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2
Chronicles Chapter Twenty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 22
In
this chapter we have an account of the wicked reign of Ahaziah the son of
Jehoram
2 Chronicles 22:1
of his death
the occasion and manner of it
2 Chronicles 22:5
and of his mother Athaliah destroying all the royal seed
excepting one
who
was hid by the king's sister
and assuming the government to herself
2 Chronicles 22:10.
2 Chronicles
22:1 Then the
inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place
for
the raiders who came with the Arabians into the camp had killed all the older sons.
So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram
king of Judah
reigned.
YLT
1And the inhabitants of
Jerusalem cause Ahaziah his youngest son to reign in his stead
(for all the
elder had the troop slain that came in with the Arabians to the camp
) and
Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah reigneth.
And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son
king in his stead
.... He being the only surviving one of the sons of Jehoram
the
same with Jehoahaz
2 Chronicles 21:17
who was saved when the rest were taken captive and slain
by his mother Athaliah
and he made his escape
and that she also escaped is clear from 2 Chronicles 22:10.
for the band of men that came with the Arabians to the camp; that is
of
the Philistines
2 Chronicles 21:16
which band seems to be a band or company of thieves and robbers
as the
Septuagint
cruel and barbarous
as the action ascribed to them shows:
for they had slain all
the eldest; sons of Jehoram; the Philistines and Arabians only carried them
away captives
but those slew them in cold blood:
so Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned; being
declared his successor by the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles
22:2 2 Ahaziah
was forty-two[a] years old
when he became king
and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was
Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri.
YLT
2A son of twenty and two
years [is] Ahaziah in his reigning
and one year he hath reigned in Jerusalem
and the name of his mother [is] Athaliah daughter of Omri;
Forty two and years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign
.... In 2 Kings 8:26
he is
said to be but twenty two years old at his accession to the throne
which is
undoubtedly most correct; for this makes him to be two years older than his
father when he died
who was thirty two when he began to reign
and reigned
eight years
2 Chronicles 21:20
different ways are taken to solve this difficulty; some refer this to Jehoram
that he was forty two when Ahaziah began to reign
but he was but forty when he
died; others to the age of Athaliah his mother
as if he was the son of one
that was forty two
when he himself was but twenty two; but no instance is
given of any such way of writing
nor any just reason for it; others make these
forty two years reach to the twentieth of his son Joash
his age twenty two
his reign one
Athaliah six
and Joash thirteen; but the two principal
solutions which seem most to satisfy learned men are
the one
that he was
twenty two when he began to reign in his father's lifetime
and forty two when
he began to reign in his own right; but then he must reign twenty years with
his father
whereas his father reigned but eight years: to make this clear they
observeF2In Hieron. Trad. Heb. in Paralip. fol. 85. E.
as Kimchi
and Abarbinel
from whom this solution is taken
that he reigned eight years
very happily when his son was twenty two
and taken on the throne with him
after which he reigned twenty more ingloriously
and died
when his son was
forty two; this has been greedily received by many
but without any proof: the
other is
that these forty two years are not the date of the age of Ahaziah
but of the reign of the family of Omri king of Israel; so the Jewish chronologyF3Seder
Olam Rabba
c. 17. So Ben Gersom. ; but how impertinent must the use of such a
date be in the account of the reign of a king of Judah? all that can be said
is
his mother was of that family
which is a trifling reason for such an
unusual method of reckoning: it seems best to acknowledge a mistake of the
copier
which might easily be made through a similarity of the numeral letters
מב
forty two
for כב
twenty twoF4See Kennicott's Dissert. 1. p. 98. ; and the rather
since some copies of the Septuagint
and the Syriac and Arabic versions
read
twenty two
as in Kings; particularly the Syriac version
used in the church of
Antioch from the most early times; a copy of which Bishop Usher obtained at a
very great price
and in which the number is twenty two
as he assures us; and
that the difficulty here is owing to the carelessness of the transcribers is
owned by GlassiusF5Philolog. Sacr. p. 114.
a warm advocate for the
integrity of the Hebrew text
and so by VitringaF6Hypotypol Hist.
Sacr. p. 67. : and indeed it is more to the honour of the sacred Scriptures to
acknowledge here and there a mistake in the copiers
especially in the historical
books
where there is sometimes a strange difference of names and numbers
than
to give in to wild and distorted interpretations of them
in order to reconcile
them
where there is no danger with respect to any article of faith or manners;
and
as a learned manF7J. Gregory's Preface to his Works. has
observed of the New Testament
"it is an invincible reason for the
Scripture's part
that other escapes should be so purposely and infinitely let
pass
and yet no saving and substantial part at all scarce moved out of its
place; to say the truth
these varieties of readings
in a few by-places
do
the same office to the main Scriptures
as the variation of the compass to the
whole magnet of the earth
the mariner knows so much the better for these how
to steer his course;'and
with respect to some various readings in the Old
Testament
Dr. OwenF8Divine Original of the Scripture
p. 14.
observes
God has suffered this lesser variety to fall out
in or among the
copies we have
for the quickening and exercising of our diligence in our
search of his word:
he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was
Athaliah
the daughter of Omri
see 2 Kings 8:26.
2 Chronicles
22:3 3 He
also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab
for his mother advised him to do
wickedly.
YLT
3he also hath walked in the
ways of the house of Ahab
for his mother hath been his counsellor to do
wickedly.
He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab
.... As his
father Jehoram had
2 Chronicles 21:6.
for his mother was his counsellor to do wickedly; to commit
idolatry
who was of that idolatrous house.
2 Chronicles
22:4 4 Therefore
he did evil in the sight of the Lord
like the house of Ahab;
for they were his counselors after the death of his father
to his destruction.
YLT
4And he doth the evil thing
in the eyes of Jehovah
like the house of Ahab
for they have been his
counsellors
after the death of his father
for destruction to him.
Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord
like the house of
Ahab
.... See 2 Kings 8:27.
for they were his counsellors
after the death of his father
to
his destruction; both of soul and body; for they gave him bad advice
both in
religious and civil things; these were some of the family or court of the king
of Israel
that his mother sent for after his father's death to be of his
council.
2 Chronicles
22:5 5 He
also followed their advice
and went with Jehoram[b] the son of
Ahab king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Syria at Ramoth Gilead; and
the Syrians wounded Joram.
YLT
5Also
in their counsel he
hath walked
and goeth with Jehoram son of Ahab king of Israel to battle
against Hazael king of Aram
in Ramoth-Gilead
and they of Ramah smite Joram;
Verse 5-6
He walked also after their counsel
.... Did as they advised
him
as in matters of religion
so in political things
of which there is an
instance in this and the next verse; of which see Gill on 2 Kings 8:28
2 Kings 8:29.
2 Chronicles
22:6 6 Then
he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which he had received at
Ramah
when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Azariah[c] the son of
Jehoram
king of Judah
went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel
because he was sick.
YLT
6and he turneth back to be
healed in Jezreel because of the wounds with which they had smitten him in
Ramah
in his fighting with Hazael king of Aram. And Azariah son of Jehoram
king of Judah hath gone down to see Jehoram son of Ahab
in Jezreel
for he
[is] sick;
2 Chronicles 22:7 7 His going to Joram was
God’s occasion for Ahaziah’s downfall; for when he arrived
he went out with
Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi
whom the Lord had anointed
to cut off the house of Ahab.
YLT
7and from God hath been the
destruction of Ahaziah
to come unto Joram: and in his coming he hath gone out
with Jehoram unto Jehu son of Nimshi
whom Jehovah anointed to cut off the
house of Ahab.
And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram
.... Of his
appointing; it was according to his purpose and decree
and was brought about
by his overruling Providence
ordering the occasion and manner of it very
justly for his sins:
for when he was come
he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the
son of Nimshi; see 2 Kings 9:21
whom the Lord had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab; raised up to
be king of Israel for that purpose
2 Kings 9:6
the
Targum is
"whom Elijah anointed by the command of the Word of the
Lord;'but it was not Elijah
but a prophet by the order of Elisha
that
anointed him
2 Kings 9:1
and
this being done by direction of the Lord
is ascribed to him.
2 Chronicles 22:8 8 And it happened
when Jehu
was executing judgment on the house of Ahab
and found the princes of Judah and
the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who served Ahaziah
that he killed them.
YLT
8And it cometh to pass
in
Jehu's executing judgment with the house of Ahab
that he findeth the heads of
Judah and sons of the brethren of Ahaziah
ministers of Ahaziah
and slayeth
them.
And it came to pass
that when Jehu was executing judgment on the
house of Ahab
.... On Joram
his son
and seventy more sons
his kinsfolks
courtiers
and priests:
and found the princes of Judah
and or even the sons of the
brethren of Ahaziah; whose number was forty two:
that ministered to Ahaziah; had offices in his
court
or in obedience to his will
went to visit the children of the king and
queen of Israel:
and he slew them; Jehu did; of the occasion
time
and place
of his meeting with them
and slaying them
see 2 Kings 10:12.
2 Chronicles 22:9 9 Then he searched for
Ahaziah; and they caught him (he was hiding in Samaria)
and brought him to
Jehu. When they had killed him
they buried him
“because
” they said
“he is
the son of Jehoshaphat
who sought the Lord with all his heart.” So
the house of Ahaziah had no one to assume power over the kingdom.
YLT
9And he seeketh Ahaziah
and
they capture him
(and he is hiding himself in Samaria)
and bring him in unto
Jehu
and put him to death
and bury him
for they said
`He [is] son of
Jehoshaphat
who sought Jehovah with all his heart;' and there is none to the
house of Ahaziah to retain power for the kingdom.
Verses 9-12
And he sought Ahaziah
.... Who fled on Joram's
being wounded by Jehu:
and they caught him; the soldiers of Jehu
who were sent after him
and bid to smite him:
for he was hid in Samaria; either in some part of
the kingdom of Samaria
or in the city itself
whither he fled:
and brought him to Jehu: who was at Jezreel; see
Gill on 2 Kings 9:27
and when they had slain him they buried him; not at
Jezreel
but delivered him to his servants to carry him to Jerusalem
and there
bury him in the sepulchres of his fathers
2 Kings 9:28
because
said they
he is the son of Jehoshaphat
who sought the
Lord with all his heart; a grandson of his
and therefore out of respect to the memory of
his name
these being religious men
ordered his burial there:
so the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom; his brethren
and their sons being slain
and his own children being young fell into the
hands of Athaliah
who murdered them all
but one
hid by his aunt
and so got
the government into her own hands
as may be observed in the following verses
2 Chronicles 22:10.
2 Chronicles 22:10 10 Now when Athaliah the
mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead
she arose and destroyed all the
royal heirs of the house of Judah.
YLT
10And Athaliah mother of
Ahaziah hath seen that her son is dead
and she riseth and destroyeth the whole
seed of the kingdom of the house of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:11 11 But Jehoshabeath
[d] the
daughter of the king
took Joash the son of Ahaziah
and stole him away from
among the king’s sons who were being murdered
and put him and his nurse in a
bedroom. So Jehoshabeath
the daughter of King Jehoram
the wife of Jehoiada
the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah)
hid him from Athaliah so that
she did not kill him.
YLT
11And Jehoshabeath daughter
of the king taketh Joash son of Ahaziah
and stealeth him from the midst of the
sons of the king who are put to death
and putteth him and his nurse into the
inner part of the bed-chambers
and Jehoshabeath daughter of king Jehoram
wife
of Jehoiada the priest
because she hath been sister of Ahaziah
hideth him
from the face of Athaliah
and she hath not put him to death.
2 Chronicles 22:12 12 And he was hidden with
them in the house of God for six years
while Athaliah reigned over the land.
YLT
12And he is with them in the
house of God hiding himself six years
and Athaliah is reigning over the land.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)