• Please see License for Copyright notice and Licensing information.
• [ Previous | Next ]

1 Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.

3 Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.

4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.

5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle spear and shield.

6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.

7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.

8 But if thou wilt go, do it; be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.

10 Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

11 And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.

12 And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.

13 But the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Bethhoron, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?

16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

17 Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.

18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

21 So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Bethshemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

22 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

23 And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Bethshemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obededom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

25 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

27 Now after the time that Amaziah did turn away from following the Lord they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent to Lachish after him, and slew him there.

28 And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

<html><b>for God is not with Israel, all the sons of Ephraim</b> because Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim, and he was the first to cause Israel to sin. And in every generation thereafter he remained a stumbling block for them, for they worshipped the golden calves of Jeroboam.</html>

<html><b>But if you come</b> The meaning is: If you do not believe my words, will you not try [to put effort into your military campaign?] Come, do, and strengthen yourself for war. <b>to help or to cause to stumble</b> The meaning is: He has the strength to help you without the army of Ephraim and to cause you to stumble if you take them with you.</html>

<html><b>and they were all split open, etc…after [Amaziah] had come, etc.</b> In Lam. Rabbah it says about him, “whether he is angry or he laughs” (Prov. 29:9).</html>

<html><b>raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-Horon</b> after they returned to their place, as above, “they were very angry with Judah and returned to their place.” For if it were not so, i.e., if they had raided the cities of Judah as soon as they left Amaziah, Scripture would have said, “and they raided the cities of Judah from Beth-Horon to Samaria,” [i.e., going from Judah to Samaria].</html>

<html><b>that God has given counsel to destroy you</b> i.e., If you do not hearken to My advice to follow the straight path, you should know, O king, that the Lord has given counsel to destroy you because you have done this, and have not hearkened to the counsel. Now what is the counsel? That he enticed you to provoke the king of Israel and to fall before him, as it is written: “And Amaziah the king of Judah took counsel, and he sent to Joash, etc.”</html>

<html><b>Come, let us confront each other</b> to show our might on horses with spears.</html>

<html><b>The thistle that was in Lebanon</b> which is of short stature. <b>sent to the cedar</b> which is the greatest prince of all the trees. <b>passed by and trampled the thistle</b> The cedar did not wish to kill it because it was degrading in his eyes to cut down the thistle, but a beast of the field passed by and trampled it in contempt, for how did he dare to send such a great insult to the lofty cedar? You too are like the thistle, for you have only two tribes, and now my servants will rise up against you and trample you when they hear of this disgrace.</html>

<html><b>and your heart has made you haughty</b> to pursue glory, and you wish to be glorified also on my account. In II Kings (14:10), the reading is: “Retain your honor by staying home.”</html>

<html><b>because this was from God in order to deliver them into their hands</b> i.e., into their hands, as above (verse 16): “I know that God has given counsel to destroy you.”</html>

<html><b>in Beth-Shemesh</b> the war took place. It was necessary to say this lest you ask why they brought Amaziah to Jerusalem and not to Samaria when they seized him. [The answer is] that Beth-Shemesh was near Jerusalem.</html>

<html><b>and breached the wall of…</b> He said, “From now on, he will not rebel against me, because his heart will not be so haughty since the wall has been breached”</html>

<html><b>that were found in the House of God with Obed-Edom</b> for he and his sons were keepers of the treasures all their lives. <b>and the hostage children</b> For the Jews did not permit Amaziah to be king any longer in Jerusalem until he made the children of the officers hostages so that they would no longer rebel against him, and so did Jonathan translate it in II Kings (14:14): “the children of the officers.” Rabbi Joseph (Kara) explained “the hostage children” to mean those hostages that the king had taken as security so that their fathers would not rebel against him. This, however, does not appear correct to me because we do not find that Judah had such power over others that they could have [forced them] to give Judah their children as hostages.</html>

<html><b>And from the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord</b> and was defeated by the king of Israel, immediately <b>they conspired against him in Jerusalem</b> to kill him, because each one was grieved over his son, his brother, and his kinsman who were slain because of him, because he provoked the king of Israel. <b>and he fled to Lachish</b> a fortified city against which Sennacherib waged war. He fled to Lachish, where he remained fifteen years until they followed him to Lachish and assassinated him there. And during those fifteen years that he was in Lachish, Jecoliah, Uzziah’s mother, reigned in his stead. This is how it appears to me. In the commentary of Rabbi Joseph (Kara), I saw that during those fifteen years that he was in Lachish, Uzziah his son reigned in his stead, but it is incorrect to interpret it in this manner, for it is written immediately following (26:1): “who was sixteen years old.” We find that when his father fled, he was only one year old. Moreover, if this is the case, it should say, “took Uzziah and made him king instead of his father during his lifetime.” Rather, Scripture intimated that he did not reign during his father’s lifetime.</html>