Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 16:7
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
7. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria ] According to 2 Chron. (2Ch 28:17-18) it was not only by Rezin of Damascus and Pekah of Israel that Ahaz was straitened when he sent for help to Assyria. ‘The Edomites had again come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low countries, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh and Ajalon with Gederoth, and Socho with the villages thereof, and Timnah likewise and Gimzo, and they dwelt there.’ So that on north and south alike Ahaz was sorely beset. ‘For the Lord brought Judah low, because of Ahaz, for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord’.
I am thy servant and thy son ] Ahaz, in return for the help he seeks, offers to make himself the vassal of Assyria. With the name ‘son’, as used in such an address, may be compared the ‘brother’ which Ahab uses of the conquered Benhadad (1Ki 20:32). Ahaz in his petition naturally only mentions those enemies on the north upon whom Tiglath-pileser could most readily fall. Perhaps he felt that, if relieved from them, he could dispose of the Edomites and Philistines by his own power.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Ahaz was threatened on all sides, on the north by Rezin and Pekah; on the southeast by Edom 2Ch 28:17; and on the southwest by the Philistines 2Ch 28:18. To these external dangers was added the still greater peril of disaffection at home. A large party in Judah was weary of the house of David Isa 7:13, ready to join the confederacy Isa 8:6, Isa 8:12, and to accept for king the son of Tabeal. Ahaz saw no hope of safety unless he could obtain a powerful protector; and, Egypt being particularly weak at this time, he turned to Assyria.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. I am thy servant and thy son] I will obey thee in all, and become tributary to thee; only help me against Syria and Israel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I am thy servant and thy son; I yield myself to thee, as thy vassal, to serve and obey thee, and pay thee tribute, upon condition thou dost assist me against my enemies.
Out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel; for though they were now gone from Jerusalem, yet he justly concluded they would return again, and from time to time molest and vex him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7-9. So Ahaz sent messengers toTiglath-pileserIn spite of the assurance given him by Isaiahby two signs, the one immediate, the other remote (Isa 7:14;Isa 8:4), that the confederatekings would not prevail against him, Ahaz sought aid from theAssyrian monarch, to purchase which he sent the treasures of thepalace and temple. Tiglath-pileser marched against Damascus, slewRezin the king, and carried the people of Damascus into captivity toKir, which is thought to have been the city Karine (now Kerend), inMedia.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria,…. Of whom see 2Ki 15:29
saying, [I am] thy servant, and thy son; signifying, that he would be his vassal, and become tributary to him, and serve him as a servant to his master, or a son his father, on condition he would come to his assistance, and so he became his servant; hence his son Hezekiah is said to rebel against the king of Assyria, 2Ki 18:1
come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king off Israel, which rise up against me; which assistance he had no reason to call in, since the Lord had promised him deliverance from both those kings, and gave him a sign of it, Isa 7:4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In this distress Ahaz turned to Tiglath-pileser, without regarding either the word of Isaiah in 2Ki 7:4., which promised salvation, or the prophet’s warning against an alliance with Assyria, and by sending the gold and silver which were found in the treasures of the temple and palace, purchased his assistance against Rezin and Pekah. Whether this occurred immediately after the invasion of the land by the allied kings, or not till after they had defeated the Judaean army and advanced against Jerusalem, it is impossible to discover either from this verse or from 2Ch 28:16; but probably it was after the first great victory gained by the foe, with which Isa 7 and 8 agree. – On for see Ewald, 151, b.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Ahaz Hires a Razor Commentary on 2Ki 16:7-20 AND 2Ch 28:16-27
Ahaz’s troubles continued. Other long-time enemies, finding Judah prostrate from the invasion of the Syrians and the northern kingdom, took advantage of the situation by sending, their own marauders against the Judaean countryside. The Edomites sought revenge for their defeat by Amaziah, and the Philistines took the cities of the lowlands, including such places as Bethshemesh, to which the Philistines in the long ago returned the captured ark (1Sa 6:10 ff) and Timnah, the area made famous by Samson’s exploits (Jdg 14:1 ff). God allowed these things because of the wickedness of Ahaz, who had “made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord.”
In desperation with his plight Ahaz decided on a foolish plan. He would hire the terrible Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria to attack his northern enemies, Syria and Israel. Isaiah the prophet sought to dissuade the king from this course and encouraged him to rely on the Lord, but he would not, though the Lord offered him a sign of his choosing (Isa 1:3-16). Ahaz had contemptuously refused to ask the Lord for a sign, but was given the sign of the virgin born Son anyway. Isaiah said, “If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.”
Ahaz would not believe. He stripped the temple and the palace of their gold and silver and sent them to Tiglath-pileser. The Assyrian king accepted the tribute and attacked Damascus, capturing the city, taking its people captive and resettling them in Kir of far-distant Armenia, and killing Rezin the king. But the inspired record in Chronicles says that Tiglath-pileser did not strengthen Ahaz, but rather distressed him. Of this, again, the Prophet Isaiah had warned Ahaz (Isa 7:20). He had hired a razor which would shave the land of Judah naked and bare in the desolation which the Assyrian forces would wreak upon the land.
With the fall of Damascus, however, Ahaz made a journey to that place to meet with Tiglath-pileser. While there he admired the idols and altars of the false gods of Damascus. One particularly ornate altar caught the eye of the king of Judah. He admired it so much that he sent a pattern of it back to Jerusalem to the high priest Urijah. That fickle unworthy leader of Judah’s worship set out to pamper the king’s fancy by building an altar like it to have for Ahaz when he returned to Jerusalem.
Ahaz returned to Jerusalem determined to install the Damascene gods in the house of the Lord. He was well pleased with the new altar and gave it the most imposing place in the temple. The old brazen altar, made according to the instructions of God Himself, upon which the various typical offerings that pointed to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross were made Ahaz removed and relegated to an inconspicuous place on the north side of the court. He commanded that the morning and evening sacrifices, burnt offerings, meat offerings, drink offerings, and peace offerings be made on the new altar. He would use the old brazen altar if he needed to consult God or to inquire of His will, which it seems he did not expect to do.
Ahaz did not like the way of the Lord, and Urijah was willing to compromise to please him, unmindful of God’s known way. They have many descendants in the world today who set up programs they consider more expedient for modern times, but with which the Lord is surely still displeased (2Ti 4:3-4; Jas 1:27).
Ahaz’s foolish reasoning was that the gods of Damascus had helped them defeat him, so he could please them by adopting them as his gods. In other words he would move over to their side and make friends with them.
Ahaz’s new religious program led him to change many things in the temple.
He gathered up all the vessels and cut them to pieces, closed the sanctuary itself where only the priests could officiate, built altars on all the street corners of Jerusalem, and established high places in all the cities and towns.
He continued to desecrate the sacred furniture of the temple, stripping off the ornate work on the borders of the bases which supported the laver.
The molten sea was taken off the brazen oxen which Solomon had made for it and was placed on stone blocks. He also tore down the cover from the portico leading from the temple to the palace. All of this precious metal thus acquired, Ahaz sent to Tiglath-pileser, evidently in payment for his “hired razor.”
The early death of Ahaz, when he was only thirty-six years of age recalls the warning of Isaiah (Isa 7:9, cited above), “if ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” Ahaz had not believed, and therefore he was not established.
Many good lessons can be gleaned from these things; some are: 1) To give oneself over to evil is to fall altogether under demoniac possession; 2) Leaders in every realm exert great influence for bad or good on their followers; 3) if the self-righteous will be honestly observant they will find themselves as guilty as those they would Judges 4) most people who find themselves in trouble look for physical help instead of seeking the Lord; 5) modern “Christianity” has substituted pomp and pleasure for spiritual preaching and prayer.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(7) So Ahaz sent messengers.See Notes on 2Ch. 28:16; 2Ch. 28:20.
Which rise up against me.Or, which are assailing me. The vain confidence of the rulers of Judah, described by Isaiah in his first prophetic book, was rudely shaken by the progress of the war with Pekah and Rezin. Unreasoning confidence had given way to equally unreasoning panic. They saw only one way of escapenamely, to throw themselves upon the protection of Assyria. (Robertson Smith.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Ahaz sent to Tiglath-pileser He placed no strong reliance on the word of the Lord by Isaiah that Rezin and Pekah were only like two smoking firebrands that would soon burn out and be harmless. He was probably led to apply to the Assyrian monarch because he had already greatly injured Israel. See note on 2Ki 15:29.
Thy servant and thy son An acknowledgment of Judah’s dependency on Assyria. Compare note on 2Ki 14:5.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Appeal Of Ahaz To Tiglath-pileser III, King Of Assyria, And His Total Submission To Him In Both Word And Behaviour ( 2Ki 16:7-11 ).
Having expressed his unwillingness to rely on YHWH Ahaz had no alternative but to turn to the King of Assyria as the only one powerful enough to help him. As the servant and ‘son’ of YHWH he should, of course, have looked to YHWH. But instead he voluntarily transferred his loyalty to Tiglath-pileser and the gods of Assyria. He thereby ceased to be YHWH’s servant and son, openly confessing himself as the servant and son of the king of Assyria, and thus forfeited any claim on the Davidic covenant. While his appeal was outwardly successful it was at great cost. Judah lost its independence and became a vassal state of Assyria, all its treasures were transferred to the Assyrian treasury, and Judah had to introduce into YHWH’s Temple symbols of the god of Assyria who would have to be paid due honour, at least by the king and his leading courtiers.
a And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son, come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me (2Ki 16:7).
b And Ahaz took the silver and gold which was found in the house of YHWH, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria (2Ki 16:8).
c And the king of Assyria listened to him, and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried its people captive to Kir, and slew Rezin (2Ki 16:9).
b And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which was at Damascus, and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all its workmanship (2Ki 16:10).
a And Urijah the priest built an altar, according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus (2Ki 16:11).
Note that in ‘a’ Ahaz surrendered his position as son of David and ‘son’ of YHWH in favour of being the ‘son’ of the king of Assyria (2Sa 7:14; Psa 2:7), and in the parallel he surrendered the Temple, either to the kings and gods of Assyria, or to the gods of Aram (2Ch 28:22-23). In ‘b’ Ahaz sent a present to the king of Assyria as an act of submission, and in the parallel he himself submitted to the king of Assyria. Centrally in ‘c’ the king of Assyria dealt with Aram on his behalf.
2Ki 16:7
‘And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son, come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.’
This abject message from Ahaz to Tiglath-pileser finally confirmed his refusal to look to YHWH for help. Instead of pleading with YHWH on the basis of his sonship (2Sa 7:14; Psa 2:7) and as ‘the son of David’ (on the basis of the Davidic covenant), he submitted to Tiglath-pileser by describing himself as his ‘servant and son’. In the passage Tiglath-pileser is only named here and in 2Ki 16:10 where Ahaz made his personal submission, otherwise he is ‘the king of Assyria. This emphasises the personal nature of his submission in this letter. There is here a clear transfer of his loyalty from YHWH to the king and gods of Assyria. And it is to Tiglath-pileser that he appeals as his saviour (‘save me’ – compare 2Ki 13:5) against the kings of Aram and Israel who are attacking him.
Communications between kings by means of letters sent by the hands of messengers are well attested at this time, especially with regard to Assyria.
This submission may well have been made while he was co-regent but in total control because his father, who died at a relatively young age, was ailing According to an Assyrian eponym list Damascus fell in around 732 BC, which was around the time when Ahaz became sole ruler of Judah. Thus his appeal to Assyria must have taken place prior to this, as is confirmed by an Assyrian record of his paying tribute to Tiglath-pileser along with some of Judah’s neighbours (which do, however, exclude Israel and Aram).
2Ki 16:8
‘And Ahaz took the silver and gold which was found in the house of YHWH, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.’
But it cost Judah dearly, for once again the treasury of Judah was emptied, something which to the author was a constant sign of YHWH’s displeasure. Compare 2Ki 12:18; 2Ki 14:14 ; 2Ki 18:15; 2Ki 24:13; 1Ki 14:6 ; 1Ki 15:18. Officially it was given as a ‘present’ because it had not been demanded but the king of Assyria would see it as tribute, and as an indication of vassalship. Note how the Temple treasury is regularly paralleled with the treasury in the king’s palace. The emphasis is on the emptying of the treasury, not on the Temple.
2Ki 16:9
‘And the king of Assyria listened to him, and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried its people captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.’
The king of Assyria responded to his request, probably by continuing to do what he had already intended to do. This verse is very much a summary of that response. He had in fact firstly invaded Philistia as far as the borders of Egypt, then he turned back and invaded Israel, with Pekah being replaced by Hoshea, an exchange which saved Israel from final destruction, and finally he crushed Aram, killing Rezin, and carrying the cream of the people of Aram captive to Kir (in Elam – Isa 22:5-6). The process took some time, but it relieved the pressure on Jerusalem.
2Ki 16:10
‘And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which was at Damascus, and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all its workmanship.’
As a result of his appeal king Ahaz then had to go to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser in person and make his submission. Such a submission would confirm his vassalship, and would inevitably result in Assyrian gods being required to be introduced into the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus the altar that Ahaz saw in Damascus may have been an Aramaean one, now ‘converted’ to being an altar used for the worship of the Assyrian gods (Damascus had been incorporated within an Assyrian province under Assyrian governors), or it may have been an Assyrian one introduced into Damascus by the victorious king of Assyria. Either way it was the one of which he was required to introduce a copy into the Temple, for part of his obligations under his vassalship would be to introduce an altar, and probably an image, into the Temple as bidden by the king of Assyria, in order that Assyrian gods might be worshipped there, alongside the national God. This would be an acknowledgement of the superiority of the Assyrian gods who had given Assyria dominance over Judah. And presumably the one that he was required to introduce was the one of which he sent details to Urijah the priest. By this means Ahaz had voluntarily brought himself into covenant with Assyria and its gods, and had accepted the king of Assyria as his overlord and ‘father’ thus demoting YHWH. He had forfeited the possibility of any help from YHWH.
2Ki 16:11
‘And Urijah the priest built an altar, according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus.’
Having received his instructions Urijah ‘the Priest’ did what was required of him, and built an altar in accordance with Ahaz’s specifications, ready for when the king returned. The Temple takeover was in process. In Isaiah 2 Urijah is mentioned as a reliable witness to Isaiah’s ‘advertisement’ concerning the name of his son, but not necessarily as in favour of Isaiah’s position. Here he is depicted as meekly submitting to what he knew to be wrong. (Isaiah would not have done it).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
2Ki 16:7 So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
Ver. 7. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser. ] God had offered him a sign for his better assurance, saying, Ask it either in the depth or height above. Isa 7:11-12 Here was a fair offer to a foul sinner; that where sin abounded, grace might superabound. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I try the Lord, q.d., I will ask no asks, I will try no signs; I know a trick worth two of that; let God keep his signs to himself: I crave no such courtesy at his hands, I can otherwise relieve myself by sending to the Assyrian.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sent messengers. This was opposed by Isaiah (2Ki 7:17). Compare Hos 5:13; Hos 7:11, Hos 7:12; Hos 8:9; Hos 11:5. Tiglath-pileser is the “razor” of Isa 7:20.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Tiglathpileser: Heb. Tilgath-pileser, 2Ki 15:29, 1Ch 5:26, 2Ch 28:20, Tilgath-pilneser
I am thy servant: 1Ki 20:4, 1Ki 20:32, 1Ki 20:33
and save: Psa 146:3-5, Jer 17:5, Lam 4:17, Hos 14:3
Reciprocal: 2Ki 8:9 – Thy son Benhadad 2Ki 17:3 – king of Assyria 2Ki 18:7 – rebelled 1Ch 5:6 – Tilgathpilneser Isa 7:20 – shave Isa 10:20 – no more Isa 57:9 – thou wentest to the king Jer 2:18 – or what hast Jer 13:21 – for Eze 16:28 – General Eze 23:5 – on the Eze 23:12 – upon Hos 5:10 – remove Hos 5:13 – went
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 16:7. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser Having forsaken God, he had neither courage nor strength to make head against his enemies, and therefore made his court to the king of Assyria, and endeavoured to prevail on him to come to his relief. But was it because there was not a God in Israel that he sent to the Assyrian for help? The truth is, he could not with any confidence ask help of God, being conscious he had abandoned his worship, and in the grossest manner violated his laws. Observe, reader, they whose hearts condemn them will go any whither for help, in a day of distress, rather than to God. Saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me I yield myself to thee as thy vassal, to serve and obey thee, and pay thee tribute, upon condition that thou wilt assist me against my enemies. Had he thus humbled himself to God, and implored his favour, he might have been delivered upon easier terms, might have saved his money, and needed only to have parted with his sins. Out of the hand of the king of Syria, &c. For though they were now gone from Jerusalem, yet he justly concluded they would return again, and, from time to time, molest and vex him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
16:7 So Ahaz sent {e} messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I [am] thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
(e) Contrary to the admonition of the prophet Isaiah, Isa 7:4.