Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 14:9
And 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.
9. the thistle sent to the cedar ] What Jehoash wishes to convey is that he feels himself utterly Amaziah’s superior, and that he can take no notice of his message. This he does by an apologue (cf. Jdg 9:8-15) in which he speaks not of war but of marriage. The application is however quite clear. The thistle, who asks for the daughter of the cedar, is trodden down by some passing beast and perishes unregarded, while the cedar stands unharmed. Words could hardly convey more strongly the low opinion which Jehoash entertained of Amaziah’s power.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Oriental use of apologues on the most solemn and serious occasions is well known to all, and scarcely needs illustration (compare marginal reference). It is a common feature of such apologues that they are not exact parallels to the case whereto they are applied, but only general or partial resemblances. Hence, there is need of caution in applying the several points of the illustration.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 14:9-10
The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar.
The parable of Jehoash
I. three things led to the utterance of this short parable.
1. A relative success.
2. An under-estimate of a superior.
3. An insolent challenge.
(1) Success is a relative term, and must be estimated with reference to the circumstances accompanying it. A man who guides his vessel safely across the English Channel achieves a certain success. But this is a short and comparatively easy voyage, and is not to be placed by the side of a successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, in rough and stormy weather. The captain who can bring his vessel safely through the dangers to be encountered in such a voyage, has fairly earned the right to be called successful. It by no means follows that the man who could execute the first would be equal to the second, nor does it follow that a military commander who could defeat the tribes of Africa in battle would be able to gain a victory over the armies of Europe. But this was the conclusion at which Amaziah, King of Judah, had arrived. He had subdued the Edomites and slain ten thousand men, and he therefore concluded that he should be equally successful against the king and armies of Israel, who were much more formidable foes. This conclusion arose from–
(2) An under-estimate of his superiors in the art of war. The man who undertakes to swim a river ought to be well acquainted with the strength of the current in comparison with his own bodily strength. A mistake on these points may be fatal. It is plain that Amaziah undervalued the military strength and capacity of his opponent; for when they did meet, Judah was put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to their tents (2Ki 14:12). This undervalue of a man who was a greater warrior than himself led to
(3) an insolent challenge. Come, let us look one another in the face (2Ki 14:8). Success in an undertaking sometimes fills an ignorant man with such an insolent pride, that he thinks nothing can stand before him. Amaziah was such a man, because he had defeated the Edomites, he thought that the army of Israel would be but as chaff before him. Hence his invitation to Jehoash.
II. The parable by which Jehoash reproved him conveys that kings sense of his superiority by a similitude drawn from nature. The contrast between the cedar standing in all its glory upon the mountain of Lebanon and the worthless thistle which has sprung up at its foot is very great, and conveys the King of Israels contempt for his rival in forcible terms. The cedar of a thousand years could not be uprooted or removed by the strongest earthly power, while the thistle of yesterday was at the mercy of the first beast of the forest who passed by that way. There is also a reference to Oriental custom. The man who asked the daughter of another in marriage was expected to be his equal in rank, otherwise the request was regarded as an insult. Therefore the proposal of the thistle to the cedar is a declaration of supposed equality, and is placed by Jehoash on a level with Ahaziahs challenge to himself. The fate of the thistle sets forth what would be the result of the self-esteem of the King of Judah if he did not take the advice which is the application of the whole. Tarry at home, for why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt (2Ki 14:10).
III. Note the success and the non-success of the parable. It was a success inasmuch as it was a true picture of the character of the man whom it was intended to represent. If those who can give a correct outline of the face upon canvas are regarded as successful artists, those whose word-painting can show us the features of the soul are at least as successful. But it failed in producing a beneficial effect upon the person to whom it was addressed. Amaziah did not wish to see his own likeness. Those who are deformed do not derive pleasure from seeing themselves reflected in a faithful mirror. The parables of Christ often failed to gain the approbation of His hearers on this account. Lessons:
1. One proud man may become, in the providence of God, the means of humiliation to another. There was much arrogance in the man who compared himself to a cedar, as well as in him whom he reproved.
2. Men who are prone to seek quarrels will find that, in so doing, they have sought their own ruin. Nations and rulers who enter into war from ambitious motives, will but hasten their own destruction. With what measure ye meet, it shall be measured unto you again.
3. He that has achieved a fair measure of success by the exercise of a fair measure of ability may lose what he has gained by attempting a task beyond his capabilities. A gambler who has won a fortune in a contest with a man no more clever than himself, will most likely lose it all if he attempts to play with a much more skilful gamester. It would have been Amaziahs wisdom to have been content with his conquest of Edom; he would then have been spared the humiliation of a defeat at the hands of the King of Israel.
4. Those who become proud and insolent by prosperity turn a blessing into a curse, and thus defeat the Divine intention. Success in our undertakings is intended to produce gratitude and humility; the fault is in us if these effects are not produced.
5. The great lesson of the history is: that Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Pro 16:18). (Outlines from Sermons by a London Minister.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. Jehoash – sent to Amaziah – saying] The meaning of this parable is plain. The thistle that was in Lebanon – Amaziah, king of Judah, sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon – Jehoash, king of Israel, saying, Give thy daughter – a part of thy kingdom, to my son to wife – to be united to, and possessed by the kings of Judah. And there passed by a wild beast – Jehoash and his enraged army, and trode down the thistle – utterly discomfited Amaziah and his troops, pillaged the temple, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem: see 2Kg 14:12-14. Probably Amaziah had required certain cities of Israel to be given up to Judah; if so, this accounts for that part of the parable, Give thy daughter to my son to wife.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
By the
thistle, a low and contemptible, yet troublesome shrub, he understands Amaziah; and by the cedar, himself, whom he intimates to be far stronger than he, and out of his reach,
Give thy daughter to my son to wife; let us make a match, i.e. let us fight; only he expresseth this bloody work in a civil manner, as Amaziah had done, 2Ki 14:8, and as Abner did, 2Sa 2:14. Or, let thy kingdom and mine be united under one king, as formerly they were; and let us decide it by a pitched battle, whether thou or I shall be that king. Or, as some expound it, by affirming that it was great arrogancy and presumption for him to desire a friendly league or affinity with him, he leaves him to guess how intolerable it was that he should undertake to wage war against him.
Trod down the thistle; and with no less ease shall my soldiers tread down thee and thy forces.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. Jehoash the king of Israel sentto AmaziahPeople in the East very often express theirsentiments in a parabolic form, especially when they intend to conveyunwelcome truths or a contemptuous sneer. This was the design of theadmonitory fable related by Joash in his reply. The thistle, a lowshrub, might be chosen to represent Amaziah, a petty prince; thecedar, the powerful sovereign of Israel, and the wild beast thattrampled down the thistle the overwhelming army with which Israelcould desolate Judah. But, perhaps, without making so minute anapplication, the parable may be explained generally, as describing ina striking manner the effects of pride and ambition, towering farbeyond their natural sphere, and sure to fall with a sudden andruinous crash. The moral of the fable is contained in 2Ki14:10.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah the king of Judah,…. By the return of his messengers:
saying, the thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon; intending by this proverbial way of speaking to humble the pride of Amaziah; comparing him to a thistle or thorn, a low, mean, abject, weak, prickly, and troublesome shrub, and himself to a cedar, a tree high and lofty, strong, large, and spreading:
saying, give thy daughter to my son to wife; signifying, that if in a peaceable manner he had desired to contract affinity with him, and so establish mutual friendship, he should have despised him as being as much below him as the thistle is below a cedar; and therefore should still more despise and defy him, who addressed him in an hostile manner, and in such haughty language:
and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trod down the thistle; and so there was an end put at once to its pride and ambition, and to its treaty with the cedar; intimating hereby, that his soldiers would as easily vanquish and destroy the army of Amaziah as a wild beast can destroy a thistle.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(9) The thistle.Or bramble or briar. (Comp. Job. 31:40; Son. 2:2.) The LXX. and Vulg. render thistle; the Syriac, blackthorn (Prunus silvestris).
Give thy daughter to my son to wife.Perhaps hinting at Amaziahs demand for the surrender of Israel (the daughter of Jehoash) to Judah (the son of Amaziah).
And there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon.Rather, and the wild beasts that were in Lebanon passed over it. So LXX. and Vulg. It is obvious to compare with this brief but most pithy parable that of Jotham (Jdg. 9:8-15). The contrast between the northern and southern kingdoms in point of military strength and resources, and the disdainful tolerance with which the former regarded the latter, could hardly have found more forcible expression.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. The thistle the cedar This answer of Jehoash reminds us of the fable of Jotham. Jdg 9:8. The thistle here, like the bramble there, represents a low, worthless, and offensive thing, and is a stinging reflection on Amaziah and his kingdom. By the cedar the king of Israel pompously suggests to his foe his own magnificence and power, and afterwards plainly says that a war between them must needs result in Judah’s downfall. Both the thistle and the cedar are represented as in Lebanon, which may have been designed to suggest that a worthless king may sometimes be found in a lofty position, and thence through pride aspire to things beyond his sphere.
Give thy daughter to my son We need not suppose that Amaziah had asked Jehoash to give a daughter in marriage to his son, but it is possible that he had demanded satisfaction for the cities and spoil which the Israelitish soldiers had taken from Judah, or that he had pompously threatened to subdue the kingdom of Israel and unite it again with Judah.
There passed by a wild beast Image of an unexpected dispensation of judgment moving forth to the sudden destruction of the haughty schemer. The destroyer is represented as passing by, not as sent out by the cedar. So Jehoash might wish to suggest to Amaziah that in case he meddled with things beyond his province he would be suddenly smitten by some judgment of the Almighty. He does not proudly boast and presume to tread down Amaziah and Judah by his own warriors and martial prowess.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 14:9. The thistle that was in Lebanon This address is a proverb derived from the fable; a kind of speech which corresponds in all respects to writing by hieroglyphics; each being a symbol of something else to be understood: and as it sometimes happened when a hieroglyphic became famous, that it lost its particular signification, and assumed a general one, as the caducaeus, which at first was painted only to denote the pacific office of Hermes, became in time the common symbol of league and amity; so it was with the apologue; of which, when any one became celebrated for the art and beauty of its composition, or for some extraordinary efficacy in its application, it was soon converted and worn into a proverb. We have a fine instance of this in the present message of Jehoash to Amaziah, which alludes to the apologue of Jotham, in Jdg 9:7., and shews us plainly, that this satirical apologue of the thistle and cedar was now become a proverb. See Div. Leg. vol. 3: Considering the circumstances of the person addressed, who was, comparatively to many, but a petty prince, flushed with a little good success, and thereupon impatient to enlarge his kingdom, no similitude could be better adapted than that of a thistle, a low contemptible shrub, but, upon its having drawn blood of some traveller, grown proud, and affecting an equality with the cedar, a tall stately tree, the pride and ornament of the wood; till, in the midst of all its arrogance and presumption, it is unhappily trodden down by the beasts of the forest; which Joash intimates would be Amaziah’s fate, if he continued to provoke a prince of his superior power and strength. See Calmet and Scheuchzer.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 14:9 And 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.
Ver. 9. The thistle that was in Lebanon. ] Not the shrub, but the thistle, which is prickly indeed, and can say Nemo me impune lacessit, but a low, vile, weak weed, and not to be named in the same day with the cedar, that tallest and firmest of trees. Thus Joash setteth Amaziah at nought, and looketh upon him as a petty king in comparison of himself.
Give thy daughter to my son,
And there passed by a wild beast.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The thistle, or briar or thorn. Hebrew. choch, rendered thistle here, and in 2Ch 25:18. Job 31:40; thorn in 2Ch 33:11. Job 41:2. Pro 26:9. Son 2:2. Hos 9:6; and bramble in Isa 34:13.
sent. For a similar fable, see Jdg 9:8. Figure of speech Prosopopoeia.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
The thistle: Jdg 9:8-15, 2Sa 12:1-4, 1Ki 4:33, Eze 20:49, The word choach, which is rendered here, and in 2Ch 25:18, Job 31:18, thistle, in 1Sa 13:6, thicket in Isa 34:13, bramble, and in 2Ch 33:11, Pro 26:9, Son 2:2, Hos 9:6, thorn, is probably the black thorn, or sloe tree, the prunus spinosa of Linneus, as the same word signifies in Arabic. There is a vast deal of insolent dignity in this remonstrance of Jehoash; but it has nothing conciliatory; no proposal of making amends for the injury his army had done to the unoffending inhabitants of Judah – 2Ch 25:10-13. The comparatively useless thorn, which may by chance lacerate the incautious passenger, is made the emblem of the house of Judah and David, while the house of Jehu is represented by the stately cedar.
Reciprocal: Jdg 8:6 – General Jdg 9:14 – bramble Jdg 9:15 – the cedars Jdg 14:2 – get her Job 31:40 – thistles Pro 20:3 – but 1Co 12:15 – General Gal 6:14 – that I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 14:9. Jehoash sent to Amaziah, saying, The thistle, &c. By the thistle, a mean, despicable, and yet troublesome weed, he understands Amaziah, and by the cedar, himself, whom he intimates to be far stronger than he, and out of his reach. Considering the circumstances of the person addressed, who was a petty prince, flushed with a little good success, and thereupon impatient to enlarge his kingdom, no similitude could be better adapted than that of a thistle, a low, contemptible shrub, but, upon its having drawn blood of some traveller, grown proud and affecting an equality with the cedar, a tall stately tree, the pride and ornament of the wood, till, in the midst of all its arrogance and presumption, it is unhappily trodden down by the beasts of the forest, which Jehoash intimates would be Amaziahs fate, if he continued to provoke a prince of his superior power and strength. See Calmet and Scheuchzer. Saying, Give me thy daughter to wife Let us make a match, that is, let us fight; only he expresses his bloody and destructive work in a civil manner, as Amaziah had done, (2Ki 14:8,) and as Abner did, 2Sa 2:14 : or, Let thy kingdom and mine be united under one king, as formerly they were; and let us decide, by a pitched battle, whether thou or I shall be that king. A wild beast trode down the thistle And so put an end to his treaty with the cedar: and with no less ease shall my soldiers tread down thee and thy forces.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
14:9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The thistle that [was] in Lebanon sent to the {e} 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.
(e) By this parable Jehoash compares himself to a cedar tree, because of his great kingdom over ten tribes and Amaziah to the thistle because he ruled over but two tribes and the wild beasts are Jehoash’s soldiers, that spoiled the cities of Judah.