Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 15:29
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
29. Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria ] This is the second Assyrian king of this name; the first having flourished in the twelfth century b.c. For some of the facts connected with his history see note on verse 19 above. According to the Assyrian canon Tiglath-pileser reigned 18 years, from b.c. 745 to b.c. 727, and the conquests mentioned in this verse are supposed to have been made in b.c. 734.
Ijon ] In the north of Palestine, in the tribe of Naphtali. It has been mentioned previously (1Ki 15:20) as ravaged by Benhadad’s captains. The towns here enumerated were exposed to the first attack of any enemy from the north.
Abel-beth-maachah ] R.V. maacah. This city like Ijon lay in the extreme north of Israel, and was also plundered by Benhadad’s officers. It is spoken of as ‘a city and a mother in Israel’ (2Sa 20:19). It is elsewhere called Abel-maim.
Janoah ] This place is mentioned nowhere else, and its site has not been determined. But, from the connexion in which it here occurs, it must have been situate in the northern part of the tribe of Naphtali.
Kedesh ] This town was one of the cities of refuge, and situate in the tribe of Naphtali. Hence it is called Kedesh-Naphtali (Jdg 4:6). Here Barak lived, and in later times ( 1Ma 11:63 ; 1Ma 11:73 ) it is mentioned as the scene of a battle between Jonathan Maccabus and the troops of Demetrius. The name indicates that from the first it was a ‘holy’ place.
Hazor ] Another fortified city of the tribe of Naphtali. It stood on the high ground overlooking Lake Merom. It was a very important place before the Israelites entered Canaan (Jos 11:10). Jabin was the king thereof whose general Sisera was defeated by Deborah and Barak (Jdg 4:2; Jdg 4:17). It was strengthened by Solomon for the defence of his kingdom on the north (see 1Ki 9:15, note).
Gilead ] The mountainous country on the east of the Jordan, extending from Bashan on the north to Moab and Ammon on the south.
Galilee ] This name, though afterwards given to a wide district, was at first only applied to a portion of the country round about Kedesh-Naphtali. In it were the twenty cities which Solomon gave to Hiram king of Tyre, for helping him in his building of the temple, and his own house (1Ki 9:11). In the verse before us Galilee must refer only to the northern part of the district afterwards so named.
all the land of Naphtali ] We can see, from this addition, where the ravages of Tiglath-pileser were made. He came into the northern portion of Israel on the west of Jordan, and on the east of the river overran a larger district, which from its mountainous character was more sparsely populated and so more easily reduced.
carried them captive to Assyria ] This event is placed from the evidence of the Assyrian inscriptions in b.c. 734. To carry away great numbers of the population of a conquered district and settle them elsewhere was frequent with the Assyrian monarchs.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Tiglath-Pileser is the first among the Assyrian monarchs of Scripture whom we can certainly identify with a king mentioned in the monuments. According to the Assyrian Dr. he reigned from 745 B.C. to 727 B.C.; and the monuments show us this energetic and powerful prince (though, probably, an usurper), building and repairing palaces, levying armies, and carrying on successful wars against Merodach-Baladan in Babylonia, Rezin at Damascus, Hiram at; Tyre, the Medes, the Armenians, the natives of Northern Mesopotamia, and the Arabs who bordered upon Egypt. His Assyrian name, Tiglat-pal-zira, is composed of the elements tiglat, adoration, pal, son, and zira, a word of uncertain meaning.
Ijon and Abel-beth-maachah – On the position of some of the towns mentioned in this verse see the marginal reference and Jos 19:36. Janoah is not the Janohah of Jos 16:6 (modern Yanun, southeast of Nablous), but a city (Hunin?) near the Sea of Merom. Gilead is, probably, to be limited here to a small district of Peraea, lying to the east of Lake Merom, and in later times known as Gaulanitis (the reading of Septuagint here). If so, we must suppose two expeditions of Tiglath-Pileser against Pekah, the first mentioned here, and the second recorded in Chronicles and Isaiah (see the marginal reference q; 2Ki 16:9 note).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 15:29
And carried them captive to Assyria.
Captivity
A very humbling expression! But this is an aspect of providence we cannot afford, if we be wise men, to ignore. Tiglath-pileser, King of Assyria, came and carried away all these people captive to Assyria–simply carried them. When men have lost their soul, their spirit, their fire, they are simply carted away like so many hundredweights and tons of dead matter. We are not men if we have lost manliness–in other words, if we have lost the indwelling Spirit of God, the force eternal, the seal Divine; we are not then conquered, because to be conquered would imply some measure of calculated and rational resistance–we are simply carried away, borne off, as men might carry dead matter. This is the lot of all nations that forget God: this is the lot of every man whose heart ceases to be the sanctuary of the living Spirit: he is but so much bulk; name him in pounds avoirdupois, report him in so many inches and feet of stature and girth;–he has grieved the Spirit; he has quenched the Spirit; henceforth he is to be driven as one of a herd of dumb cattle; he is to be carried as if he were but so much flesh. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 29. Came Tiglath-pileser] He is supposed to have been the successor of Sardanapalus: Dean Prideaux makes him the same with Arbaces, called by AElian Thilgamus, and by Usher Ninus junior; who, together with Belesis, headed the conspiracy against Sardanapalus, and fixed his seat at Nineveh, the ancient residence of the Assyrian kings; as did Belesis, who is called, in Isa 39:1, Baladan, fix his at Babylon.
Took Ijon] These places belonged to Israel; and were taken by Ben-hadad, king of Syria, when he was in league with Asa, king of Judah. See 1Kg 15:20. They were regained by Jeroboam the second; and now they are taken from Israel once more by Tiglath-pileser. From 1Ch 5:26, we learn that Pul and Tiglath-pileser, kings of Assyria, carried away into captivity the two tribes of Reuben, and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; all that belonged to Israel, on the other side of Jordan. These were never restored to Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Tiglath-pileser, or, Tilgath-pilneser, 2Ch 28:20, called in heathen authors Phulasar, or Phul-assur, the son of that Pul or Phul above, 2Ki 15:19.
Abel-beth-maachah; of which see 1Ki 15:20. Janoah; a city of Ephraim, Jos 16:6. Kedesh and Hazor; two cities of Naphtali, Jos 12:22; 19:36.
Gilead; all the land beyond Jordan, which was nigher to the Assyrian than the rest.
Galilee, to wit, the Upper Galilee, as may be gathered from the following words, all (or, even all)
the land of Naphtali; which seem to be added by way of explication or restriction, to show what Galilee he meant, even the Upper, in which Naphtalis lot fell. See Poole “Isa 9:1“.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. in the days of Pekah king ofIsrael came Tiglath-pileserThis monarch, who succeeded Pul onthe throne of Assyria, is the only one of all the kings who does notgive his genealogy, and is therefore supposed to have been anusurper. His annals have been discovered in the Nimroud mound,describing this expedition into Syria. The places taken are herementioned as they occurred and were conquered in the progress of aninvasion.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria,…. Into the land of Israel; he is called by a Jewish chronologer c, Pul-Asir; so Phul-Assar by Metasthenes d, who says he reigned twenty five years; he very probably was the son of Pul the Assyrian king, mentioned 2Ki 15:19, and is thought to be the same that Aelianus e calls Tilgamos; some think he had the first part of his name from Diglath, or Diglito, by which the river Tigris is called in Pliny f, with which Assyria was washed; and that Pil, or Pul, is Baal, Bel, Jupiter, and Azar is Mars g; of all which his name is composed:
and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah; of which see 1Ki 15:20,
and Janoah; a city in the tribe of Ephraim, Jos 16:6
and Kedesh, and Hazor; cities in Naphtali: Jos 19:36
and Gilead; a country beyond Jordan, which belonged to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh:
and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; that is, upper Galilee, which lay in Naphtali:
and carried them captive to Assyria; which was the first captivity of Israel in which half their tribes were carried away.
c David Ganz. Ut supra. (Tzemach David, par. 2. fol. 3. 2.) d Ut supra. (De Judicio Temp. & Annal. Pers. fol. 221. 2.) e De Animal. l. 12. c. 21. f Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 27. g Hyde Hist. Relig. Pers. p. 65, 66.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
29. Tiglath-pileser From the various sources of information concerning this Assyrian monarch we learn that he was a usurper, and by a successful revolution became the founder of a new dynasty. He reigned about eighteen years, and was engaged most of the time in wars to recover the losses which the kingdom seems to have suffered through the weakness of his predecessors. His principal campaigns were in Babylonia, Syria, and Palestine. Unfortunately the monuments of this king, though numerous, have been wantonly defaced, mutilated, and in many instances destroyed, by his successors, and used to build and adorn later structures. Still they yield much evidence to confirm the Scripture records. Of his league with Ahaz, and his smiting the Syrian power, see 2Ki 16:7, ff.
Ijon See note on 1Ki 15:20.
Abel-bethmaachah See note on 2Sa 20:14. Janoah is identified by some with the Janohah of the tribe of Ephraim, (see Jos 16:6😉 but as that lies far out of the line of Tiglath-pileser’s march, it is more commonly believed that this Janoah must have been in Northern Palestine, and not far from these other cities in connexion with which it is named; but no place of this name has yet been found in that locality,
Kedesh See note on Jos 12:22.
Hazor See note on Jos 11:1.
Gilead The mountainous region east of the Jordan, (see note on Jdg 10:17,) from which, according to 1Ch 5:26, Tiglath-pileser carried away “the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.”
Galilee This name, signifying a circle, seems to have been originally applied to a circular plain in the vicinity of Kedesh, and in the time of Joshua was limited to the region around that ancient sanctuary of Naphtali. Gradually the name came to indicate a larger region, till at this invasion of Tiglath-pileser it embraced all the land of Naphtali, for these words, not being connected by and with the preceding, we take to be explanatory of Galilee. At a later period Galilee became the name of one of the three provinces into which Palestine was divided, and embraced all northern Palestine between Samaria and Syria. Keil regards the enumeration of names in this verse as “purely historical, that is, following the actual order of the conquests.
Tiglath-pileser first took the several partly fortified cities adjacent to the Sea of Merom, then turned to Gilead, conquered this district, and on his return thence the remaining part of Galilee, namely, the whole land of Naphtali.”
Carried them captive This was the second Assyrian captivity of any considerable number of Israelites, the first having been under Pul. (1Ch 5:26😉 but in the reign of the next king, Hoshea, all northern Israel was carried into exile. 2Ki 17:6.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 15:29. Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, &c. He is supposed by some to have been the son and successor of Sardanapalus, who restored the kingdom of Assyria and possessed it, after it had been dismembered by Belesis and Arbaces: but our learned Prideaux makes him to be the same with Arbaces; by AElian called Thilgamus, and by Castor, Ninus Junior; who, together with Belesis, headed the conspiracy against Sardanapalus, and fixed his royal seat at Nineveh, the ancient residence of the Assyrian kings, as Belesis, who in Scripture is likewise called Baladan, Isa 39:1 fixed his at Babylon, and there governed his new erected empire for nineteen years. The first captivity of the Israelites was made by Pul, who carried away the two tribes and a half situate beyond Jordan: the second was this made by Tiglath-pileser. There were three deportations of the Hebrews; the first was of Galilee, the second of Samaria, the third of Judea; whence probably, under the second temple, Samaria, Galilee, and Judea, were the general names of the three provinces.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
Ver. 29. Came Tiglathpileser. ] Which name of his signifieth, say some, the removing of captives: a others making him to be son to Pul, 2Ki 15:19 say that he was therefore called Tiglathpulassir. Why he came now against Israel, see Isa 7:1 2Ki 16:7 .
And carried them captive.
a Captivitas. Mirabiles legationes. – Pagnin.
Tiglath pileser. See note on “Pul”, 2Ki 15:19.
Abel-beth-maachah . . . Gilead. These names are mentioned in Tiglath’s own inscriptions.
carried them captive. This deportation took place in 734 B.C., and is referred to in Isa 9:1, Isa 9:2. father, for whom he reigned four years. See note on 2Ki 15:30 above.
Zadok. The high priest (1Ch 6:12). Perhaps this was why he invaded the priests’ office.
Tiglathpileser: Some suppose Tiglath-pileser to be the son of Sardanapalus, but the learned Prideaux makes him the same as Arbaces the Mede, called by Alian, Thelgamus, and by Castor, Ninus Junior, who, with Belesis, headed the conspiracy against Sardanapalus, and fixed his royal seat at Nineveh, as Belesis, called in Scripture Baladan – Isa 39:1, did his at Babylon. He reigned nineteen years, from am 3257 to am 3276. 2Ki 16:7, 1Ch 5:6, 1Ch 5:26, 2Ch 28:20, 2Ch 28:21, Tiglath-pilneser, Isa 9:1
Ijon: 1Ki 15:20, 2Ch 16:4, Abel-beth-maachah, 2Sa 20:14, 2Sa 20:15
Janoah: Jos 16:6, Janohah
Kedesh: Jos 19:37, Jos 20:7
Hazor: Jos 11:1, Jos 11:10, Jos 11:13, Jos 12:19, Jdg 4:2
Gilead: Num 32:1, Num 32:40, Deu 3:15, Amo 1:3, Amo 1:13
Galilee: Jos 20:7, 1Ki 9:11, Isa 9:1, Isa 9:2, Mat 4:15, Mat 4:16
carried them: 2Ki 17:6, 2Ki 17:23, Lev 26:32, Lev 26:38, Lev 26:39, Deu 4:26, Deu 4:27, Deu 28:25, Deu 28:64, Deu 28:65, Isa 1:7, Isa 7:20
Reciprocal: Gen 46:24 – Naphtali Num 32:19 – we will 1Ki 9:15 – Hazor 1Ki 14:15 – shall scatter 2Ki 15:20 – stayed not 2Ki 17:3 – king of Assyria 2Ki 17:20 – delivered 1Ch 5:22 – until the captivity 2Ch 30:6 – escaped 2Ch 32:13 – I and my Neh 9:32 – since the time Isa 7:4 – the two tails Isa 7:16 – the land Isa 8:4 – the riches of Damascus Isa 9:11 – set up Isa 10:13 – I have removed Isa 28:1 – whose Isa 37:18 – the kings Jer 3:12 – toward the north Jer 50:17 – first Eze 23:9 – General Hos 1:4 – will cause Hos 5:11 – oppressed Hos 5:13 – went Hos 8:7 – the strangers Hos 11:5 – but Amo 3:11 – General Amo 5:2 – is fallen Amo 5:15 – the remnant Amo 5:27 – beyond Amo 6:6 – affliction Amo 6:14 – I will Mic 2:10 – and Mic 5:6 – the Assyrian Zec 1:18 – four
2Ki 15:29. In the days of Pekah came Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, &c. He is supposed by some to have been the son and successor of Sardanapalus, who restored the kingdom of Assyria, and possessed it after it bad been dismembered by Belesis and Arbaces: but our learned Prideaux, who begins his valuable connection of the Old and New Testaments at this period, makes him to be the same with Arbaces, who, together with Belesis, headed the conspiracy against Sardanapalus, and fixed his royal seat at Nineveh, the ancient residence of the Assyrian kings, as Belesis fixed his at Babylon, and there governed his newly-erected kingdom for nineteen years. And took Ijon, &c., and Gilead, and Galilee, and all Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria Thus Pekah lost a great part of his kingdom. And by this judgment God punished him for his attempt upon Judah and Jerusalem. For it was then foretold by Isaiah, that within two or three years after he had made that attempt, before a child then born should be able to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Samaria should be taken away before the king of Assyria; and here we have the accomplishment of that prediction. It may be proper to observe here, that the kingdom of the ten tribes was not destroyed at one time. The first invasion of their country, and prelude to their destruction, was made by Pul, who took away an immense booty, and drained them of their wealth; probably also carrying captive some of the people that dwelt on the east of Jordan. The second was by this Tiglath-pileser, who carried away the inhabitants of the northern parts, with the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, 1Ch 5:26. The third and last was by Shalmaneser, who took Samaria, and carried into captivity the rest of the Israelites, 2Ki 17:1-23.
15:29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel {k} came Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbethmaachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria.
(k) For God stirred up Pul and Tiglathpileser against Israel for their sins, 1Ch 5:26.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes