Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII.
Verſ. 1. IN the twelfth yeare of Ahaz king of Judah, began Hoſhea the ſonne of Elah to reigne, &c.] It is manifeſt that Hoſhea the laſt king of Iſrael, ſlew Pekah in the twentieth yeare of Jotham, and that then he aſſumed to himſelf the title of king of Iſrael, chap. 15.30. And Hoſhea the ſonne of Elah made a conſpiracie against Pekah the ſonne of Remaliah, and ſlew him in the twentieth yeare of Jotham the ſonne of Uzziah: and as manifeſt it is, that the yeare which is there called the twentieth of Jotham, was the fourth of Ahaz his ſonne (for Jotham reigned but ſixteen years, chap. 15.33. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reigne, and he reigned ſixteen years in Jeruſalem. Now if Hoſhea ſucceeded Pekah in the kingdome of Iſrael, in the fourth yeare of Ahaz, how is it here ſaid that he began to reigne in Samaria in the twelfth yeare of Ahaz; ſurely, becauſe though he thruſt himſelf into the kingdome, yet he was not acknowledged king, but oppoſed as an uſurper; and that perhaps not onelyonly by the Iſraelites, but alſo by the king of Aſſyria, who in the latter end of Pekahs reigne, had (upon the perſwaſion of Ahaz) entred into the land of Iſrael, and ſeized upon a great part of the kingdome, chap. 15.29. and thus the kingdome of Iſrael was in a manner unſettled, untill the twelfth yeare of Ahaz his reigne, when either by the people, or by the Aſſyrian king, Hoſhea had, it ſeems, the crown of Iſrael confirmed to him; and ſo he reigned, as it is ſaid here, nine years: for after the twelfth yeare of Ahaz his reigne (which muſt not be reckoned, becauſe it was well nigh ended ere Hoſhea was eſtabliſhed king) there are foure years of Ahaz his reigne remaining (for he reigned ſixteen years, chap. 16.2.) and five years of Hezekiahs reigne, which makes nine years. Indeed chap. 18.1. it is ſaid, Hezekiah began to reigne in the third yeare of Hoſhea: but of that ſee the note there.
Verſ. 2. And he did that which was evil in the ſight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Iſrael that were before him.] To wit, becauſe though he continued the idolatry of Jeroboam, yet he abandoned the groſſer idolatries of many kings that had been before him; and then beſides he ſuffered ſuch of his ſubjects as would, to go up to worſhip in the Temple of Jeruſalem, which the former kings of Iſrael would not permit: this we find, 2. Chron. 30.11. &c. where it is ſaid, that when Hezekiah had proclaimed a ſolemne paſſeover, many of the ten tribes went up to keep the paſſeover in Jeruſalem.
Verſ. 3. Againſt him came up Shalmaneſer king of Aſſyria, &c.] When Hoſhea had ſlain Pekah in the fourth yeare of Ahaz, as is before noted, he found not ſo ready admittance into his throne, as perhaps he expected; and whileſt the people were in this combuſtion amongſt themſelves, Shalmaneſer (called by others Nabonaſſar) the ſonne of Tiglath-pilezer, being either deſired to come into the aid of that party that oppoſed Hoſhea; or being of himſelf ready enough to take advantage of theſe civil broils, that he might wholly ſubdue that kingdome which his father had already in a great part ruined; he came up againſt Hoſhea, and at length prevailed ſo farre, that Hoſhea was content to become his ſervant, and to pay him tribute: and ſo was ſettled in the throne of Iſrael, which was (as is probable) in the twelfth yeare of Ahaz, as is above noted, verſ. 1.
Verſ. 4. And the king of Aſſyria found conſpiracie in Hoſhea, &c.] That is, Shalmaneſer the Aſſyrian king, diſcovered that Hoſhea had practiſed with So king of Egypt, to wit, that Hoſhea ſhould caſt off the yoke of the Aſſyrian king, and that he ſhould be ſupported herein with ſuccour from Egypt; and this he firſt ſuſpected, by hearing that Hoſhea had ſent ambaſſadours to the king of Egypt, and then was confirmed in his ſuſpicion, when he found that Hoſhea neglected to pay the tribute, which formerly he had yearely paid: this So is thought to be the ſame that by other Hiſtorians is called Sua or Sabucus the Ethiopian, becauſe in Ethiopia he had his education: the encroaching power of the Aſſyrian might be well terrible to Egyp… at this time, and therefore it is no wonder though he animated Hoſhea againſt the Aſſyrian: the wonder onelyonly would be, that in a matter that ſo nearly concerned him, he ſhould afford no more ſuccour to the king of Iſrael: but that it is true indeed, that though this be not here expreſſed, yet perhaps he might afford him ſuccour, however they proved too weak to ſupport him againſt the overbearing power of the Aſſyrian Monarch.
Therefore the king of Aſſyria ſhut him up, and bound him in priſon.] To wit, when he had taken Samaria, as is afterwards related, verſ. 6.
Verſ. 5. Then the king of Aſſyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and beſieged it three years.] To wit, in the ſeventh, eighth, and ninth yeare of Hoſhea, which was the fourth, fifth, and ſixth of Hezekiah king of Judah, chap. 18.9, 10. And it came to paſſe in the fourth yeare of Hezekiah king of Judah (which was the ſeventh yeare of Hoſhea ſonne of Elah king of Iſrael) that Shalmaneſer king of Aſſyria came up againſt Samaria, and beſieged it. And at the end of three years they took it, even in the ſixth yeare of Hezekiah (that is the ninth yeare of Hoſhea king of Iſrael) Samaria was taken.
Verſ. 6. In the ninth yeare of Hoſhea, the king of Aſſyria took Samaria, and carried Iſrael away into Aſſyria, &c.] And ſo now all the reſt of the ten tribes were carried away captives, from which they never returned again, and the kingdome of Iſrael was utterly ruined, having continued from Jeroboam their firſt king about two hundred threeſcore and two years.
Verſ. 9. And the children of Iſrael did ſecretly thoſe things that were not right, &c.] The idolatry of Iſrael was open and publick; but yet becauſe they covered over this their idolatry and ſuperſtition with pretences of worſhiping the onelyonly true God, the God of Iſrael; therefore it is ſaid, they did ſecretly, or covertly, thoſe things that were not right; and beſides there were many private idolatries and impieties practiſed amongſt them, beſides what were allowed or enjoyned by publick authority, to which theſe words may alſo have relation, according to that, Ezek. 8.12. Sonne of man, Hast thou ſeen what the ancients of the houſe of Iſrael do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? &c.
And they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of watchmen to the fenced city.] That is, in all places; not onelyonly in their cities, but alſo in the moſt ſolitary and unfrequented places; there was not ſo much as a tower built, where watchmen were appointed to be for the guarding of the caſtle, or for the defence of the countrey, but there they had their idols, and their high places to worſhip their idols in.
Verſ. 13. Yet the Lord teſtified againſt Iſrael, and againſt Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the ſeers.] That is, by all his meſſengers whom he ſent to them, to whom he made known his will, partly by divine revelations, partly by viſions.
Verſ. 15. And they followed vanity, and became vain, &c.] That is, they followed idols, and did that which argued moſt groſſe folly and weakneſſe, according to that Pſalm. 115.8. They that make them are like unto them, ſo is every one that trusteth in them.
Verſ. 17. And ſold themſelves to do evil, &c.] See the note 1. Kings 21.20.
Verſ. 18. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Iſrael, and removed them out of his ſight, &c.] That is, he caſt them out of the land, which he had choſen for the habitation of his people, and where he had placed the ſacred ſignes of his preſence among them: whereupon it followes, that there was none left but the tribe of Judah onelyonly: for the tribe of Benjamin, ſince the revolt of the ten tribes, was incorporated, as it were, with the tribe of Judah, as one people; and ſo were reckoned as one tribe together with them. See the note, 1. Kings 11.13.
Verſ. 19. Alſo Judah kept not the commandements of the Lord their God. &c.] This is added as a ſecond cauſe why the Lord brought this heavie judgement upon the Iſraelites; to wit, becauſe the kingdome of Judah was by their example corrupted and tainted with the ſame ſinnes, whereby God was ſtill the more offended: Hoſea 4.15. Though thou Iſrael play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend, &c. and it may alſo be inſerted as an aggravation of Judahs ſinne, who would not be warned by the puniſhment that was inflicted on the Iſraelites, according to that Jer. 3.8. when for all the cauſes whereby back-ſliding Iſrael committed adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce, yet her treacherous ſiſter Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot alſo.
Verſ. 20. And the Lord rejected all the ſeed of Iſrael, &c.] That is, all of the kingdome of the ten tribes, as is plainly implyed in the former verſes: and indeed though they of Judah were afterward carried away captives alſo, yet God did never reject and caſt them off, as he did thoſe of the ten tribes: for within a few years he brought them again into their own land.
Verſ. 24. And the king of Aſſyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, &c.] To wit, Shalmaneſer, verſ. 3. other colonies were alſo afterwards brought thither by Eſar-haddon the ſonne of Sennacherib, Ezra 4.2. We ſeek your God as yee do, and we do ſacrifice unto him, ſince the dayes of Eſar-haddon king of Aſhur, which brought us up hither: but doubtleſſe the firſt colonies of theſe heathen people were brought up thither by Shalmaneſer, who now carried away the Iſraelites captives, and tranſplanted other nations in their room, and theſe were they that after this time were called Samaritans, verſ. 29. betwixt whom and the Jewes there was alwayes a moſt deadly hatred, Luke 9.52. And they ſent meſſengers before his face, and they went and entred into a village of the Samaritanes, to make ready for him, And they did not receive him, becauſe his face was as though he would go to Jeruſalem. John 4.9. Then ſaith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew, askeſt drink of me which am a woman of Samaria: for the Jewes have no dealings with the Samaritanes.
Verſ. 25. And ſo it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord &c.] They ſerved him not, no not ſo much as with performing thoſe outward duties of his worſhip and ſervice, which he had enjoyned the Iſraelites.
Verſ. 26. Wherefore they ſpake to the king of Aſſyria, &c.] To wit, by thoſe meſſengers, whom with this meſſage they had ſent to him. See verſ. 27.
Verſ. 27. Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence, and let them go and dwell there, &c.] That is, let the meſſengers that are come to inform us, how the lions have devoured our new plantation in Samaria; go back with the prieſt that is aſſigned to go with them, and dwell there again as formerly; yet ſome underſtand theſe words, and let them go and dwell there, of a new plantation that were to be ſent thither, in ſtead of thoſe that were devoured by the lions; which was happely that which went in the dayes of Eſar-haddon, Ezra 4.2.
Verſ. 28. Then one of the priests whom they had carryed away from Samaria▪ came and dwelt in Beth-el, &c.] That is, one of the Iſraelites idolatrous prieſts: even they pretended the worſhiping of the Lord Jehovah the God of Iſrael, though under the images of the golden calves; and doubtleſſe, did retain moſt of the ceremonies and ordinances which the Lord had taught his people; and becauſe in theſe things he inſtructed theſe heathens, therefore it is ſaid, that he taught them how they ſhould fear the Lord.
Verſ. 32. So they feared the Lord, &c.] That is, they worſhipped the Lord Jehovah, the God of the Iſraelites, after the manner they were taught by that idolatrous prieſt of Iſrael, which the king of Aſſyria had ſent to them; and becauſe this worſhip was in many things according to the way of worſhip which God had preſcribed his people; and becauſe they did it for fear of being deſtroyed by lions, as formerly they had been; therefore it is ſaid that they feared the Lord; yet withall, becauſe they did not truly feare the Lord, but followed the way of Jeroboams idolatry, and withall worſhiped their own Aſſyrian gods too, therefore it is ſaid afterward alſo verſ. 34. that they feared not the Lord.
Verſ. 33. They feared the Lord, and ſerved their own gods, after the manner of the nations, whom they carried away from thence.] This laſt clauſe may be read as it is in the margin, after the manner of the nations who carried them away from thence, and then the meaning muſt needs be, that as they feared the Lord Jehovah, the God of the Iſraelites; that is, as they did outwardly ſerve him, ſo they did alſo ſerve other falſe gods, as did the nations that had carried them away, and planted them in the land of Samaria: but if we reade it as it is in our bibles, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence, then the meaning may be, either, that theſe new colonies in Samaria, ſerved both the Lord Jehovah, and withall their own gods, each after the manner of the ſeverall nations, of whom the kings of Aſſyria had taken ſome, and carried them into the land of the Iſraelites; or elſe, that theſe Samaritans did fear the Lord, and ſerved their own gods, even as the idolatrous Iſraelites that were there before them had done; whom the Aſſyrians had carried away into captivity: for the word nations may have reference to the idolatrous Iſraelites, as in reſpect of their ſeverall tribes; or as joyntly conſidered, with other bordering nations that were carryed captive by the Aſſyrians, when the Iſraelites were carried captive.
Verſ. 34. Ʋnto this day they do after the former manner, &c.] All that follows from hence unto the end of the fourtieth verſe, may be underſtood of the Iſraelites, that were carried captive into Aſſyria; even after this heavie judgement they continued ſtill obſtinate, and feared not the Lord: yet I ſee not but that it may be alſo underſtood of the Samaritanes, and that to ſhew, that though they lived in the land of Iſrael, yet they were farre from doing what God had required his Iſrael to do.