2Ki 15:8-30 | Clarke

‏ 2 Kings 15:8-30

Verse 10. Smote him before the people] In some public assembly: he probably became very unpopular.

Verse 12. This was the word of the Lord-unto Jehu] God had promised to Jehu that his sons should sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation; and so it came to pass, for Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam, and Zachariah, succeeded Jehu, to whom this promise was made. But because he executed the Divine purpose with an uncommanded cruelty, therefore God cut his family short, according to his word by Hosea, I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu; and I will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel, Ho 1:4.

Verse 13. He reigned a full month] Menahem is supposed to have been one of Zachariah's generals. Hearing of the death of his master, when he was with the troops at Tirzah, he hastened to Samaria, and slew the murderer, and had himself proclaimed in his stead. But, as the people of Tiphsah did not open their gates to him, he took the place by assault; and as the text tells us, practised the most cruel barbarities, even ripping up the women that were with child!

Verse 19. Pul, the king of Assyria] This is the first time we hear of Assyria since the days of Nimrod, its founder, Ge 10:11.

Dean Prideaux supposes that this Pul was father of the famous Sardanapalus, the son himself being called Sardan; to which, as was frequent in those times, the father's name, Pul, was added, making Sardanpul of which the Greeks and Latins made Sardanapalus; and this Pul is supposed to be the same that reigned in Nineveh when Jonah preached the terrors of the Lord to that city.

That his hand] That is, his power and influence, might be with him: in this sense is the word hand frequently used in Scripture.

Verse 20. Each man fifty shekels of silver] Upwards of five pounds sterling a man.

Verse 21. Are they not written in-the chronicles] There are no chronicles extant, in which there is any thing farther relative to this king.

Verse 25. Smote him in Samaria, in the palace of the king's house, with Argob and Arieh] Who Argob and Arieh were we know not; some make them men, some make them statues. Pekah had fifty Gileadites in the conspiracy with him.

Verse 29. Came Tiglath-pileser] He is supposed to have been the successor of Sardanapalus: Dean Prideaux makes him the same with Arbaces, called by AElian Thilgamus, and by Usher Ninus junior; who, together with Belesis, headed the conspiracy against Sardanapalus, and fixed his seat at Nineveh, the ancient residence of the Assyrian kings; as did Belesis, who is called, in Isa 39:1, Baladan, fix his at Babylon.

Took Ijon] These places belonged to Israel; and were taken by Ben-hadad, king of Syria, when he was in league with Asa, king of Judah. See 1Ki 15:20. They were regained by Jeroboam the second; and now they are taken from Israel once more by Tiglath-pileser. From 1Ch 5:26, we learn that Pul and Tiglath-pileser, kings of Assyria, carried away into captivity the two tribes of Reuben, and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; all that belonged to Israel, on the other side of Jordan. These were never restored to Israel.

Verse 30. Hoshea the son of Elah-in the twentieth year of Jotham] There are many difficulties in the chronology of this place. To reconcile the whole, Calmet says: "Hoshea conspired against Pekah, the twentieth year of the reign of this prince, which was the eighteenth after the beginning of the reign of Jotham, king of Judah. Two years after this, that is, the fourth year of Ahaz, and the twentieth of Jotham, Hoshea made himself master of a part of the kingdom, according to 2Ki 15:30. Finally, the twelfth year of Ahaz, Hoshea had peaceable possession of the whole kingdom, according to 2Ki 17:1."