7 And Ahaz sendeth messengers unto Tiglath-Pileser king of Asshur, saying, `Thy servant and thy son `am' I; come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.'
8 And Ahaz taketh the silver and the gold that is found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the house of the king, and sendeth to the king of Asshur -- a bribe.
9 And hearken unto him doth the king of Asshur, and the king of Asshur goeth up unto Damascus, and seizeth it, and removeth `the people of' it to Kir, and Rezin he hath put to death.
10 And king Ahaz goeth to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Asshur `at' Damascus, and seeth the altar that `is' in Damascus, and king Ahaz sendeth unto Urijah the priest the likeness of the altar, and its pattern, according to all its work,
11 and Urijah the priest buildeth the altar according to all that king Ahaz hath sent from Damascus; so did Urijah the priest till the coming in of king Ahaz from Damascus.
12 And the king cometh in from Damascus, and the king seeth the altar, and the king draweth near on the altar, and offereth on it,
13 and perfumeth his burnt-offering, and his present, and poureth out his libation, and sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offerings that he hath, on the altar.
14 As to the altar of brass that `is' before Jehovah -- he bringeth `it' near from the front of the house, from between the altar and the house of Jehovah, and putteth it on the side of the altar, northward.
15 And king Ahaz commandeth him -- Urijah the priest -- saying, `On the great altar perfume the burnt-offering of the morning, and the present of the evening, and the burnt-offering of the king, and his present, and the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their present, and their libations; and all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice, on it thou dost sprinkle, and the altar of brass is to me to inquire `by'.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Kings 16
Commentary on 2 Kings 16 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 16
This chapter is wholly taken up with the reign of Ahaz; and we have quite enough of it, unless it were better. He had a good father, and a better son, and yet was himself one of the worst of the kings of Judah.
2Ki 16:1-4
We have here a general character of the reign of Ahaz. Few and evil were his days-few, for he died at thirty-six-evil, for we are here told,
2Ki 16:5-9
Here is,
2Ki 16:10-16
Though Ahaz had himself sacrificed in high places, on hills, and under every green tree (v. 4), yet God's altar had hitherto continued in its place and in use, and the king's burnt-offering and his meat-offering (v. 15) had been offered upon it by the priests that attended it; but here we have it taken away by wicked Ahaz, and another altar, an idolatrous one, put in the room of it-a bolder stroke than the worst of the kings had yet given to religion. We have here,
2Ki 16:17-20
Here is,