2 Kings — Chapter 14
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1In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
2He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.
4Howbeit the high places were not taken away: as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.
5And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his father.
6But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
7He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
9And Jehoash the 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.
10Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
11But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
12And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to their tents.
13And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
14And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
16And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
17And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
18And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
19Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
20And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
21And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
22He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
24And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
25He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
26For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel.
27And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
29And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.
1In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel began Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah to reign.
2He 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 Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
3And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, yet not like David his father: he did according to all that Joash his father had done.
4Howbeit the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
5And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, that he slew his servants who had slain the king his father:
6but the children of the murderers he put not to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Jehovah commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.
7He slew of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand, and took Sela by war, and called the name of it Joktheel, unto this day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
9And Jehoash the 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 trod down the thistle.
10Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thy heart hath lifted thee up: glory thereof, and abide at home; for why shouldest thou meddle to [thy] hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
11But Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.
12And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent.
13And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
14And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king`s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
16And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead.
17And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
19And they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to Lachish: but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
20And they brought him upon horses; and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
21And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.
22He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, [and reigned] forty and one years.
24And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
25He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spake by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.
26For Jehovah saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Israel.
27And Jehovah said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, [which had belonged] to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
29And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his stead.
1In the second year of the reign of Israel’s King Joash son of Joahaz, Joash’s son Amaziah became king over Judah.
2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddan, who was from Jerusalem.
3He did what the Lord approved, but not like David his ancestor had done. He followed the example of his father Joash.
4But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places.
5When he had secured control of the kingdom, he executed the servants who had assassinated his father.
6But he did not execute the sons of the assassins. He obeyed the Lord’s commandment as recorded in the scroll of the law of Moses, “Fathers must not be put to death for what their sons do, and sons must not be put to death for what their fathers do. A man must be put to death only for his own sin.”
7He defeated 10,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley; he captured Sela in battle and renamed it Joktheel, a name it has retained to this very day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel. He said, “Come, let’s meet face to face.”
9King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn.
10You thoroughly defeated Edom, and it has gone to your head! Gloat over your success, but stay in your palace. Why bring calamity on yourself? Why bring down yourself and Judah along with you?”
11But Amaziah would not heed the warning, so King Jehoash of Israel attacked. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face in Beth Shemesh of Judah.
12Judah was defeated by Israel, and each man ran back home.
13King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah of Judah, son of Jehoash son of Ahaziah, in Beth Shemesh. He attacked Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—a distance of about 600 feet.
14He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria.
15The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
16Jehoash passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Jeroboam replaced him as king.
17King Amaziah son of Joash of Judah lived for 15 years after the death of King Jehoash son of Jehoahaz of Israel.
18The rest of the events of Amaziah’s reign are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.
19Conspirators plotted against him in Jerusalem, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent assassins after him, and they killed him there.
20His body was carried back by horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem with his ancestors in the City of David.
21All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in his father Amaziah’s place.
22Azariah built up Elat and restored it to Judah after the king had passed away.
23In the fifteenth year of the reign of Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, Jeroboam son of Joash became king over Israel. He reigned for 41 years in Samaria.
24He did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin.
25He restored the border of Israel from Lebo Hamath in the north to the sea of the rift valley in the south, just as in the message from the Lord God of Israel that he had announced through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.
26The Lord saw Israel’s intense suffering; everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer.
27The Lord had not decreed that he would blot out Israel’s memory from under heaven, so he delivered them through Jeroboam son of Joash.
28The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including all his accomplishments, his military success in restoring Israelite control over Damascus and Hamath, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
29Jeroboam passed away and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah replaced him as king.
1In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign.
2He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.
3He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, yet not like David his father. He did according to all that Joash his father had done.
4However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places.
5As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father,
6but the children of the murderers he didn’t put to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”
7He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel, to this day.
8Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.”
9Jehoash the 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 your daughter to my son as wife. Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle.
10You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?’”
11But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
12Judah was defeated by Israel; and each man fled to his tent.
13Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
14He took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in Yahweh’s house and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
15Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
16Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his place.
17Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
18Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
19They made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and killed him there.
20They brought him on horses, and he was buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in David’s city.
21All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.
22He built Elath, and restored it to Judah. After that the king slept with his fathers.
23In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years.
24He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.
25He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to Yahweh, the God of Israel’s word, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher.
26For Yahweh saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter; for all, slave and free, and there was no helper for Israel.
27Yahweh didn’t say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
28Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which had belonged to Judah, for Israel, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
29Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
Summary
Amaziah defeats Edom but foolishly challenges Israel; Jehoash breaks down Jerusalem's wall and plunders the temple. Jeroboam II begins his prosperous but spiritually empty forty-one-year reign over Israel.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Samaria — capital of the northern kingdom (Israel); falls to Assyria in 722 BC (ch.17). Jerusalem — capital of Judah; falls to Babylon in 586 BC (ch.25).
- Key locations: Jordan River (Elisha's miracles, chs.2, 5), Damascus (Syria/Aram), Nineveh (Assyrian capital), Babylon (where Judah is exiled).
- Sennacherib's invasion route threatens Jerusalem (chs.18-19). Exile destinations: Assyria (for Israel) and Babylon (for Judah).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the danger of pride after partial victory. Amaziah's success against Edom was real but limited — it did not qualify him to challenge a stronger opponent. Guzik also notes that Jeroboam II's prosperity fulfilled prophecy but did not indicate divine approval of his character. God can use wicked instruments to accomplish gracious purposes.
- Charles Spurgeon: "Amaziah did right, but not with a perfect heart. Here is the tragedy of the almost-Christian, the nearly-faithful servant. He removed the murderers but not the high places. He obeyed the letter of Moses but not the spirit of David. And so his partial obedience bred partial confidence, and partial confidence bred total presumption. He who conquers Edom thinks he can conquer Israel. Beware the pride that grows in the soil of incomplete surrender. A half-devoted heart is a heart preparing for a fall."
Reflection
- 1. Partial obedience is dangerous (v.3). Amaziah did right "yet not like David." There is a vast difference between adequate religion and wholehearted devotion. Doing better than the worst is not the same as pursuing God's best. Examine where you are settling for "good enough" in your walk with God. Half-measures breed the kind of pride that leads to catastrophic falls.
- 2. Victory can be the seedbed of destruction (vv.8-12). Amaziah's defeat of Edom inflated his heart to challenge Israel — and he was crushed. Success is one of the most dangerous seasons in the spiritual life. When God gives victory, receive it with humility and gratitude, not as fuel for the next conquest. "Be content with your glory, and stay at home" (v.10 ESV) is wise counsel for anyone intoxicated by recent success.
- 3. Wise counsel rejected leads to ruin (v.11). "But Amaziah would not hear." Jehoash gave him clear, accurate warning. Pride made Amaziah deaf. When godly people warn you that you are overreaching, listen. The refusal to hear correction is not strength — it is the arrogance that precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
- 4. God's grace operates independently of human merit (vv.26-27). God saved Israel through an evil king because He saw their suffering and had compassion. Grace is not earned by good behavior — it flows from God's character. This should humble the self-righteous and encourage the broken: God acts from His own goodness, not ours.
- 5. Borrowed time is still time for repentance (v.27). God "said not that he would blot out the name of Israel" — yet. The judgment was coming (chapter 17), but grace extended the opportunity. Every day without judgment is a day of mercy. Do not mistake God's patience for God's approval. Use the time He gives to turn fully toward Him.