Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 25:20
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.
20. for it was of God ] Not in Kings. This turn is characteristic of the Chronicler; cp. 2Ch 10:15 ; 2Ch 22:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
It came of God, who gave him up to his own error and passion, in order to his ruin.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Ver. 20-28. But Amaziah would not hear,…. What the king of Israel advised him to, not to meddle to his hurt;
for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand [of their enemies]; Amaziah and his army into the hands of Joash and his; this was the will of God, and was brought about by his providence; and that it might be, Amaziah was given up to blindness and hardness of heart, as a punishment of his idolatry:
because they sought after the gods of Edom; he and his nobles, and many of the people following his example; from hence to the end of the chapter the same things are recorded as in 2Ki 14:11, see the notes there, [See comments on 2Ki 14:11] [See comments on 2Ki 14:12] [See comments on 2Ki 14:13] [See comments on 2Ki 14:14] [See comments on 2Ki 14:15] [See comments on 2Ki 14:16] [See comments on 2Ki 14:17] [See comments on 2Ki 14:18] [See comments on 2Ki 14:19] [See comments on 2Ki 14:20]
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(20) But Amaziah would not hear.And Amaziah hearkened not.
For it came of God . . . gods of Edom.This remark is added by the chronicler, accounting for the infatuation of Joash by reference to the divine predetermination of events. (Comp. 2Ch. 25:16; and 2Ch. 24:24; 2Ch. 10:15; the Syr. and Arab. omit.)
That he might deliver them into the hand.Heb., into hand; LXX., into hands; Vulg., into the hands of the enemy. Perhaps the original reading was, into his hand, i.e., the hand of Joash.
Because they sought.For they had sought.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 25:20-24
2Ch 25:20-24
AMAZIAH DEFEATED; CAPTURED; AND JERUSALEM PLUNDERED
“But Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought after the gods of Edom. So Joash 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. And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled every man to his tent. And Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits. And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, and the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.”
See our discussion in the parallel account in Kings. This was a catastrophic defeat and humiliation for the arrogant Amaziah. He was left on the throne, purely by the contemptuous mercy and forbearance of the king of Israel, who might indeed have killed him.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 25:20. God never forces a good man to become a bad one, nor leads him against his will to do the wrong thing. But if he chooses to commit a grievious iniquity that deserves some appropriate and special punishment, then he often does direct him into the channel that will bring upon him the needed penalty. This is the explanation of the verse, in which we have the sin noted for which the punishment was brought, because they sought after the gods of Edom.
2Ch 25:21. The expression used in 2Ch 25:17 is repeated here, meaning that they came into close contact in battle. The spot of the encounter was Judah’s territory.
Verse 22. Put to the worse denotes that the battle went against the army of Amaziah. The actual number of casualties is not stated, but the defeat was so severe that the men of Judah fled from the field of battle and sought shelter in their camp.
2Ch 25:23. The king of Judah was permitted to live, but was captured and taken to his capital, Jerusalem, where he was released. But Joash had been admitted into the city with its king in custoday, after he had destroyed part of the wall.
2Ch 25:24. Joash took advantage of his presence inside the city of Jerusalem to plunder it and take its treasures as booty of war. While at it, he also plundered the palace of its valuables. Hostages is from two Hebrew words that mean, when combined, the holding of persons regarded with high esteem as an assurance against future disturbance. Amaziah had intruded into the rights of Joash, without provocation and against good advice, and he might do so again. Hence these persons were taken along with Joash as he returned to his capital at Samaria. Obed-edom was the man who had given refuge for the ark when it was being transported toward Jerusalem. (1Ch 13:14.) That good man would be highly esteemed by the people of Judah, and they would be careful about his safety. Because of these facts he was taken in hand by Joash, along with other hostages, when he left for his own kingdom.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
it came of God: 2Ch 25:16, 2Ch 22:7, 1Ki 12:15, Psa 81:11, Psa 81:12, Act 28:25-27, 2Th 2:9-11, 1Pe 2:8
sought: 2Ch 25:14
Reciprocal: Jdg 14:4 – it was of the Lord Jdg 20:13 – would not 2Sa 17:14 – the Lord 2Ki 14:11 – Amaziah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 25:20. For it came of God Who gave him up to his own error and passion, in order to his ruin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
25:20 But Amaziah would not hear; for {q} it [came] of God, that he might deliver them into the hand [of their enemies], because they sought after the gods of Edom.
(q) Thus God often plagues by those means on which men must rely, to teach them to seek help only from him, and to show his judgments, he moves their hearts to follow that which will lead to their destruction.