Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 33:21
Amon [was] two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.
21 25 (= 2Ki 21:19-26). Amon’s short Reign. Josiah succeeds him
21. in Jerusalem ] The Chronicler omits here Amon’s mother’s name; cp. 2Ch 33:1.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 21. Amon – reigned two years] See on 2Kg 21:19.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
[See comments on 2Ch 33:20]
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The reign of Amon. Cf. 2Ki 21:19-26. – Both accounts agree; only in the Chronicle, as is also the case with Manasseh and Ahaz, the name of his mother is omitted, and the description of his godless deeds is somewhat more brief than in Kings, while the remark is added that he did not humble himself like Manasseh, but increased the guilt. In the account of his death there is nothing said of his funeral, nor is there any reference to the sources of his history. See the commentary on 2Ki 21:19.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Reign and Death of Amon. | B. C. 641. |
21 Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; 23 And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. 24 And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house. 25 But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
We have little recorded concerning Amon, but enough unless it were better. Here is,
I. His great wickedness. He did as Manasseh had done in the days of his apostasy, v. 22. Those who think this an evidence that Manasseh did not truly repent forget how many good kings had wicked sons. Only it should seem that Manasseh was in this defective, that, when he cast out the images, he did not utterly deface and destroy them, according to the law which required Israel to burn the images with fire, Deut. vii. 2. How necessary that law was this instance shows; for the carved images being only thrown by, and not burnt, Amon knew where to find them, soon set them up, and sacrificed to them. It is added, to represent him exceedingly sinful and to justify God in cutting him off so soon, 1. That he out-did his father in sinning: He trespassed more and more, v. 23. His father did ill, but he did worse. Those that were joined to idols grew more and more mad upon them. 2. That he came short of his father in repenting: He humbled not himself before the Lord, as his father had humbled himself. He fell like him, but did not get up again like him. It is not so much sin as impenitence in sin that ruins men, not so much that they offend as that they do not humble themselves for their offences, not the disease, but the neglect of the remedy.
II. His speedy destruction. He reigned but two years and then his servants conspired against him and slew him, v. 24. Perhaps when Amon sinned as his father did in the beginning of his days he promised himself that he should repent as his father did in the latter end of his days. But his case shows what a madness it is to presume upon that. If he hoped to repent when he was old, he was wretchedly disappointed; for he was cut off when he was young. He rebelled against God, and his own servants rebelled against him. Herein God was righteous, but they were wicked, and justly did the people of the land put them to death as traitors. The lives of kings are particularly under the protection of Providence and the laws both of God and man.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
THE REIGN OF AMON (2Ch. 33:21-25. Comp. 2Ki. 21:19-26).
(21) Amon was two and twenty years old.So 2Ki. 21:19, which adds his mothers name and parentage.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
The short, sinful, and unworthy life of Ammon, terminating as it did by a violent death, opens but little subject for meditation. Alas! how wretched and hopeless for the most part are all such men. How hath the Psalmist marked them, and how true a portrait hath he drawn. Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. Psa 37:10 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 33:21 Amon [was] two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.
Ver. 21. Amon was twenty and two years old. ] See 2Ki 21:19 .
And reigned two years.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Amon. Compare 1Ki 21:19-24.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ch 33:21-25
2Ch 33:21-25
AMON (642-640 B.C.)
THE SHORT AND EVIL REIGN OF AMON
“Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father; and Anton sacrificed unto all the graven images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them. And he humbled not himself before Jehovah, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more. And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house. But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.”
As Ellison remarked, “There are only minor variations here from the parallel in 2Kings. No motivation for the assassination is given. Amon may have been the vicious son of a bad father, or it may have been out of disgust for his following a discredited policy.”
“Amon was the unhappy product of his father’s pagan life, not of his pious death.”
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 33:21. Amon received the throne by regular succession, being the son of the preceding king. He reigned in Jerusalem, an oft-repeated term. The force of it will be realized more, perhaps, if we were to word it, he reigned in Jerusalem; not Hebron or Shechem or Tirzah or Samaria. These places all had been used as headquarters for certain Jewish kings, but Jerusalem was the original and most authoritative capital.
2Ch 33:22. What Amon did was approved by the people who were as evil as he, but in the sight of the Lord his doings were sinful. Sacrificed and served are used in a way to imply a distinction between them, which is true; but it is mainly in the sense of the degree in his devotion. To make sacrifice might merely mean to go through the formalities of the altar actions. Serve is from ABAD and Strong defines it, “a primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.” It therefore means to bend the energies of mind and body in a daily routine that practically enslaves one to the object of his admiration. Such a life would be commendable if lived in the service of the true God.
2Ch 33:23. Amon did worse than his father in that he did not humbly repent of his sins. He trespassed more and more, which means, as expressed in the margin, that he multiplied his trespasses. Technically, this word means to encrouch upon the rights and property of another, but in this instance the original means something more serious. The first definition in the lexicon is “guiltiness, a fault.” In the A. V. the word Is rendered by “sin” 4 times. The expression about Amon means that he got worse and worse in his sinful life, including all of his Idolatrous activities and daily conduct.
2Ch 33:24. The life of Amon was so bad that he provoked his own personal servants to a rash action. Finding him in his own residence, they murdered him. This was an unlawful deed, for a man in authority should be removed by lawful means if done at all.
2Ch 33:25. “Two wrongs do not make one right” is an old saying. It was evidently the principle on which the citizens of the nation acted in their treatment of the assassins. The sinful life of Amon did not justify the servants in murdering their king. The law of capital punishment would call for the execution of these servants. The people of the land, therefore, were acting lawfully when they slew the assassins of the king. His son would have become king through the established rule of succession, independent of the formalities of these citizens. But their ceremonies were to be a sort of public protest against the action of the murderers of the preceding king.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
am 3361-3363, bc 643-641
two years: 2Ch 33:1, Luk 12:19, Luk 12:20, Jam 4:13-15
Reciprocal: 2Ki 21:19 – Amon 1Ch 3:14 – Amon
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 33:21-25. The Reign of Amon (see notes on 2Ki 21:19-24).
2Ch 33:22. Cf. the words of this verse with 2Ki 21:21; the Chronicler has modified the words of the latter, which would be inconsistent with the idea of Manassehs repentance.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
O. Amon 33:21-25
Amon was an evil king, as Manasseh was, but he did not repent as his father had done. Consequently, rather than experiencing forgiveness and restoration, he died prematurely. He represented the other alternative the returned exiles could take. His fate would have been, and is, a warning to seek the Lord.