The Second Book of the Kings, commonly called the Fourth Book of the Kings
2 Kings 14
Chapter XIV · Vol. II, pp. 785–787
1 Amaziah's good reign. 5 His justice on the murderers of his father. 7 His victory over Edom. 8 Amaziah, provoking Jehoash, is overcome and spoiled. 15 Jeroboam succeedeth Jehoash. 17 Amaziah is slain by a conspiracy. 21 Azariah succeedeth him. 23 Jeroboam's wicked reign. 28 Zachariah succeedeth him.
1 In the second year of Joash1 son of Jehoahaz king of Israel reigned aAmaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
3 And he did that which was bright2 in the sight of the LORD, yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.3
b ch.12.2. 2 Ch.25.2; 24.17,18. 2 Ti.3.5. He reigned hypocritically.
2 Some things right, that is, as God had commanded in the law, or prescribed by his prophets.—C.
3 We see here the influence of personal parental example. Let fathers who have successfully trained up their children to serve God, be thankful for the honour thus conferred on them.—I.
4 Howbeit cthe high places were not taken away: as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.
c 1 Ki.15.4; 22.43. ch.12.3; 15.4,35. 2 Ch.21.17.
5 And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom dwas confirmed in his hand, that he eslew4 his servants which had slain the king his father.
6 But the children5 of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, fThe fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
5 This is mentioned as a commendation, for in those barbarous times vengeance often extended to the children. Low must be the state of morals when obedience to a simple command of God is noted as a rare virtue.—I.
f De.24.16. Eze.18.4-20.
7 He slew of gEdom in the valley of Salt ten thousand, and took 6Selah7 by war,8 and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.9
g ch.8.20,22. 2 Ch.25.11. 2 Sa.8.13. Ps.60.title.
6 Or, the rock.
7 Situated about 90 miles south-east of Jerusalem. It was surrounded by precipitous rocks, and its name signifies a rock, as also did its subsequent name, Petra. It was a place of such strength, that it more than once set the Roman armies at defiance. When subdued by that iron power, it became the capital of a province; afterwards, the metropolitan see of the surrounding Greek churches, but finally became, as was foretold by the prophet, a total 'desolation.' Its ruins are at present the most remarkable in the world, and furnish the most abiding evidences of prophetic inspiration.—C.
8 B.C. 826.
9 'Obedience of God,' in testimony of his confidence in the word of the prophet, 2 Ch.25.8,9.—C.
8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, hlet us look one another in the face.1
h 1 Sa.14.12. 2 Ch.25.17. ch.23.29. Je.11.12. Pr.17.14; 18.6,12; 13.10; 16.18.
1 To face an enemy, is still a common phrase for fighting.—C.
9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, iThe 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.
i Ju.9.8-15. 2 Sa.12.1-4. Is.55.13. The thistle denotes Amaziah as weak and contemptible, though mischievous; and the cedar Joash, powerful and peaceable.
10 Thou khast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of this, and tarry at home;1 for why shouldest thou meddlel to thy hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
11 But Amaziah mwould not hear: therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up;2 and he and Amaziah king of Judah nlooked one another in the face at oBeth-shemesh,3 which belongeth to Judah.
m 2 Ch.25.20. Ex.14.4. 1 Sa.2.25.
2 The ground being higher in Judah than in Samaria—a curious internal proof of the history having been written on the spot.—C.
n ver.8. 2 Sa.2.14. 1 Sa.14.12.
o Jos.21.16, not 19.38, nor Je.43.13.
3 There were several cities of this name. This one was situated about 13 miles west of Jerusalem.—C.
12 And Judah pwas put to the worse before Israel, and they fled every man to their tents.
p Heb. was smitten, 2 Ch.25.22.
13 And Jehoash king of Israel qtook Amaziah king of Judah,4 the son of Jehoash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh; and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, fromr the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits[≈ 180 m · 600 ft].
q Pr.16.18; 18.12; 29.23. Lu.14.11. Job 40.11,12. 1 Pe.5.5.
4 Self-conceit, ver.8; senseless idolatry imported from the country he had conquered, and contempt of good advice, 2 Ch.25.14-16, led first to the alienation of his subjects, ver.27, and then to the judgments with which God punished him, 2 Ch.25.15.—C.
r Ne.8.16; 12.39. Je.31.38. Zec.14.10. 2 Ch.25.23.
14 And he took sall the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king's house, and hostages,5 and returned to Samaria.
s 1 Ki.7.41,51; 14.26; 15.18. ch.18.15. 2 Ch.25.24.
5 Took some of the chief men with him, as security for the quiet behaviour of king Amaziah and the rest of their countrymen.—C.
15 Nowt the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
t 1 Ki.14.19,20; 16.5,6,14,20,27,28. ch.10.34,35; 13.8,9,13.
16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers,6 and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and uJeroboam7 his son reigned in his stead.
17 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah xlived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
x 2 Ch.25.25. ch.13.10; ver.1,2.
18 And the yrest of the acts of Amaziah, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
y ch.16.6; 10.34.
19 Now zthey made a conspiracy8 against him in Jerusalem; and he fled to aLachish:9 but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him there.
z 2 Ch.25.14,27. ch.12.20,21; 15.10,14,25,30; 21.23.
8 B.C. 810.
a Jos.10.1,31. Is.36.2. Mi.1.13.
9 Lachish was in the plain of Philistia, on the road to Gaza, 35 miles south-west of Jerusalem. It was then a strong city; it is now a desolate ruin.—P.
20 And they brought him on horses: and he bwas buried at Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
21 And all the people of Judah took cAzariah,1 which was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah.
c 1 Ch.3.12, or Uzziah, 2 Ch.26.1, or Ozias, Mat.1.8.
1 Called Uzziah, ver. 32, and Ozias by Matthew, ch. 1. 8. There is no reason, however, to pronounce 'Azariah' an error, for nothing is more common than to find the same person having more names than one at one time, or called by different names at different times.—C.
22 He built dElath,2 and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.
d De.2.8. 1 Ki.9.26. ch.16.6. 2 Ch.26.2. It was a port on the Red Sea.
2 On the north point of the eastern gulf of the Red Sea. It was the entrepot for the East Indian commerce in the days of Solomon, and retained its commercial importance till the 6th century of our era. It is now called Ælah, and is totally in ruins.—C.
23 In the fifteenth year3 of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign4 in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years.
3 B.C. 825.
4 Now he began to reign alone, having reigned twelve years with his father.
24 And ehe did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
A.M. 3179. B.C. 825.
e ch.10.31; 13.2,11; 3.3. 1 Ki.12.26-33; 15.26,34; 16.26.
25 He restored the coast of Israel, ffrom the entering of Hamath5 unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant gJonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
26 For the LORD hsaw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left,6 nor any helper for Israel.
27 And the LORD said not that he would iblot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.7
i As yet, ch.13.23, but soon after did, Ho.1.6,9. ch.17.18.
7 See note on ch.13.5.—C.
28 Now kthe rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for 8Israel, are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?
k ver.15,16,18.
8 The passage is somewhat obscure, but the meaning seems to be that Jeroboam reduced to subjection the territories of Damascus and Hamath, which David had originally conquered, and which in the time of Solomon remained part of the Jewish monarchy. They were therefore said to belong to Judah.—P.
Notes
Reflections.—It is an easy thing to be a formalist in religion—but God tries the heart. How short-lived is the prosperity of traitors and murderers! Vain minds are proud of little, and are obstinate against good advice. But others will be found proud enough to mortify them, and strong enough to render them miserable. It is madness for the people of God to weaken themselves before their common enemy by their mutual contentions. They who are least fond of war have ordinarily the best success in it: and they who govern ill raise discontents among their subjects, that issue in their ruin. But whatever refuge sinners flee to, it will be found incapable to protect them. God will take care that his providence shall exactly correspond with his purpose and word. Often indeed wicked persons, families, or nations are allowed a transient blaze of prosperity just before their final fall into lasting misery and ruin: but death and hell shall quickly overtake the most prosperous transgressors.
Measures in square brackets are modern equivalents added for this edition. They are not in the King James text or in Brown’s notes. They use common scholarly estimates: a cubit is about 45.7 cm (18 in), a shekel about 11.4 g (0.4 oz), an ephah about 22 litres. Money values give the worth of the silver or gold at spot prices on 28 October 2026, not what the sum would buy in the ancient world.