2 Kings 15 Study Notes: Uzziah’s Leprosy and Israel’s Turmoil
Azariah, also called Uzziah, rules Judah well but is struck with leprosy, so Jotham governs. In Israel, Zechariah’s murder ends Jehu’s dynasty as God promised, rival kings seize power by assassination, and Assyria takes tribute and captives. As Jotham reigns, the LORD begins sending Aram and Israel against Judah.
General
King Azariah and Jotham, his son, both pleased the LORD. What shortcoming does the narrator note for each of them (2 Kings 15:3-4, 34-35)?
Answer: They left the high places in use, where the people kept sacrificing
Both kings receive a positive verdict. Azariah did right, following Amaziah’s example (15:3), and Jotham did right as his father had (15:34). In this chapter Azariah is also called Uzziah, so the two names refer to the same king (15:13, 32). Yet for both, the narrator adds the same qualification. The high places, local hilltop shrines where people offered sacrifices instead of at the one place God had chosen, were left in place, and the people kept offering sacrifices and incense at them (15:4, 35). God’s law had commanded Israel to destroy the hilltop worship sites of the nations and to bring offerings only to the place He would choose (Deuteronomy 12:2, 13-14). Even good kings left this compromise standing.
- 2 Kings 15:3-4 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.”Azariah is approved, but the high places remain in use.
- 2 Kings 15:34-35 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.”Jotham is approved with the same qualification about the high places.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”The law commanded Israel to destroy the hilltop places of worship.
- Deuteronomy 12:13-14 (BSB)“Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.”Offerings were to be made only at the place the LORD would choose.
Theological
What qualification attaches to the favorable verdicts on Azariah and Jotham (2 Kings 15:3-4, 34-35)?
Answer: They left the high places in use, where the people kept sacrificing
Azariah (also called Uzziah in this chapter, 15:13, 32) and Jotham, his son, both receive approving verdicts modeled on their fathers (15:3, 34), and both are qualified by the same refrain: the high places remain, and the people continue to sacrifice and burn incense at them (15:4, 35). Deuteronomy required the destruction of such sites and the centralization of sacrifice at the one sanctuary God would select (Deuteronomy 12:2, 13-14). Even Judah’s better kings leave this unauthorized worship intact, a persistent compromise the book keeps noting.
- 2 Kings 15:3-4 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.”Azariah is approved, but the high places remain in use.
- 2 Kings 15:34-35 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the LORD.”Jotham is approved with the same qualification about the high places.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”The law commanded Israel to destroy the hilltop places of worship.
- Deuteronomy 12:13-14 (BSB)“Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.”Offerings were to be made only at the place the LORD would choose.
General
What does 2 Kings 15:5 record about King Azariah’s later life?
Answer: The LORD struck him with leprosy, so he lived apart while Jotham ruled
The LORD afflicted Azariah with leprosy, a serious skin disease that made a person ritually unclean, and he had it until he died. He stayed in a house by himself, and Jotham, his son, ran the palace and ruled the land (15:5). The law required a person with such a disease to live apart from the community (Leviticus 13:46). The text says that the LORD sent this affliction but does not give the reason here. When Azariah died, Jotham, who had already been governing, became king in his place (15:7).
- 2 Kings 15:5 (BSB)“And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.”The LORD afflicts Azariah with leprosy, and Jotham governs in his place.
- Leviticus 13:46 (BSB)“As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.”The law required a person with this disease to live alone, explaining Azariah’s separate house.
- 2 Kings 15:7 (BSB)“And Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in the City of David. And his son Jotham reigned in his place.”At Azariah’s death his son Jotham became king in his place.
Theological
What does 2 Kings 15:5 report concerning Azariah’s affliction and its effect on his rule?
Answer: The LORD struck him with leprosy, so he lived apart while Jotham ruled
The LORD strikes Azariah with leprosy until his death; he lives in isolation while Jotham administers the palace and governs (15:5), in keeping with the law’s requirement that a leper live apart (Leviticus 13:46). The verse attributes the affliction to the LORD without stating its cause, and at Azariah’s death Jotham, already governing, succeeds him (15:7).
- 2 Kings 15:5 (BSB)“And the LORD afflicted the king with leprosy until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.”The LORD afflicts Azariah with leprosy, and Jotham governs in his place.
- Leviticus 13:46 (BSB)“As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.”The law required a person with this disease to live alone, explaining Azariah’s separate house.
- 2 Kings 15:7 (BSB)“And Azariah rested with his fathers and was buried near them in the City of David. And his son Jotham reigned in his place.”At Azariah’s death his son Jotham became king in his place.
General
When Shallum killed Jeroboam’s son Zechariah, what earlier promise from the LORD did this fulfill (2 Kings 15:10-12)?
Answer: The promise that Jehu’s sons would rule Israel for four generations
Zechariah, Jeroboam’s son, reigned only briefly before Shallum plotted against him and killed him publicly (15:8-10). The narrator then points back to what the LORD had told Jehu: since Jehu had carried out the LORD’s judgment on Ahab’s house, his descendants would hold Israel’s throne to the fourth generation (2 Kings 10:30). Jehu’s line ran through Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam and Zechariah, and with Zechariah’s death it ended, exactly as the LORD had said (15:12). The prophet Hosea had also announced that the LORD would punish Jehu’s house for the blood shed at Jezreel (Hosea 1:4).
- 2 Kings 15:10 (BSB)“Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.”Shallum conspires against Zechariah and kills him.
- 2 Kings 15:12 (BSB)“So the word of the LORD spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””The narrator says this fulfilled the LORD’s word to Jehu.
- 2 Kings 10:30 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””This is the promise to Jehu of four generations on Israel’s throne.
- Hosea 1:4 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.”Hosea announced that the LORD would bring Jehu’s house to account.
Theological
Which divine word does the narrator say was fulfilled in Zechariah’s assassination (2 Kings 15:10-12)?
Answer: The promise that Jehu’s sons would rule Israel for four generations
Zechariah’s murder by Shallum (15:10) ends Jehu’s dynasty, and the narrator presents it as the fulfillment of the LORD’s word to Jehu that four generations of his sons would occupy Israel’s throne (15:12; 2 Kings 10:30): Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II and Zechariah. The promise was both a reward and a limit. Hosea had likewise announced the LORD’s reckoning with Jehu’s house for the bloodshed at Jezreel (Hosea 1:4).
- 2 Kings 15:10 (BSB)“Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.”Shallum conspires against Zechariah and kills him.
- 2 Kings 15:12 (BSB)“So the word of the LORD spoken to Jehu was fulfilled: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””The narrator says this fulfilled the LORD’s word to Jehu.
- 2 Kings 10:30 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””This is the promise to Jehu of four generations on Israel’s throne.
- Hosea 1:4 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.”Hosea announced that the LORD would bring Jehu’s house to account.
General
How did the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah and Pekah each come to an end (2 Kings 15:10, 14, 25, 30)?
Answer: Each was murdered by a man who then seized the throne
In a short span, four kings of Israel were murdered by the men who replaced them. Shallum killed Zechariah (15:10), Menahem killed Shallum (15:14), Pekah, one of Pekahiah’s officers, killed Pekahiah (15:25), and Hoshea killed Pekah (15:30). Of the northern kings in this chapter, only Menahem passed the crown to his son (15:22). The northern kingdom was sinking into violence and instability. The prophet Hosea, who spoke to the northern kingdom in these years, charged in general terms that the people set up kings the LORD had not chosen (Hosea 8:4), even though the LORD had warned Israel again and again through His prophets to turn from their wicked ways (2 Kings 17:13).
- 2 Kings 15:10 (BSB)“Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.”Shallum kills Zechariah and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:14 (BSB)“Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.”Menahem kills Shallum and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:25 (BSB)“Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.”Pekah kills Pekahiah and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:30 (BSB)“Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.”Hoshea kills Pekah and takes the throne.
- Hosea 8:4 (BSB)“They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.”Hosea condemns Israel for setting up kings the LORD had not approved.
- 2 Kings 17:13 (BSB)“Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.””The LORD had warned Israel through His prophets to turn from their wicked ways.
Theological
What common pattern marks the end of the reigns of Zechariah, Shallum, Pekahiah and Pekah (2 Kings 15:10, 14, 25, 30)?
Answer: Each was murdered by a man who then seized the throne
The chapter records a cascade of usurpations: Shallum assassinates Zechariah (15:10), Menahem assassinates Shallum (15:14), Pekah assassinates Pekahiah (15:25), and Hoshea assassinates Pekah (15:30); among this chapter’s northern kings only Menahem is succeeded by a son (15:22). The instability reflects a kingdom that has abandoned the LORD, a kingdom Hosea charges in general terms with making kings without the LORD’s sanction (Hosea 8:4), despite the repeated prophetic warnings the narrator later summarizes (2 Kings 17:13).
- 2 Kings 15:10 (BSB)“Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in front of the people, and reigned in his place.”Shallum kills Zechariah and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:14 (BSB)“Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.”Menahem kills Shallum and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:25 (BSB)“Then his officer, Pekah son of Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria, Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.”Pekah kills Pekahiah and takes the throne.
- 2 Kings 15:30 (BSB)“Then Hoshea son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and reigned in his place.”Hoshea kills Pekah and takes the throne.
- Hosea 8:4 (BSB)“They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.”Hosea condemns Israel for setting up kings the LORD had not approved.
- 2 Kings 17:13 (BSB)“Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.””The LORD had warned Israel through His prophets to turn from their wicked ways.
General
According to 2 Kings 15:37, who was behind the attacks of Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah on Judah?
Answer: The LORD, who began sending these kings against Judah
In a short note at the end of Jotham’s reign, the narrator says that at that time the LORD started sending Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah against Judah (15:37). The attacks were the real, hostile acts of two kings who were responsible for them, yet the narrator traces them to the LORD’s hand. Scripture consistently teaches that God rules even over calamity, as Amos asked whether disaster could strike a city unless the LORD had brought it (Amos 3:6). This sets up the crisis of chapter 16, when the two kings marched on Jerusalem during Ahaz’s reign (Isaiah 7:1).
- 2 Kings 15:37 (BSB)“(In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)”The narrator says the LORD began sending Rezin and Pekah against Judah.
- Amos 3:6 (BSB)“If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?”Amos teaches that calamity on a city comes under the LORD’s rule.
- Isaiah 7:1 (BSB)“Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city.”Isaiah describes the attack of Rezin and Pekah on Jerusalem in Ahaz’s day.
Theological
To whom does 2 Kings 15:37 ultimately attribute the hostility of Rezin and Pekah against Judah?
Answer: The LORD, who began sending these kings against Judah
The parenthetical note in 15:37 attributes the coming Aramean-Israelite aggression against Judah to the LORD, who began dispatching Rezin and Pekah. The kings act freely and culpably, yet the LORD governs their actions as instruments of His purposes, the same sovereignty over calamity that Amos asserts (Amos 3:6). The note prepares for the crisis of Ahaz’s reign, when the two kings attack Jerusalem (Isaiah 7:1).
- 2 Kings 15:37 (BSB)“(In those days the LORD began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)”The narrator says the LORD began sending Rezin and Pekah against Judah.
- Amos 3:6 (BSB)“If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it?”Amos teaches that calamity on a city comes under the LORD’s rule.
- Isaiah 7:1 (BSB)“Now in the days that Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not overpower the city.”Isaiah describes the attack of Rezin and Pekah on Jerusalem in Ahaz’s day.
General
What did Menahem do when the Assyrian king Pul invaded (2 Kings 15:19-20)?
Answer: He paid Pul a vast sum, taxed from Israel’s rich men, to back his rule
When the Assyrian king Pul invaded, Menahem paid him an enormous sum of silver, raising it as a levy on every wealthy man in Israel, so that Pul would support him and strengthen his hold on the kingdom (15:19-20). For the moment it worked, and the Assyrian king left (15:20). But the narrator has just judged Menahem as a king who did evil (15:18). More broadly, the prophet Hosea rebuked the northern kingdom for looking to Assyria instead of the LORD: when Ephraim saw its sickness it turned to Assyria, which could not heal it (Hosea 5:13), and the nation was like a senseless dove calling first to Egypt and then to Assyria (Hosea 7:11).
- 2 Kings 15:19-20 (BSB)“Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom. Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.”Menahem pays Pul, taxing Israel’s wealthy men, to secure his support.
- Hosea 5:13 (BSB)“When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.”Hosea says Israel turned to Assyria, which could not heal its wound.
- Hosea 7:11 (BSB)“So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.”Hosea pictures Israel foolishly turning to Egypt and Assyria for help.
Theological
How did Menahem respond to Pul’s invasion (2 Kings 15:19-20)?
Answer: He paid Pul a vast sum, taxed from Israel’s rich men, to back his rule
Menahem buys Assyrian backing: he pays Pul an enormous tribute, extracted as a levy on Israel’s wealthy men, to secure Pul’s support for his own hold on power, and the Assyrian king withdraws (15:19-20). The narrator has already judged Menahem evil (15:18), and more broadly Hosea rebukes the northern kingdom’s habit of seeking Assyria’s help instead of the LORD’s, since Assyria could not heal its wound (Hosea 5:13), comparing Ephraim to a senseless dove calling to Egypt and then to Assyria (Hosea 7:11).
- 2 Kings 15:19-20 (BSB)“Then Pul king of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the kingdom. Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.”Menahem pays Pul, taxing Israel’s wealthy men, to secure his support.
- Hosea 5:13 (BSB)“When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.”Hosea says Israel turned to Assyria, which could not heal its wound.
- Hosea 7:11 (BSB)“So Ephraim has become like a silly, senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.”Hosea pictures Israel foolishly turning to Egypt and Assyria for help.
General
True or False: Menahem attacked the town of Tiphsah because its people refused to let him in (2 Kings 15:16).
Answer: True
This is true. After killing Shallum and taking the throne (15:14), Menahem set out from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah and the surrounding area because the town refused to open to him (15:16). His assault was savage, sparing not even the most defenseless (15:16). Elisha had wept when he foresaw the same kind of cruelty from Hazael of Aram (2 Kings 8:11-12), and here a king of Israel commits it. Scripture says the LORD detests the spilling of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17), and it grounds the worth of every human life in God’s image (Genesis 9:6).
- 2 Kings 15:14 (BSB)“Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.”Menahem comes from Tirzah, kills Shallum, and seizes the throne.
- Proverbs 6:16-17 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,”The LORD hates hands that shed innocent blood, as Menahem’s did.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”Human life is precious to God because people are made in His image.
Theological
True or False: Menahem assaulted Tiphsah because the town refused him entry (2 Kings 15:16).
Answer: True
This is true. Having seized the throne by assassinating Shallum (15:14), Menahem attacks Tiphsah and its environs because the town will not open to him, and the assault is savage, sparing not even the most defenseless (15:16). The cruelty Elisha had wept to foresee from Hazael (2 Kings 8:11-12) is now inflicted by a king of Israel. The LORD abhors the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17), and Genesis grounds the worth of human life in creation in His image (Genesis 9:6).
- 2 Kings 15:14 (BSB)“Then Menahem son of Gadi went up from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of Jabesh, and reigned in his place.”Menahem comes from Tirzah, kills Shallum, and seizes the throne.
- Proverbs 6:16-17 (BSB)“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,”The LORD hates hands that shed innocent blood, as Menahem’s did.
- Genesis 9:6 (BSB)“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.”Human life is precious to God because people are made in His image.
General
Zechariah, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah are each judged for keeping the sins of the first Jeroboam. What sins does that verdict point back to (2 Kings 15:9, 18, 24, 28)?
Answer: The golden calves he set up at Bethel and Dan for worship
Four of the five northern kings in this chapter, Zechariah, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah, receive the same verdict: they did evil and kept up the sins Nebat’s son Jeroboam had led Israel into (15:9, 18, 24, 28). Those sins go back to the northern kingdom’s beginning. The first Jeroboam crafted a pair of golden calves, placed them at Bethel and Dan, told the people that the journey to Jerusalem was too much for them, and presented the calves as the gods who brought Israel out of Egypt; this became a sin for the nation (1 Kings 12:28-30). The LORD had warned that He would give Israel up because of those sins (1 Kings 14:16), and the repeated verdict shows each new king walking the same road toward judgment.
- 2 Kings 15:9 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.”Zechariah is judged for keeping the first Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 15:28 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.”Pekah receives the same verdict.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”The first Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
- 1 Kings 14:16 (BSB)“So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.””The LORD warned that He would give Israel up because of Jeroboam’s sins.
Theological
To what original offense does the repeated verdict on Zechariah, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah refer (2 Kings 15:9, 18, 24, 28)?
Answer: The golden calves he set up at Bethel and Dan for worship
The refrain applied to Zechariah, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah (15:9, 18, 24, 28) indicts each king for perpetuating the founding sin of the northern kingdom: the golden-calf worship at Bethel and Dan, which Nebat’s son Jeroboam established as an alternative to worship in Jerusalem and presented as the gods of the exodus (1 Kings 12:28-30). The LORD had already tied Israel’s eventual rejection to that sin (1 Kings 14:16), so the refrain traces an apostasy that outlasts every change of dynasty and carries the kingdom toward exile.
- 2 Kings 15:9 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.”Zechariah is judged for keeping the first Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 15:28 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.”Pekah receives the same verdict.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”The first Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
- 1 Kings 14:16 (BSB)“So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.””The LORD warned that He would give Israel up because of Jeroboam’s sins.
General
What happened to much of northern Israel during Pekah’s reign (2 Kings 15:29)?
Answer: Assyria’s king took its towns and carried the people off to Assyria
During Pekah’s reign, the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser captured a string of towns in the north of Israel, along with Gilead, Galilee and the whole territory of Naphtali, and deported their people to Assyria (15:29). This was a major step toward the full exile that came when Samaria fell under Hoshea (2 Kings 17:6). The LORD had warned in His law that persistent unfaithfulness would end with Israel scattered among the nations (Leviticus 26:33). The repeated verdicts in this chapter explain why it was happening.
- 2 Kings 15:29 (BSB)“In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.”Tiglath-pileser captures northern Israel and deports its people.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”The full exile of Israel followed when Samaria fell.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The law warned that unfaithfulness would end in scattering among the nations.
Theological
What befell the northern territories of Israel in Pekah’s day (2 Kings 15:29)?
Answer: Assyria’s king took its towns and carried the people off to Assyria
Under Pekah, Tiglath-pileser annexes Israel’s northern towns along with Gilead, Galilee and the whole of Naphtali, and deports the population to Assyria (15:29). The deportation anticipates the full exile at Samaria’s fall under Hoshea (2 Kings 17:6) and begins to enact the covenant curse of dispersion among the nations (Leviticus 26:33). The chapter’s repeated verdicts supply the reason.
- 2 Kings 15:29 (BSB)“In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.”Tiglath-pileser captures northern Israel and deports its people.
- 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”The full exile of Israel followed when Samaria fell.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The law warned that unfaithfulness would end in scattering among the nations.