8 And the Ammonites H5984 gave H5414 gifts H4503 to Uzziah: H5818 and his name H8034 spread abroad H3212 even to the entering H935 in of Egypt; H4714 for he strengthened H2388 himself exceedingly. H4605
And the younger, H6810 she also bare H3205 a son, H1121 and called H7121 his name H8034 Benammi: H1151 the same is the father H1 of the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 unto this day. H3117
And he smote H5221 Moab, H4124 and measured H4058 them with a line, H2256 casting them down H7901 to the ground; H776 even with two H8147 lines H2256 measured H4058 he to put to death, H4191 and with one full H4393 line H2256 to keep alive. H2421 And so the Moabites H4124 became David's H1732 servants, H5650 and brought H5375 gifts. H4503
Also some of the Philistines H6430 brought H935 Jehoshaphat H3092 presents, H4503 and tribute H4853 silver; H3701 and the Arabians H6163 brought H935 him flocks, H6629 seven H7651 thousand H505 and seven H7651 hundred H3967 rams, H352 and seven H7651 thousand H505 and seven H7651 hundred H3967 he goats. H8495
And I will make of thee H6213 a great H1419 nation, H1471 and I will bless H1288 thee, and make H1431 thy name H8034 great; H1431 and thou shalt be a blessing: H1293
And when thou comest nigh H7126 over against H4136 the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 distress H6696 them not, nor meddle H1624 with them: for I will not give H5414 thee of the land H776 of the children H1121 of Ammon H5983 any possession; H3425 because I have given H5414 it unto the children H1121 of Lot H3876 for a possession. H3425
And said H559 unto him, Thus saith H559 Jephthah, H3316 Israel H3478 took not away H3947 the land H776 of Moab, H4124 nor the land H776 of the children H1121 of Ammon: H5983 But when Israel H3478 came up H5927 from Egypt, H4714 and walked H3212 through the wilderness H4057 unto the Red H5488 sea, H3220 and came H935 to Kadesh; H6946 Then Israel H3478 sent H7971 messengers H4397 unto the king H4428 of Edom, H123 saying, H559 Let me, I pray thee, pass through H5674 thy land: H776 but the king H4428 of Edom H123 would not hearken H8085 thereto. And in like manner they sent H7971 unto the king H4428 of Moab: H4124 but he would H14 not consent: and Israel H3478 abode H3427 in Kadesh. H6946 Then they went along H3212 through the wilderness, H4057 and compassed H5437 the land H776 of Edom, H123 and the land H776 of Moab, H4124 and came H935 by the east side H4217 H8121 of the land H776 of Moab, H4124 and pitched H2583 on the other side H5676 of Arnon, H769 but came H935 not within the border H1366 of Moab: H4124 for Arnon H769 was the border H1366 of Moab. H4124
Then Nahash H5176 the Ammonite H5984 came up, H5927 and encamped H2583 against Jabeshgilead: H3003 H1568 and all the men H582 of Jabesh H3003 said H559 unto Nahash, H5176 Make H3772 a covenant H1285 with us, and we will serve H5647 thee.
It came to pass after this H310 also, that the children H1121 of Moab, H4124 and the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 and with them other beside the Ammonites, H5984 came H935 against Jehoshaphat H3092 to battle. H4421
And G2532 his G846 fame G189 went G565 throughout G1519 all G3650 Syria: G4947 and G2532 they brought G4374 unto him G846 all G3956 sick G2560 people G2192 that were taken with G4912 divers G4164 diseases G3554 and G2532 torments, G931 and G2532 those which were possessed with devils, G1139 and G2532 those which were lunatick, G4583 and G2532 those that had the palsy; G3885 and G2532 he healed G2323 them. G846
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 26
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 26 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The statements as to Uzziah's attainment of dominion, the building of the seaport town Elath on the Red Sea, the length and character of his reign (2 Chronicles 26:1-4), agree entirely with 2 Kings 14:21-22, and 2 Kings 15:2-3; see the commentary on these passages. Uzziah ( עזּיּהוּ ) is called in 1 Chronicles 3:12 and in 2 Kings (generally) Azariah ( עזריה ); cf. on the use of the two names, the commentary on 2 Kings 14:21. - In 2 Chronicles 26:5, instead of the standing formula, “only the high places were not removed,” etc.) Kings), Uzziah's attitude towards the Lord is more exactly defined thus: “He was seeking God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God; and in the days when he sought Jahve, God gave him success.” In לדרשׁ ויהי the infinitive with ל is subordinated to היה , to express the duration of his seeking, for which the participle is elsewhere used. Nothing further is known of the Zechariah here mentioned: the commentators hold him to have been an important prophet; for had he been a priest, or the high priest, probably הכּהן would have been used. The reading האלהים בּראות (Keth.) is surprising. ה המּבין ב can only denote, who had insight into (or understanding for the) seeing of God; cf. Daniel 1:17. But Kimchi's idea, which other old commentators share, that this is a periphrasis to denote the prophetic endowment or activity of the man, is opposed by this, that “the seeing of God” which was granted to the elders of Israel at the making of the covenant, Exodus 24:10, cannot be regarded as a thing within the sphere of human action or practice, while the prophetic beholding in vision is essentially different from the seeing of God, and is, moreover, never so called. בראות would therefore seem to be an orthographical error for ביראת , some MSS having ביראות or ביראת (cf. de Rossi, variae lectt .); and the lxx, Syr., Targ., Arab., Raschi, Kimchi, and others giving the reading בּיראת ה המּבין , who was a teacher (instructor) in the fear of God, in favour of which also Vitringa, proll. in Jes. p. 4, has decided.
Wars, buildings, and army of Uzziah . - Of the successful undertakings by which Uzziah raised the kingdom of Judah to greater worldly power and prosperity, nothing is said in the book of Kings; but the fact itself is placed beyond all doubt, for it is confirmed by the portrayal of the might and greatness of Judah in the prophecies of Isaiah (Isa 2-4), which date from the times of Uzziah and Jotham.
2 Chronicles 26:6
After Uzziah had, in the very beginning of his reign, completed the subjection of the Edomites commenced by his father by the capture and fortification of the seaport Elath (2 Chronicles 26:2), he took the field to chastise the Philistines and Arabians, who had under Joram made an inroad upon Judah and plundered Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 21:16.). In the war against the Philistines he broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod (i.e., after capturing these cities), and built cities in Ashdod, i.e., in the domain of Ashdod, and בּפּלשׁתּים , i.e., in other domains of the Philistines, whence we gather that he had wholly subdued Philistia. The city of Gath had been already taken from the Philistines by David; see 1 Chronicles 18:1; and as to situation, see on 1 Chronicles 11:8. Jabneh, here named for the first time, but probably occurring in Joshua 15:11 under the name Jabneel, is often mentioned under the name Jamnia in the books of the Maccabees and in Josephus. It is now a considerable village, Jebnah, four hours south of Joppa, and one and a half hours from the sea; see on Joshua 15:11. Ashdod is now a village called Esdud; see on Joshua 13:3.
2 Chronicles 26:7
As against the Philistines, so also against the Arabians, who dwelt in Gur-baal, God helped him, and against the Maanites, so that he overcame them and made them tributary. Gur-baal occurs only here, and its position is unknown. According to the Targum, the city Gerar is supposed to be intended; Lxx translate ἐπὶ τῆς Πέτρας , having probably had the capital city of the Edomites, Petra, in their thoughts. The מעוּנים are the inhabitants of Maan; see on 1 Chronicles 4:41.
2 Chronicles 26:8
And the Ammonites also paid him tribute ( מנחה ), and his name spread abroad even to the neighbourhood of Egypt; i.e., in this connection, not merely that his fame spread abroad to that distance, but that the report of his victorious power reached so far, he having extended his rule to near the frontiers of Egypt, for he was exceedingly powerful. החזיק , to show power, as in Daniel 11:7.
2 Chronicles 26:9
In order enduringly to establish the power of his kingdom, he still more strongly fortified Jerusalem by building towers at the gates, and the wall of the citadel. At the corner gate, i.e., at the north-west corner of the city (see on 2 Chronicles 25:23 and 2 Kings 14:13), and at the valley gate, i.e., on the west side, where the Jaffa gate now is. From these sides Jerusalem was most open to attack. המּקצוע , at the corner, i.e., according to Nehemiah 3:19., Nehemiah 3:24., on the east side of Zion, at the place where the wall of Zion crossed over at an angle to the Ophel, and joined itself to the south wall of the temple hill, so that the tower at this corner defended both Zion and the temple hill against attack from the valley to the south-east. ויחזּקם , he made them (there) strong or firm; not, he put them in a condition of defence (Berth.), although the making strong was for that end.
2 Chronicles 26:10
Moreover, Uzziah took measures for the defence of his herds, which formed one main part of his revenues and wealth. He built towers in the wilderness, in the steppe-lands on the west side of the Dead Sea, so well fitted for cattle-breeding (i.e., in the wilderness of Judah), to protect the herds against the attacks of the robber peoples of Edom and Arabia. And he dug many wells to water the cattle; “for he had much cattle” in the wilderness just mentioned, and “in the lowland” ( Shephelah ) on the Mediterranean Sea (see 1 Chronicles 27:28), and “in the plain” ( מישׁור ), i.e., the flat land on the east side of the Dead Sea, extending from Arnon to near Heshbon in the north, and to the northeast as far as Rabbath Ammon (see on Deuteronomy 3:10), i.e., the tribal land of Reuben, which accordingly at that time belonged to Judah. Probably it had been taken from the Israelites by the Moabites and Ammonites, and reconquered from them by Uzziah, and incorporated with his kingdom; for, according to 2 Chronicles 26:8, he had made the Ammonites tributary; cf. on 1 Chronicles 5:17. Husbandmen and vine-dressers had he in the mountains and upon Carmel, for he loved husbandry. After וגו אכּרים , לו היוּ is to be supplied. אדמה , the land, which is cultivated, stands here for agriculture. As to Carmel, see on Joshua 19:26.
His army. He had a host of fighting men that went out to war by bands ( לגדוּד , in bands), “in the number of their muster by Jeiel the scribe, and Maaseiah the steward ( שׁטר ), under Hananiah, one of the king's captains.” The meaning is: that the mustering by which the host was arranged in bands or detachments for war service, was undertaken by ( בּיד ) two officials practised in writing and the making up of lists, who were given as assistants to Hananiah, one of the princes of the kingdom ( יד על ), or placed at his disposal.
2 Chronicles 26:12-13
The total number of the heads of the fathers'-houses in valiant heroes ( לגבּורי with ל of subordination) was 2600, and under these ( ידם על , to their hand, i.e., subordinate to them) an army of 307,500 warriors with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. The army was consequently divided according to the fathers'-houses, so that probably each father's-house formed a detachment ( גּדוּד ) led by the most valiant among them.
2 Chronicles 26:14
Uzziah supplied this force with the necessary weapons-shield, lance, helmet, and coat of mail, bows and sling-stones. להם is more closely defined by לכל .
Besides this, he provided Jerusalem with machines for defence on the towers and battlements. חשּׁבנות from השּׁבון , literally excogitata , i.e., machinae , with the addition “invention of the artificers,” are ingenious machines, and as we learn from the following וגו לירוא , slinging machines, similar or corresponding to the catapultae and ballistae of the Romans, by which arrows were shot and great stones propelled. Thus his name spread far abroad (cf. 2 Chronicles 26:8), for he was marvellously helped till he was strong.
Uzziah's pride, and chastisement by leprosy. His death and burial . - The fact that the Lord smote Uzziah with leprosy, which continued until his death, so that he was compelled to dwell in a hospital, and to allow his son Jotham to conduct the government, is narrated also in 2 Kings 15:5; but the cause of this punishment inflicted on him by God is stated only in our verses.
2 Chronicles 26:16
“When Uzziah had become mighty ( כּחזקתו as in 2 Chronicles 12:1), his heart was lifted up (in pride) unto destructive deeds.” He transgressed against Jahve his God, and came into the sanctuary of Jahve to offer incense upon the altar of incense. With a lofty feeling of his power, Uzziah wished to make himself high priest of his kingdom, like the kings of Egypt and of other nations, whose kings were also summi pontifices , and to unite all power in his person, like Moses, who consecrated Aaron and his sons to be priests. Then. and Ewald, indeed, think that the powerful Uzziah wished merely to restore the high-priesthood exercised by David and Solomon; but though both these kings did indeed arrange and conduct religious festal solemnities, yet they never interfered in any way with the official duties reserved for the priests by the law. The arrangement of a religious solemnity, the dedicatory prayer at the dedication of the temple, and the offering of sacrifices, are not specifically priestly functions, as the service by the altars, and the entering into the holy place of the temple, and other sacrificial acts were.
2 Chronicles 26:17-20
The king's purpose was consequently opposed by the high priest Azariah and eighty priests, valiant men, who had the courage to represent to him that to burn incense to the Lord did not appertain to the king, but only to the sanctified Aaronite priests; but the king, with the censer in his hand, was angry, and the leprosy suddenly broke out upon his forehead. When the priests saw the leprosy, they removed the king immediately from the holy place; and Uzziah himself also hurried to go forth, because Jahve had smitten him; for he recognised in the sudden breaking out of the leprosy a punishment from God. Azariah is called הראשׁ כּהן , i.e., a high priest, and is in all probability the same person as the high priest mentioned in 1 Chronicles 6:10 (see on the passage). לכבוד לך לא , “It (the offering of incense) is not for thine honour before Jahve.” זעף , to foam up in anger. וּבזעפּו , and while he foamed against the priests, i.e., was hot against them, the leprosy had broken out. מעל־למּזבּח , from by = near, the altar. Thus was Uzziah visited with the same punishment, for his haughty disregard of the divinely appointed privileges of the priesthood, as was once inflicted upon Miriam for her rebellion against the prerogatives assigned to Moses by God (Numbers 12:10).
2 Chronicles 26:21
But Uzziah had to bear his punishment until his death, and dwelt the rest of his life in a separate house, while his son conducted the government for him. This is also recorded in 2 Kings 15:5 (cf. for החפשׁית בּית the commentary on that passage). The reason of the separation of the king from intercourse with others, by his dwelling in the hospital, is given in the Chronicle in the words: “for he was cut off (shut out) from the house of Jahve.” This reason can only mean, that because he, as a leper, was shut out from the house of the Lord, he could not live in fellowship with the people of God, but must dwell in a separate house. For the rest, we cannot exactly say how long Uzziah continued to live under the leprosy; but from the fact that his son Jotham, who at Uzziah's death was twenty-five years old, conducted the government for him, so much is clear, viz., that it can only have lasted a year or two.
2 Chronicles 26:22
The history of his reign was written by the prophet Isaiah (see the Introduction).
At his death, Uzziah, having died in leprosy, was not buried in the graves of the kings, but only in the neighbourhood of them, in the burial-field which belonged to the kings, that his body might not defile the royal graves.