plunderers, until he thrust them from his presence.

When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there.

The past of Israel is summarized here. The exile to Assyria is explained by the centuries of idolatry of Israel.

If verses 7-23 form the main message of Kings, verse 20, the middle paragraph above, is the climax of that passage.

2 Kings 17:24-28, Assyrian deportations

The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.  When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.

It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."

 

Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
 

As standard operating procedures, the Assyrians bring other people into Samaria while the Israelites are moved elsewhere. Yet when lions attack the new residents, the leaders see this as punishment from the local gods and so they seek a few Israelites to teach them about the Israelite gods.

2 Kings 17:29-31, Other groups, other gods

Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.

New people bring with them new gods. The author of our book lists the various foreign gods brought into Samaria.

2 Kings 17:32-33, Worshiping YHWH and other gods

They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

In the mixture of people groups we see an adaptation of pantheons, with YHWH thrown into the mix. Some people worship YHWH, but only as a local god, far different, far weaker, than the YHWH of Moses! The author of 1 & 2 Kings says that this idolatry persists to "today".

2 Kings 17:35-41, Persistent idolatry

When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: "Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.

You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."

They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

Despite the warning of Moses and prophets (briefly repeated here), despite the examples from the Exodus, the descendants of Jacob persisted in idolatry, an idolatry which continues (says the writer.)

First published December 27, 2023, updated November 7, 2026

II Kings 16, Ahaz of Judah

The date is about 740 BC. The nation of Israel will end, forever, in 722 BC. The coming darkness is visible here -- Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria sits on the doorstep of Israel and Judah, already having conquered parts of Israel. 

2 Kings 16:1-6, Ahaz king of Judah

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.

He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.

Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.

Ahaz becomes king of the southern kingdom. But Ahaz is a detestable king, not following YHWH and even sacrificing his son, possibly to the god Molech.

Aram/Syria joins forces with Israel/Samaria. Since a major tribe in Israel is that of Ephraim, the battle described here is known as the Syro-Ephraimite War. King Pekah of Israel joins forces with Aram to attack Judah. Although Judah is badly beaten, they will (in the next part of this chapter) seek an alliance with growing Assyria, to balance the power in the region. The prophet Isaiah speaks to this period in Isaiah 7:1-15, a famous messianic passage we will look at later.)

The town of Elath, at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, has changed hands several times, most recently being restored by Ahaz's grandfather, Uzziah (2 Kings 14:22.)

The Hebrew word translated "men of Judah" in verse 6 is Yehudi (יְהוּדִי.) It will sometimes be translated "Judeans" and often "Jews." It is the first place in the Old Testament where the Hebrews are called "Jews".

2 Kings 16:7-11, Ahaz appeals to Assyria

Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, "I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me." And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.

The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death. Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. 

He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned.

Ahaz appeals to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria to aid him against Israel and Aram/Damascus. Uriah, a priest, is sent a drawing of an altar that appears in Damascus and builds one like it in Judah. This new alliance with Assyria brings more idolatry to Judah and also helps the next regional bully grow in power.

2 Kings 16:12-16, Two altars

When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it. He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar. The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple--from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD--and put it on the north side of the new altar.

King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."

And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

Ahaz now sets up two altars. The new altar, apparently larger, is for the morning and evening offerings while the original bronze altar is for "seeking guidance." (This phrase is unclear -- it could mean divination, which was forbidden by the Mosaic Law. Or it could be something similar to the use of Urim/Thummim seen in the times of Joshua and David.)

2 Kings 16:17-20, More alterations

King Ahaz took away the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria.

As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

Ahaz makes considerable changes to the movable wash basins and the Sea in Solomon's temple. The Sabbath canopy is unknown -- it is suggested that this was a canopy for the king during Sabbath rituals. It is possible that some of these items (such as the bronze bulls supporting the Sea of Solomon) were given to Assyria as tribute.

First published December 26, 2023, updated November 6, 2026

II Kings 15, Assassinations

Jeroboam II is the king of Israel and Amaziah has been king of Judah. The date is around 760 BC.

2 Kings 15:1-7, Azariah and Jotham

In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
 

The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.  The LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, and he lived in a separate house. Jotham the king's son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

 As for the other events of Azariah's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in the City of David. And Jotham his son succeeded him as king.

Azariah's reign in Judah is marked by a skin condition called "leprosy" and he has to reign in seclusion. His son, Jotham, is effectively king. (This is probably an example of a co-regency.) Jotham then takes over officially upon the death of his father.

2 Kings 15:8-12, Zechariah, then Shallum in Israel

In the thirty-eighth year of Azariah king of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned six months. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He attacked him in front of the people, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

The other events of Zechariah's reign are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

So the word of the LORD spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: "Your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation."
 

Zechariah only last six months before he is assassinated and Shallum becomes king. This ends the dynasty of Jehu, a dynasty of about 80 years, with kings Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II and Zechariah, four generations. The prophecy about Jehu's descendants is from 2 Kings 10:30.

2 Kings 15:13-16, Shallum

Shallum son of Jabesh became king in the thirty-ninth year of Uzziah king of Judah, and he reigned in Samaria one month. Then Menahem son of Gadi went from Tirzah up to Samaria. He attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, assassinated him and succeeded him as king.

The other events of Shallum's reign, and the conspiracy he led, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.  At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.

If six months is a short reign for Zechariah, Shallum only lasts one month, killed by Menahem. 

Menahem's reign seems to be especially brutal. He comes out of Tirzah, in Manasseh, the site of the northern capital for about 35 years (about 910 BC to about 875 BC) during the reigns of Baasha to Omri. He destroys Tiphsah and is especially noted for his massacre of pregnant women.

2 Kings 15:17-22, Menahem

In the thirty-ninth year of Azariah king of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years.

He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. During his entire reign he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave him a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and strengthen his own hold on the kingdom. Menahem exacted this money from Israel. Every wealthy man had to contribute fifty shekels of silver to be given to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and stayed in the land no longer.

As for the other events of Menahem's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Menahem rested with his fathers. And Pekahiah his son succeeded him as king.

Like the kings of Israel before him, Menahem continues "the sins of Jeroboam", that is, promoting the worship of idols (see 1 Kings 14:7-9.) Menahem keeps the throne (despite apparent internal turmoil) by heavily taxing the wealthy and using that money to bribe the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria, identified as Pul here, is Tiglath-Pileser III.

2 Kings 15:23-26, Pekahiah

In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

One of his chief officers, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him. Taking fifty men of Gilead with him, he assassinated Pekahiah, along with Argob and Arieh, in the citadel of the royal palace at Samaria. So Pekah killed Pekahiah and succeeded him as king.

The other events of Pekahiah's reign, and all he did, are written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel.

 

Pekahiah only last two years before he too is assassinated. This chaos, the quick rotation of dynasties, represents the approaching end of Israel.

2 Kings 15:27-31, Pekah

In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.

Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then succeeded him as king in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

As for the other events of Pekah's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

After twenty years, Pekah is assassinated by Hoshea. Meanwhile, Assyria has taken considerable land from Israel and deported many of the inhabitants. We will read more about this in the next chapter.

Assyria is north of Babylon and is an empire from the 14th to 7th century BC. The Neo-Assyrian empire has been expanding and, at this time, will shortly control the middle east. (See the map below, where Assyria in dark green in 824 BC grows into a much large kingdom, light green, by 671 BC.) Hoshea's reign begins around 732 BC and he will be the last king of Israel.

(This map is from the Wikipedia page on the Neo-Assyrian empire and is in the public domain.)

2 Kings 15:32-38, Jotham in Judah

In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother's name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple of the LORD.

As for the other events of Jotham's reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? (In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)

Jotham rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David, the city of his father. And Ahaz his son succeeded him as king.

 
Jotham, son of Uzziah takes the throne in Judah and reigns sixteen years. He, like his father before him, is mostly good, but allows the people to worship on the hilltops. He is succeeded by Ahaz.

First published December 25, 2023, updated November 5, 2026

II Kings 14, Amaziah, A Mere Thistle

Amaziah has become king of Judah after the assassination of his father. The date is about 800 BC. 

2 Kings 14:1-5, Amaziah

In the second year of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Jehoaddin; she was from Jerusalem.

He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.

Amaziah, son of Joash, is "fairly good" but still lets people worship their idols on the high places.

2 Kings 14:5-6, Assassins executed

After the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, he executed the officials who had murdered his father the king.

 

Yet he did not put the sons of the assassins to death, in accordance with what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses where the LORD commanded: "Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sins."

 

Once Amaziah is in power, he retaliates against the officials who killed his father. Amaziah executes the assassins but not their children. He follows the commandment in Deuteronomy 24:16. 

2 Kings 14:7-10, Challenge to Israel

He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.

Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, with the challenge: "Come, meet me face to face."

But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: "A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, `Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot. You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?"
 

Amaziah wins a battle against the Edomites. He then arrogantly challenges the king of Israel/Samaria but Jehoash refuses to come out to battle with Amaziah. Jehoash correctly accuses Amaziah of being overconfident.

The biblicalarchaeology.org website has an online article on Sela and the defeat of Edom there.

2 Kings 14:11-14, Israel defeats Judah

Amaziah, however, would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel attacked. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. Judah was routed by Israel, and every man fled to his home.
 

Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate--a section about six hundred feet long. He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. He also took hostages and returned to Samaria.

When overconfident Amaziah attacks the northern kingdom, Jehoash of Israel routs Judah at Beth Shemesh (about 18 miles west of Jerusalem) and captures Amaziah. Jehoash then goes on to Jerusalem and breaks down much of the city wall. (Hubbards says that the identification of the two gates is unknown.) Jehoash then takes hostages and returns back north. Hubbard suggests one of the hostages was Amaziah; there is now some obscurity in the remaining details of Amaziah's life.

A parallel passage to this chapter is 2 Chronicles 25. That chapter provides additional details.

The phrase translated here "six hundred feet long" is literally "four hundred cubits".

2 Kings 14:15-16, Death of Jehoash

As for the other events of the reign of Jehoash, what he did and his achievements, including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Jehoash rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And Jeroboam his son succeeded him as king.

 

Jehoash "rested with his fathers", as did the kings before him. The next king of Israel is Jeroboam II, presumably named after the first Jeroboam.

2 Kings 14:17-20, Killed in Lachish

Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel. As for the other events of Amaziah's reign, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

They conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. He was brought back by horse and was buried in Jerusalem with his fathers, in the City of David.

We don't hear how Amaziah was freed from Israel. Hubbard points out that the usual formation "king X reigned for n years" is replaced by "king Amaziah lived for 15 years", as if he did not reign during that time. Was he still a hostage?

Eventually Amaziah king of Judah is killed by others, presumably in his court, just like his father was.

Lachish was a major fortified city about twenty-five miles southwest of Jerusalem. In 2 Kings 18:13-16, there will be a battle there.

2 Kings 14:21-22, Azariah/Uzziah

Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. He was the one who rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah after Amaziah rested with his fathers.

Azariah, the son of Amaziah, replaces his father on the throne. Hubbard suggests that the strange phrasing -- that the people put Azariah on the throne -- reflects Amaziah's political impotence. Hubbard suggests that Azariah was put on the throne while Amaziah was still alive, possibly a hostage of Israel.

Azariah is also recorded as Uzziah. Uzziah will have one of the longest reigns of Judean kings.

The town of Elath is at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, giving access to the Red Sea.

2 Kings 14:23-27, Jeroboam II

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.

The LORD had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the LORD had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

Jeroboam, described as evil like his father, Jehoash, reigns for forty-one years. One advantage of a long reign is that he is able to restore some of the lost boundaries of Israel. Even though Jeroboam was not a good king, YHWH had pity on the people of Israel and restored some of their land.

The prophet Jonah, who has his own story in the Old Testament, speaks out during the reign of Jeroboam II.

2 Kings 14:28-29, Summary of Jeroboam II

As for the other events of Jeroboam's reign, all he did, and his military achievements, including how he recovered for Israel both Damascus and Hamath, which had belonged to Yaudi, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?

Jeroboam rested with his fathers, the kings of Israel. And Zechariah his son succeeded him as king.

Jeroboam is again noted for recovering some land from surrounding countries, Damascus and Hamath, both important cities to the north and east of Israel.

Yaudi is a variant of Judah.

First published December 23, 2023, updated November 4, 2026