2 June Movement, Arrests and escapes
On 19 April 1972 four hundred police raid the "Georg von Rauch House", a commune in Kreuzberg. Evidence related to recent bombings were discovered, but members of the 2 June Movement who had been living there were else where at the time of the raid. Twenty-seven people were taken in for questioning.


2 June Movement, Arrests and escapes
Later that June, Bernhard Braun was discovered and arrested for his activity in violent attacks, along with Red Army Faction member Brigitte Mohnhaupt.


2 June Movement, Arrests and escapes
In 1973, 2 June Movement member Gabi Kröcher-Tiedemann was arrested after shooting a policeman and sentenced to eight years in prison. She was set free in 1975 as a part of the bargain in the Peter Lorenz kidnapping. Within a few months of each other in late 1973, Inge Viett and Till Meyer escaped from prison.


2 June Movement, Dissolution
On 2 June 1980, the 2 June Movement declared that they had disbanded and merged with the Red Army Faction in a letter to the German daily newspaper, Frankfurter Rundschau. Anti -imperialism was a common cause that brought the 2 June Movement to join forces with the Red Army Faction. The 2 June movement ended their statement with "Unity in the Anti- Imperialist Armed Struggle" conveying their solidarity with the Red Army Faction.


2 King's Bench Walk
2 King's Bench Walk is a Grade I listed building that houses barristers' chambers in the Inner Temple, Central London. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in about 1680, after the Great Fire of 1666.


2 King's Bench Walk
The building survived the bombing of World War II, and remains as an important example of a well-proportioned seventeenth century townhouse. The corner position provides for a number of spacious dual-aspect rooms with views towards the River Thames. One of the rooms on the first floor contains a beautiful carved wooden mantelpiece together with wall panelling. The top floor continues to be used as a residence.


2 King's Bench Walk
Various sets of barristers' chambers have existed at 2 King's Bench Walk, including a set formerly headed by Lord Campbell of Alloway QC ERD.


2 Kings (album)
2 Kings is a collaborative studio album by Nigerian rappers Olamide and Phyno. It was released through Cloud 9 and the iTunes Store with little announcement on 1 April 2015, by Penthauze Music and YBNL Nation. The album features collaborations with producers and guest artists such as Wizkid, Lil Kesh, Storm Rex, Pheelz, Major Bangz, B.Banks and Young John. Prior to recording the album, Olamide and Phyno frequently collaborated with each other on several songs, including "Ghost Mode" and "Dope Money". The album produced the singles "Une" and "Confam Ni", both of which were released in the months leading to the album's release.


2 Kings (album), Background
Olamide first announced plans for a collaborative project with Phyno in January 2014. The album was initially scheduled for release in 2014, but was pushed back. While speaking to Yaw of Wazobia FM in October 2014, Olamide said the album was still being worked on.


2 Kings (album), Singles
Phyno released the album's lead single "Une" on 5 February 2015. Olamide released the album's second single "Confam Ni" on 8 March 2015. The song features vocals from Wizkid and was produced by Young John.


2 Kings (album), Critical reception
2 Kings received generally positive reviews from music critics and consumers. Jim Donnett awarded the album 4 stars out of 5, characterizing it as "the battle axe, crafted and fashioned for the reawakening purpose" and commending Olamide and Phyno for "breaking the fetters and reigning supreme as kings." Ayomide Tayo of Pulse Nigeria granted the album 3.5 stars out of 5, describing it as a "project that had more promise and potential than impact" while applauding both rappers for not taking the "let's play it safe" approach. A writer for music blog Jaguda described the album as a "classic masterpiece" and commended its production and length.


2 Kings 1
2 Kings 1 is the first chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter focuses on the Israel king Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, and the acts of Elijah the prophet who rebuked the king and prophesied the king's death.


2 Kings 1, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 18 verses.


2 Kings 1, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 1, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 1, Analysis
The second book of Kings begins with a chapter featuring the prophet Elijah, whose stories occupy the last part of the first book of Kings (1 Kings). In this final story of confrontation with a monarch, Elijah takes on King Ahaziah of Israel whose reign was introduced in the ending verses of 1 Kings (1 Kings 22:52–54).


2 Kings 1, Analysis
The artificial separation of this episode of Elijah from those in the previous book resulted from the Septuagint's division of the Hebrew book of Kings into two parts, whereas the Jewish Hebrew text tradition continued to consider Kings as one book until the Bamberg Rabbinic Bible of 1516. This makes 2 Kings begin with a sick king (Ahaziah) in his deathbed, just as 1 Kings (David), where both Ahaziah and David received prophets with quite different results. Although Elijah is fully capable of raising the dead (1 Kings 17:17–24), Ahaziah seeks help elsewhere, so instead of being healed, he was prophesied by Elijah to die in his current bed.


2 Kings 1, Analysis
The abruptness of the beginning of 2 Kings can also be seen its very first verse about Moab's rebellion against Israel after the death of Ahab, which seems unrelated to the story of Ahaziah and Elijah that follows it; the rebellion will be dealt in chapter 3, where it starts with the verbatim "repetitive resumption" (Wiederaufnahme) of 2 Kings 1:1 in 2 Kings 3:5. However, this opening episode of 2 Kings serves several important functions: looking backwards to summarize the personality and behavioral traits of Elijah, while at the same time anticipating the future anti-Baal crusade by Jehu who would destroy the Omride dynasty.


2 Kings 1, Analysis
This narrative is one of four in 1–2 Kings in which a prophet delivers an oracle to a dying king, placing Elijah in a "type-scene" associated with each major prophet in the book (Ahijah in 1 Kings 14:1–18; Elisha in 2 Kings 8:7–15; Isaiah in 2 Kings 20:1–11), thus linking him into a prophetic chain. The differences from the common pattern are the threefold repetition of the oracle (verses 3b-4, 6, 16) and the confrontations between Elijah and the three captains of the king.


2 Kings 1, Analysis, Structure
The main narrative of this chapter contains parallel elements that create structural symmetry:


2 Kings 1, Opening verse (1:1)
This statement about Moab's rebellion in the opening verse of 2 Kings is elaborated in 2 Kings 3:5ff, and supported by the information in the Mesha Stele (see detailed comparisons in chapter 3).


2 Kings 1, Opening verse (1:1)
Moab in the Trans-Jordan region was incorporated into Israel by King David, who has family connections with the people of that land (Ruth 4), mentioned only briefly in 1 Kings 11:7 as a client state of Israel during the days of David and Solomon, then ruled by the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reigning period of the Omrides.


2 Kings 1, Elijah interferes (1:3–16)
The oracular consultation that Ahaziah requested did not take place due to Elijah's interference in the name of YHWH, following the explicit order of an 'angel of the LORD' (verses 3–4) and three (fifty-strong) army divisions are unable to stop him (verses 9-16). Thematically similar to 1 Kings 18, Elijah's mission to promote the exclusive worship of YHWH in Israel suits his name ('My God is YHWH!').


2 Kings 1, Elijah interferes (1:3–16)
Ahaziah only came to know who the prophet was by the description of Elijah's appearance, and aside from his mantle (cf. 2 Kings 2:13), Elijah's recognizable feature seems to be his sudden showing up 'precisely when he is not expected or wanted, fearlessly saying what was to be said in the name of his God' (cf. 1 Kings 18:7; 21:17–20).


2 Kings 1, Death of Ahaziah (1:17–18)
In Ahaziah's life and death, the history of the house of Ahab is parallel to that of the house of Jeroboam I. A man of God from Judah prophesied the end of Jeroboam's family (1 Kings 13), then Jeroboam's son Abijah was sick and died before the dynasty ended. Likewise, after the destruction of Ahab's family was prophesied, Ahab's son, Ahaziah, died when the dynasty was still intact. However both dynasties fell during the reign of a subsequent son.


2 Kings 10
2 Kings 10 is the tenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records Jehu's massacres of the sons of Ahab, the kinsmen of Ahaziah the king of Judah and the Baal worshippers linked to Jezebel. The narrative is a part of a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.


2 Kings 10, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 36 verses.


2 Kings 10, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 19–21.


2 Kings 10, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 10, Analysis
This chapter and the previous one contain the narrative of Jehu's overthrow of the Omride dynasty and destruction of the Baal worship in Israel, reopening the battle against apostasy which was started by Elijah (1 Kings 18). Following his anointing, Jehu executed a total revolution in Israel and Judah, by killing the reigning kings (and their family members) of both kingdoms.


2 Kings 10, Analysis
The narrative may be divided into two parallel sections, the first one about the assassination of the leaders (including Jezebel, the queen mother of Israel) and the second about the killing of their kinsmen (including the Baal worshippers as Jezebel's "kin"), ending with a summary of Jehu's reign and the consequences of his action in relation to his faithfulness to YHWH. The structure can be as follows:


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres the house of Ahab (10:1–11)
The eradication of the entire ruling house after a coup was common in the ancient Near East, because it minimized the threat of blood-revenge and claims to the throne. As the royal house of Omri is in Samaria (1 Kings 16:24), Jehu wrote to the Samarians to 'choose between loyalty to the previous dynasty and defection to him, the murderer of their king' (verses 1–5). The Samarians, like the Jezreelites, chose to follow Jehu and they brought the heads of the decapitated 70 Omrides to Jezreel (verses 6–7).


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres the house of Ahab (10:1–11)
Jehu took responsibility for murdering the king, but not for the slaughter of the royal family. It seems that Jehu was God's instrument to fulfill the prophecy spoken through the prophet Elijah (verse 10), but the way he executed the coup was blameworthy, because about 100 years later the prophet Hosea states that God 'will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel' (Hosea 1:4).


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres the house of Ahab (10:1–11), Verses 1
The correspondence regarding the fate of the Ahab's sons recalls Ahab and Jezebel's correspondence with the nobles of Jezreel regarding Naboth's fate (1 Kings 21:8–10).


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres the kinsmen of King Ahaziah (10:12–14)
Forty-two male members of the Judean royal family, who were closely tied and related to the Israelite royal house (cf. 2 Kings 3:7; 8:26, 29)  near Betheked (presumably between Jezreel and Samaria) and ignorantly announced 'their allegiance to the Omrides, and thereby condemned themselves to death' (verses 13–14).


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres worshipers of Baal and destroys house of Baal (10:15–28)
In their common 'zeal for the LORD', Jehu formed an alliance with Jehonadab ben Rechab, presumably the leader of a nomadic YHWH-worshipping religious clan which had strictly detached itself from the culture and religion of the country (cf. Jeremiah 35). The news that many Omrides have been killed (verse 17) is related to the full execution of the announcement made in 2 Kings 9:8–9. Jehu (and Jehonadab) then targets the house of Baal in Samaria, established since the time of Ahab (1 Kings 16:32).


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres worshipers of Baal and destroys house of Baal (10:15–28)
As the Baal worshippers were closely linked to Ahab's royal family, the attack on them is clearly in line with Jehu's revolution. Jehu gathers all the prophets and priests in the temple using lures and threats (verses 18–19). Jehu's announcement, 'I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal' (verse 19) is 'cruelly ambiguous, as he initially performs the sacrificial rites as a devout king would do (verse 24), only to order the ensuing human sacrifice'.


2 Kings 10, Jehu massacres worshipers of Baal and destroys house of Baal (10:15–28)
According to verse 21, all servants of Baal throughout Israel should be eradicated, but individual YHWH-worshippers must first be separated from the mass (verse 22b), recalling the same problem in Genesis 18:17–33. Jehu's soldiers executed the order thoroughly, destroying the cella ('the citadel of the temple') and the matzbas within it, then transforming the holy site into a latrine, to remain so 'unto this day' (verses 25, 27). Jehu's victory led to a decisive turn in the political and religious history of Israel.


2 Kings 10, The reign of Jehu (10:29–36)
The final passage of this chapter contains annal notes of Jehu's reign. Jehu eradicated Baal worship in Israel, but the idol worshipsites still stood in Bethel and Dan, so he received bad rating, although his dynasty lasted four generations: no more than the Omrides, but longer in years (36 years for house of Omri to 100 years for house of Jehu, of which Jehu himself ruled for 28 years. However, verse 32 immediately shows that it was not a particularly good time for Israel, as the Arameans quickly put Israel under pressure.


2 Kings 10, The reign of Jehu (10:29–36)
On the Tel Dan Stele erected presumably by Hazael the king of Aram (Syria) in the same period, it was written that the Arameans had comprehensive victories over Israel and Judah, explicitly stating the killing of "Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel and Ahaziah son of Jehoram of the king of the house of David" with a probable reading of Jehu appointed to rule Israel (line 11–12). This could mean that Jehu (willingly or unwillingly) was Hazael's accomplice. Soon the Assyrians came to defeat the Arameans, so Jehu might have to pay tribute to Shalmaneser III the Assyrian king, as depicted in the Black Obelisk (written in about 825 BCE, found in Nimrud, now in the British Museum).


2 Kings 11
2 Kings 11 is the eleventh chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the reign of Athaliah and Joash as the rulers of Judah.


2 Kings 11, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 21 verses in Christian Bibles, but into 20 verses in the Hebrew Bible as in the verse numbering comparison table below.


2 Kings 11, Text, Verse numbering
This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.


2 Kings 11, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 11, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 11, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows:


2 Kings 11, Athaliah's accession to power and Joash's rescue (11:1–3)
The record of Athaliah's reign in Judah was treated structurally as an appendix of the regnal account of Ahaziah ben Jehoram, the king of Judah (2 Kings 8:25–11:20), or as a revolt of a usurper (cf. northern tribes against Rehoboah in 1 Kings 12; Jehu's revolt against Jehoram in 2 Kings 9–10), so it lacks the usual formal structure of regnal accounts. Athaliah was Omri's 'granddaughter' (2 Kings 8:26), who married to Joram of the Davidic royal family and became the queen mother of Ahaziah ben Joram (2 Kings 8:18).


2 Kings 11, Athaliah's accession to power and Joash's rescue (11:1–3)
When Jehu's coup left her with no male relatives in either Samaria or Jerusalem, she reacted brutally as a mass murderer of David's house (of what remained after Jehu's slaughter in 2 Kings 10:12–14) and—despite being a woman and an Omride—became the ruler of Judah, effectively personifying the Omridic politics that was violently cut away from (northern) Israel, for a further six years in Judah.


2 Kings 11, Joash's enthronement and Athaliah's death (11:4–21)
The priest Jehoiada played a significant role in deposing Athaliah and putting the 7-year-old Joash on the throne after keeping the future king hidden for six years (2 Kings 12:1). Jehoiada built up a 'subversive organization in the temple with a good infrastructure, sufficient weaponry', and a close relationship with the 'people of the land' (verses 14, 18, 20).


2 Kings 11, Joash's enthronement and Athaliah's death (11:4–21)
The final sentence of verse 20 (contrasting the land/Judah and the city/Jerusalem) gives indication on the political constellation: Athaliah, like all Omrides, enjoyed the support of the urban and aristocratic circles of the capital city, whereas the opposition (such as also Jehu) received the support from the provincial farming population.


2 Kings 11, Joash's enthronement and Athaliah's death (11:4–21)
The religious factors also played a role in the overthrow in Judah, as Jehoiada was a priest of the temple of Jerusalem, where since the time of Solomon, there had been syncretistic and strictly YHWH-worshipping tendencies there (cf. e.g. 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Kings 18:4, 22), so the revolt might include anti-Baal sentiment (verse 18a). This chapter is a Judean counterpart to Jehu's revolt (2 Kings 9–10), which also eliminated a queen (Jezebel) and the Baal worship in (northern) Israel six years earlier.


2 Kings 12
2 Kings 12 is the twelfth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the reign of Joash as the king of Judah.


2 Kings 12, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 21 verses in Christian Bibles, but into 22 verses in the Hebrew Bible as in the verse numbering comparison table below.


2 Kings 12, Text, Verse numbering
This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.


2 Kings 12, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 12, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 12, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows:


2 Kings 12, The Temple renovation during the reign of Joash (12:1–16)
Joash (or Jehoash) is given a relatively positive rating in the books of Kings, first because of his succession to replace the Omride queen Athaliah, and secondly due to his care of the temple of YHWH (the Chronicler notes that Jehoash became corrupt after the death of Jehoiada; 2 Chronicles 24:15–22). Joash arranged that temple renovation was no longer solely directed by the priests, but was decreed by the palace, and that donations for this project were placed in a collection box, to be counted communally at intervals, then given to a building administration (verses 6–12, 15).


2 Kings 12, The Temple renovation during the reign of Joash (12:1–16)
As animal and vegetable sacrifices were reserved for God and his priests (verse 17), others could be made by paying in silver (shekel), so a group of lower caste 'priests who guarded the threshold' was assigned to deposit these in a designated chest (according to 2 Chronices 24:10, by thetime of exile, the believers threw their money into the collection box themselves).


2 Kings 12, Joash's reign (12:17–21)
During the later parts of Joash's reign, Hazael, the king of Aram in Damascus (cf. 1 Kings 19:15–17; 2 Kings 8:7–15), placed both the northern kingdom of Jehu (cf. 2 Kings 10:32–33) and the kingdom of Judah under heavy burden of tributes. The threat of Hazael to Jerusalem indicates a continuous concern for the Aramean invasion to the land of Israel since the time of Omri's dynasty to the early parts of Jehu's dynasty until king Jehoash ben Jehoahaz of Israel (the third in Jehu's line of kings) defeated the Arameans following the death of prophet Elisha (2 Kings 13:14–21). The payment of tribute to Hazael may mean that all the funds for temple repairs collected by Jehoash (and his predecessors, such as Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah) were lost to the Arameans.


2 Kings 12, Joash's reign (12:17–21)
Jehoash's assassination could be explained from historiographical perspectives, beginning with Jehoshaphat giving his son Jehoram in marriage to Athaliah, so the house of David thereafter descended from the house of Omri, and the next three kings of Judah (three generations) were assassinated as the consequences of Elijah's prophecy that every male of Ahab in Israel would be cut off (2 Kings 21:21) until the reign of Uzziah ben Amaziah of Judah which coincides the time king Jeroboam ben Jehoash of Israel restored the borders of Israel.


2 Kings 13
2 Kings 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.


2 Kings 13
This chapter records the reigns of Jehu's son, Jehoahaz, and Jehu's grandson, Jehoash, in the kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jehoash, the king of Judah, as well as the events around the death of Elisha. The narrative is a part of a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.


2 Kings 13, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 25 verses.


2 Kings 13, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 13, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 13, Analysis
This chapter contains an underlying typology of the Exodus and Conquest, linking also to passages in the Book of Judges with the recurring pattern: worship of idols provoking the jealousy and anger of YHWH, then Israel is delivered into the hands of foreign nations, until the people cry for help, so YHWH sends a savior to deliver them, returning them to true worship until the savior (or 'judge') dies and the cycle starts again (Judges 2:6–23). This pattern is 'grounded in the foundational exodus pattern': YHWH responds to the cry of the people, remembers their covenant with him, raises Moses as a savior and delivers Israel from Egypt.


2 Kings 13, Jehoahaz, king of Israel (13:1–9)
Jehu's son Jehoahaz became the king of Israel during the long reign of Joash, the king of Judah. This is a period of a relatively long and internally stable dynasty, but starkly in contrast to problems from abroad, as Aram-Damascus became the superpower in the region with bitter consequences for Israel (cf. verse 7). The oppression of the Syrian kings, Hazael and his son Ben-hadad is seen as the result of God's anger on Israel's faithlessness, more specifically, 'thesins of Jeroboam' (cf. verses 2–3 with Judges 2:13–14; 3:7–8, 11–12; 4:1–2, etc.). Like Israel at the time of the judges, Jehoahaz asked God for help and was provided a 'savior' (verses 4–6). However, Israel kept adhered to 'the sins of Jeroboam' and additionally worshipped Asherah in Samaria.


2 Kings 13, Jehoash, king of Israel, and the death of Elisha (13:10-25)
The passage about Jehoahaz' son, Jehoash, the king of Israel (his name is spelt 'Joash' in 13:12, and 14:1) is unusually structured:


2 Kings 13, Jehoash, king of Israel, and the death of Elisha (13:10-25)
The following passages are still related to Jehoash with the concluding formula repeated in 2 Kings 14:15–16. This peculiarity could be a result of the insertion of two Elisha legends (verses 14–19 and 20–21) into the narrative context using verses 12–13 and 22–25. The first legend shows Elisha acting as military support against the Arameans (cf. 2 Kings 6–7).


2 Kings 13, Jehoash, king of Israel, and the death of Elisha (13:10-25)
Jehoash held the prophet Elisha in honor, and wept by his bedside while he was dying, addressing him in the words Elisha himself had used when Elijah was carried up into heaven (2 Kings 2:12): "O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings 13:14; 2 Kings 14), During the visit, Elisha had Jehoash perform certain prophetic tasks. The king did not know what he was doing, and was only given  explanation after the deed.


2 Kings 13, Jehoash, king of Israel, and the death of Elisha (13:10-25)
The arrow shot to the east is an indication of future victory against Aram, significantly shows ‘how far south the Arameans had advanced’ into the territory of Israel in the eastbank (cf. 2 Kings 10:32–33) and the point from where they are to be pushed back. The use of obscure sign language in the prophecies is found in other books of prophets (e.g. Isaiah 8:1–4; 20; Jeremiah 27–28; Ezekiel 4–5; 12, amongst others). The prophecy was fulfilled with successive victories of Jehoash over the Syrians, enabling him to retake from them the towns which Hazael had captured from Israel.


2 Kings 13, Jehoash, king of Israel, and the death of Elisha (13:10-25)
The attack by the Moabites in the second short legend indicates that the northern kingdom was severely weakened after Jehu's coup that not only the Arameans, but other neighboring tribes also took advantage of the situation. The hasty burial of a body in Elisha's grave (probably a burial cave) results in a resurrection, which displays Elisha's miraculous death-defying powers even beyond his own death just as during his lifetime (2 Kings 13:20–21). Verses 22–25 clarify that the story fits Jehoash, not Jehoahaz, because Jehoahaz suffered lifelong pressure from Hazael and Ben-hadad (13:3), whereas Jehoash did not (cf. 13:10–12; 14:15–16).


2 Kings 13, Archeology
The excavation at Tell al-Rimah yields a stele of Adad-nirari III which mentioned "Jehoash the Samarian" and contains the first cuneiform mention of Samaria by that name. The inscriptions of this "Tell al-Rimah Stele" may provide evidence of the existence of King Jehoash, attest to the weakening of Syrian kingdom (cf. ), and show the vassal status of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians.


2 Kings 13, Archeology
A postulated image of Jehoash is reconstructed from plaster remains recovered at Kuntillet Ajrud. The ruins were from a temple built by the northern Israel kingdom when Jehoash of Israel gained control over the kingdom of Judah during the reign of Amaziah of Judah.


2 Kings 14
2 Kings 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reigns of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, as well as of Joash, and his son, Jeroboam (II) in the kingdom of Israel. The narrative is a part of a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.


2 Kings 14, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 29 verses.


2 Kings 14, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 14, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 14, Analysis
This chapter as a whole (as many other parts of 1–2 Kings) functions as a ‘parable and allegory’, and in particular includes a ‘proverb’ given by Jehoash king of Israel to Amaziah king of Judah (14:9–10). Some examples of the parabolic or allegoric style are provided in form of the ‘history repeating itself’.


2 Kings 14, Analysis
During the time of Rehoboam the son of Solomon, after the division of the kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 12:21–24), Shisak the king of Egypt plundered the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:25–28) and this event has a similar pattern in this chapter when Jehoash the king of Israel plundered the temple and broke down a large portion of the walls of the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 14:13–14).


2 Kings 14, Analysis
Another parallel commences at the end of the chapter when another Jeroboam started to reign in Israel and the subsequent chapters reveal a ‘providential chronological and historical symmetry’ with the first Jeroboam. While Jeroboam I initiated the separation of the united kingdom to form the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeroboam II started the countdown to the end of this northern kingdom.


2 Kings 14, Analysis
There is an indication that the kingdoms were reunited briefly under Jehu's dynasty is supported by some details in Jeroboam II's reign: the Israel king extended the borders of his kingdom from Hamath in the north to the Sea of the Arabah in the south, far into the territory of the kingdom of Judah (14:25), which ‘echoes the ideal boundaries of the original united kingdom’ (1 Kings 8:65). 2 Kings 14:28 can also be translated as “he recovered Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel” as if Jeroboam II recovered the territory of Judah back to “the kingdom of Israel”, forming a (semi)united kingdom.


2 Kings 14, Amaziah, king of Judah (14:1–22)
The historical records of Amaziah the king of Judah might be taken exclusively from the Judean annals. He took revenge for his father's murder (verse 5, cf. 2 Kings 12:20–21; verses 6–7 are an educated scribe's addition according to Deuteronomy 24:16, cf. also Ezekiel 18) only to fall victim to murder himself (verses 19–20). Amaziah also defeated the Edomites in the Arabah ("Valley of Salt", verse 7, cf. 2 Samuel 8:13, also verse 22), highlighting a struggle between Edom and Judah at the time (cf. 1 Kings 22:48; 2 Kings 16:6).


2 Kings 14, Amaziah, king of Judah (14:1–22)
However, the most detail is about the war with Israel which Amaziah initiated but ultimately lost (verses 8–14). Amaziah outlived Joash by at least fifteen years, but his violent death in the reign of Jeroboam II, the son of Joash, (verses 15–16) probably still related back to the events of his defeat. Amaziah's successor, Azariah (later, Uzziah), was chosen by 'the people of Judah' (verse 21), probably meaning 'the people of the land', who had an 'increasingly influential role in Judean politics' since the end of Athaliah's reign. Azariah (2 Kings 15:1–7) managed to consolidate his father's conquest of Edom by claiming the port of Elath for Judah (cf. 1 Kings 9:26).


2 Kings 14, Amaziah, king of Judah (14:1–22), War between Israel and Judah
Historical records show that Adad-nirari III of Assyria claims a successful westward campaign in 806 BCE, defeating, among others, 'Omri-Land' (the name Assyrian uses for Israel) and also Edom (ANET 281-2). This might encourage Amaziah to wage wars against Edom and Israel. He was successful to defeat Edom, but he miscalculated the strength of Israel. Joash the king of Israel, had warned Amaziah, using a parable: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, 'Give your daughter to my son in marriage.' Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle underfoot.


2 Kings 14, Amaziah, king of Judah (14:1–22), War between Israel and Judah
You have indeed defeated Edom and now you are arrogant. Glory in your victory, but stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?" However, Amaziah insisted on the war. Joash's army defeated Amaziah's at Beth-shemesh, on the borders of Dan and Philistia, then plundered Judah's palace and the temple, also broke down 200 meters of the 'particularly sensitive northern wall of Jerusalem', leaving the city defenseless.


2 Kings 14, Jeroboam (II), king of Israel (14:23–29)
Jeroboam's reign outshines that of Joash, his father, as the northern kingdom enjoys a glorious period, when Aram-Damascus was ensnared between Israel and Assyria (cf. verse 28), that apparently allowed Jeroboam to control the territories northwards to Hamath on the Orontes, and also to the east and south as far as the Dead Sea (verse 25). This implies a hegemony over Judah, or at least the Jordan valley and the regions east of the Jordan, Gilead and Gad.


2 Kings 14, Jeroboam (II), king of Israel (14:23–29)
The Book of Amos provides highlights to Israel's momentary political success: 'they were proud of the land they gained (Amos 6:13), the higher classes at least enjoyed the incoming wealth (Amos 6:4—6), the people believed they were God's favorites (Amos 6:1)', although Amos prophesied that this period of happiness would be short.


2 Kings 14, Jeroboam (II), king of Israel (14:23–29)
The prophet Jonah ben Amittai was active in Israel at the time and had forecast Jeroboam's successes, so this can be seen as God's will, like other previous political events, 'according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by the hand of...' (cf. the 'underlying rule'in Deuteronomy 18:21–22 and the examples in 1 Kings 15:29; 16:12; 22:38; 2 Kings 10:17). It is thought that God saw how Israel had suffered so much in the past, so God took pity, as connected to 13:5–6, 23–5. The mention of Jonah supports the historical basis of his claim in the Book of Jonah that God's mercy extended to peoples beyond Israel, including Assyria.


2 Kings 14, Archeology
The excavation at Tell al-Rimah yields a stele of Adad-nirari III which mentioned "Jehoash the Samarian" and contains the first cuneiform mention of Samaria by that name. The inscriptions of this "Tell al-Rimah Stele" may provide evidence of the existence of King Jehoash (=Joash) of Israel, attest to the weakening of Syrian kingdom (cf. ), and show the vassal status of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians.


2 Kings 14, Archeology
A postulated image of Joash is reconstructed from plaster remains recovered at Kuntillet Ajrud. The ruins were from a temple built by the northern Israel kingdom when Jehoash of Israel gained control over the kingdom of Judah during the reign of Amaziah of Judah.


2 Kings 15
2 Kings 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE.


2 Kings 15
This chapter records the events during the reigns of Azariah (Uzziah) and his son, Jotham, the kings of Judah, as well as of Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah, the kings of Israel. Twelve first verses of the narrative belong to a major section 2 Kings 9:1–15:12 covering the period of Jehu's dynasty.


2 Kings 15, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 38 verses.


2 Kings 15, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 15, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 15, Analysis
This chapter displays a contrast between the stability of the southern kingdom and the downward sliding of the northern kingdom, with two royal records of Judah bracketing the narrative of five Israel kings in quick succession. Each reign is judged using a standard formula, one for the kings of Judah (verses 3, 34) and another for the kings of Israel (verses 9, 18, 24, 28).


2 Kings 15, Azariah (Uzziah), king of Judah (15:1–7)
The regnal records of Azariah the son of Amaziah, the king of Judah, can be demarcated by the introductory form (verses 1–4) and the concluding form (verses (5–7). The main account is in verse 5 regarding the king's leprosy and the active role of his son, Jotham, in ruling the kingdom on his behalf, but the length of the co-regency is not explicitly recorded. The period of his reign coincides largely with the reign of Jeroboam, who ruled over a kingdom territory comparable to that of Solomon, so Azariah's kingdom was a vassal to the kingdom of Israel. 2 Chronicles 26 provides a more detailed account of Azariah's reign, especially the reason God striking him with leprosy, his 'military actions against Philistia, the Arabs of Geur-Baal, and  the Meunites', as well as 'his efforts to fortify Jerusalem and to secure the hold on the Shephelah.'


2 Kings 15, Azariah (Uzziah), king of Judah (15:1–7), Verse 7
The time of Azariah's death coincides with the time Isaiah received his call to be a prophet ("in the year that King Uzziah died"; Isaiah 6:1). E.L. Sukenik found an Aramaic inscription that reads, "Here were brought the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah. Do not open!" and once marked the tomb of Uzziah outside Jerusalem.


2 Kings 15, Zechariah, king of Israel (15:8–12)
Zechariah, the last ruler of the Jehu dynasty, only reigned for six months  and his assassination ends a long period of stability in the kingdom of Israel. It is set in the frame of the divine guidance that God himself announced to the founder of the dynasty (2 Kings 10:30) and confirms the fulfillment of it in verse 12.


2 Kings 15, Shallum, king of Israel (15:13–16)
After bringing an end to the Jehu dynasty (verse 10), Shallum could only reign for a month before he was slain by Menahem. The literary structure consists of an 'introductory regnal form' (verse 13), the body of the account (verse 14) and the 'concluding regnal form' (verse 15–16). Menahem's submission to Assyria (verses 19–20) suggests that his action was to stop an attempt to revolt against the Assyrian by Shallum.


2 Kings 15, Menahem, king of Israel (15:17–22)
The 10-year reign of Menahem provides a 'rare period of stability' in the final years of the northern kingdom, which was the result of Menahem's tributary payment to the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III (also known as Pul, cf. ANET 272). The tribute, along with those from other monarch, is listed with Menahem's name explicitly in the annals of the Assyria (ANET 283–284). To pay that tribute, Menahem instituted an oppressive tax, fifty shekels (about 1¼ pounds, or 575 grams) of silver per person from all the wealthy men in Israel (verse 20), which may contribute to the coup against his son after he died.


2 Kings 15, Menahem, king of Israel (15:17–22), Verse 19
Tiglath-Pileser records the tribute from Menahem in one of his inscriptions (ANET3 283).


2 Kings 15, Pekahiah, king of Israel (15:23–26)
The main regnal account of Pekahiah, the 17th king of Israel, only mentions his assassination by a group of 50 men from Gilead led by Pekah ben Remaliah, his own captain (verse 25).


2 Kings 15, Pekah, king of Israel (15:27–31)
The main record of Pekah's reign in this section focuses on the invasion of Tiglath-Pileser III into Israel in 734–732 BCE and his murder in a coup led by Hosea ben Elah, backed by the Assyrians, as noted in the annals of Assyria (ANET 284). Pekah's alliance with Rezin of Damascus in the Syro-Ephraimite War to resist the Assyrians and attack Judah, a vassal to the Assyrians, is recorded in multiple passages (verse 37, 2 Kings 16:5, 7–9; Isaiah 7:1–17; Isaiah 9:1) and also in the annals of the Assyrians (ANET 283–284).


2 Kings 15, Jotham, king of Judah (15:32–38)
Like his father (Azariah or Uzziah), Jotham was given a good assessment 'in the sight of the LORD' (verse 34; cf. verse 3), although both kings did not remove the 'high places', which was later done by Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4) and Josiah (2 Kings 23:8), nor perform notable political actions. Jotham's memorable achievement was the building of 'the upper gate of the house of the LORD' (verse 35).


2 Kings 16
2 Kings 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Ahaz, the king of Judah.


2 Kings 16, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 20 verses.


2 Kings 16, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 16, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 16, Analysis
Centering on Ahaz's interest in the altar of Damascus, the narrator highlights the typology of this passage, contrasted the images of Solomon and Jeroboam at altars in the First Book of Kings (1 Kings 8, 12:32–33), to Ahaz standing before the altar, a replica of that in Damascus, becoming 'another Jeroboam', setting up an alternative worship to that of Solomon's temple, so Judah repeats the sin of Israel and would suitably be doomed at the end.


2 Kings 16, Analysis
Ahaz is judged more severely than any king of Judah other than Manasseh, as he followed the ways of Israel's kings rather than David's. Ahaziah of Judah did the same (2 Kings 8:27), but with the "excuse" of being part of Ahab's family, whereas no excuse is given for Ahaz. Going further that imitating Israel's alternative worship, Ahaz revived the customs of the Canaanite nations that Israel had originally displaced (16:3) causing  'idolatrous shrines sprinkled throughout the land'.


2 Kings 16, Analysis
Meanwhile, the kingdoms Israel and Aram, in alliance against Assyria, attacked Ahaz from the north (Isaiah 7), and Rezin of Syria  took a town of Judah (2 Kings 16:6), 'driving the inhabitants into a mini-exile'. Not turning to YHWH, Ahaz turned to Tiglath-Pileser III for help and declared himself as the "servant and son" of the Assyrian king (16:7). The Assyrians ransacked Damascus and drove the Arameans into exile. Thus, both Israel and Judah were pressured into 'compromising alliances with Gentiles': Israel allied with Aram, 'its traditional enemy', while Judah allied with Assyria, bringing the image of "the sons of God 'marrying' the daughters of men" (Genesis 6:1–4), and then "a flood" of Gentiles swept 'both Judah and Israel into exile' (Genesis 6-9).


2 Kings 16, Ahaz and the Syro-Ephraimite War (16:1–9)
The introductory regnal account of Ahaz  emphasizes on his wickedness, that despite his encounters with the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:1–9:6), he acted like the kings of Israel (cf. 2 Kings 8:18), failed to follow David's example (cf. 2 Kings 14:3; 1 Kings 15:11). The evidence is that the "abominable" worship practices of the Canaanites (cf. Deuteronomy 20:18) including "passing  his son through fire" (verses 3–4; cf Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10; 2 Kings 17:17), tying to the practices of Jeroboam (1 Kings 14:24) and Manasseh (2 Kings 21:2–6).


2 Kings 16, Ahaz and the Syro-Ephraimite War (16:1–9)
Facing the attack of the Syro-Ephraimitic forces, Ahaz didn't accept the advice of Isaiah to seek YHWH's protection, but appealed to Tiglath-Pileser, who didn't need Ahaz's invitation to attack Aram. Ahaz's approach made Israel obligated to the Assyrians, whereas Tiglath-Pileser didn't feel the same way and even imposed further tribute on Ahaz for the rescue.


2 Kings 16, Ahaz and the Syro-Ephraimite War (16:1–9), Verse 5
The Syro-Ephraimitic army could not afford to lay prolonged siege of Jerusalem while Aram's border was open to Assyrians' assault. That was foreseen by Isaiah when giving his advice to Ahaz (Isaiah 7-9).


2 Kings 16, Ahaz paganizes the Temple  (16:10–20)
This section focuses on the new altar that Ahaz made following the design of the one he saw in Damascus, when he went there to meet (perhaps to give his oath of allegiance) to Tiglath-pileser who had set up his headquarters in that city. The new altar took the spot of the bronze one commissioned by Solomon (1 Kings 8:64), which is shifted to the north side of the new one, and took over its functions for regular offerings (cf. Numbers 29:39). The heavy bronze instruments that were installed by Solomon in the temple court (1 Kings 7:27—39) and other structures in the temple were changed by Ahaz 'because of the king of Assyria". The altars on the roof of Ahaz's upper chamber were later destroyed by king Josiah (2 Kings 23:12.


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Ahaz
Much of Ahaz's foreign policy is not known from the Books of Kings, but from the Book of Isaiah and Assyrian inscriptions (ANET 282–284). The " Nimrud Tablet K.3751", which describes the first 17 years of Tiglath-Pileser III's reign, contains  first known archeological reference to Judah (Yaudaya or KUR.ia-ú-da-a-a) and the name of "Ahaz" (written as "Jeho-ahaz"), along with his tributes to the Assyrian king in gold and silver.


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Ahaz
Several bullae  bearing the name of Ahaz have been found:


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Tiglath-Pileser III
Many inscriptions from the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, the king of Assyria, have been found, most of them from his ancient palace in Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, including: (1) Annals (arranged chronologically); (2) Summary Inscriptions (arranged in a predominantly geographical pattern); and (3) Miscellaneous Texts (labels, dedicatory inscriptions, as well as other fragments).


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Rezin
The account of Rezin is found among Tiglath-Pileser's inscriptions, particularly those related to a three-year Assyrian campaign in the Levant from 734-732 BCE, as in the following quote:


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Rezin
This is comparable to the account in the 2 Kings 16:9:


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Pekah
One annals of Tiglath-Pileser III mentioned Pekah and Hoshea, two last kings of Israel:


2 Kings 16, Archaeology, Pekah
This is comparable to the account in 2 Kings 15:30:


2 Kings 17
2 Kings 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reigns of Hoshea the last king of Israel, the capture of Samaria and the deportation of the northern kingdom population by the Assyrian.


2 Kings 17, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 41 verses.


2 Kings 17, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 17, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 17, Structure
The skeletal narrative structure in this chapter is shaped by the actions of the king of Assyria, with the narrative followed by the commentary (twice):


2 Kings 17, Analysis
This chapter provides a significant theological interpretation of Israel history connecting the long chronicles of the sin of the nation to the resulting divine punishment with the fall of the northern kingdom, as reflected by a 'dense concentration of Deuteronomistic language'. It also gives a glimpse to Judah's eventual fate, linking to other 'dense concentrations of Deuteronomistic judgment language' in 2 Kings 21:3–15; 23:26–27; 24:3–5. The northern prophets, Amos and Hosea, provide additional reflection on the reasons for the judgment.


2 Kings 17, Hoshea, king of Israel (17:1–6)
The regnal records of Hoshea, the last king of Israel, is evaluated less negatively than the previous kings of the northern kingdom, but his deeds are still 'evil in the sight of the Lord.' Hoshea's shift of allegiance from Assyria to Egypt has a disastrous consequence. Shalmaneser V, the king of Assyria, soon went up against Hoshea and laid siege on Samaria that last for three years, but Sargon II made the claim in his annals to have taken Samaria (ANET 284–285).


2 Kings 17, Hoshea, king of Israel (17:1–6), Verse 6
The deportees were displaced decentrally to various location in the north-east Syria, effectively destroying the races, so the exiled northern Israelite people left few traces in history and tradition (becoming "Ten Lost Tribes" of Israel), unlike the Jews (the people of Judah) who were later moved en bloc to Babylon.


2 Kings 17, Theological cause of the catastrophe (17:7–23)
The exposition in this section consists of two parts: about Israel (verses 7–18) and involving Judah (verses 19–23). The first part is marked by the term "because" of verse 7 to the "therefore" in the beginning of verse 18:


2 Kings 17, Theological cause of the catastrophe (17:7–23)
In the second part, the idolatry in kingdom of Judah is coordinated with that in the northern kingdom (verse 19; cf. verse 13), although the narrator at this point only hints the demise of Judah (as the punishment for its sins).


2 Kings 17, The immigrants from the east and their cults (17:24–41)
Following the principle of destroying races in the conquered territory, the Assyrians not only displaced the Israelites from their land, but also deported people from other lands into Israel. The places listed in verses 24, 29–41 are partly in Mesopotamia and partly in Syria.. This mixing of ethnicity would avoid the development of large-scale resistance and 'paralyse the regions using the tension between people' of different origins. The Deuteronomistic narrative focuses on the religious impacts of this policy, that 'the religion (gods and ritual traditions) in the province of Samaria 'became mixed'. It is noted that the worship of YHWH still exists, but 'united syncrestistically' with other religions (verses 32-34, 41), as explained using the episode recorded in verses 25-28.


2 Kings 18
2 Kings 18 is the eighteenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, a part of the section comprising 2 Kings 18:1 to 20:21, with a parallel version in Isaiah 36–39.


2 Kings 18, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 37 verses.


2 Kings 18, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 18, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 18, Analysis
This chapter introduces Hezekiah as a 'ultra-righteous king' who relied on YHWH (verses 1–8), the most David-like king since David (verse 3, cf. verse 7 with 1 Samuel 18:14). It is contrasted to the apostate northern kingdom which was then destroyed by the Assyrians (verses 9–12). Prompting by Hezekiah's  rebellion (verse 7), Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, came to attack Judah, and even after given large amount of tribute (verses 13–16) still demanded Jerusalem to surrender with convincing argumentation (verses 17–37).


2 Kings 18, Analysis
The narrative of the Assyrian siege on Jerusalem in chapter 18 and 19 is presented in a parallel structure:


2 Kings 18, Analysis
From 18:17 onwards the editors seem to insert another source, which is also used in the Book of  Isaiah, that indicates the Assyrians breaking their word after receiving the tribute and putting further pressure on Hezekiah in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 20:1–7 for the equivalent chain of events).


2 Kings 18, Hezekiah, king of Judah (18:1–12)
This section highlights Hezekiah's religious reforms which may contribute to an exceptional evaluation: he and Josiah (2 Kings 22:2) alone are comparable to David. The destruction of the Nehushtan, a snake-shaped cultic image traced back to Moses (cf. Numbers 21:9), can really be attributed to Hezekiah, despite little details were reported, among other acts of piety (verses 6–7). Next are Hezekiah's early foreign political activities: he liberated the kingdom of Judah from Assyrian subservience and conducted successful campaigns against the Philistines (verses 7–8).


2 Kings 18, Hezekiah, king of Judah (18:1–12)
An Assyrian source noted that Hezekiah was the 'leader of an anti-Assyrian coalition from 705 BCE onwards', and he even 'arrested a pro-Assyrian king of Ekron in this capacity'. The editors included the description of the northern Israel kingdom's defeat to the Assyrians (cf. verses 9–11 with 2 Kings 17:3–6), as well as the cause of it, namely, the 'entire population's lack of loyalty to the Torah' (verse 12).


2 Kings 18, The Assyrians attack and force tribute payment (18:13–16)
The Assyrians stormed Judah, likely in response to Hezekiah's rebellion (verse 7) in 701 BCE. In a short time many cities of Judah were occupied and Jerusalem was besieged. King Sennacherib depicted his victory over Lachish in a stone relief in his palace at Nineveh (Lachish reliefs, now in the British Museum) and described Hezekiah's desperate situation on several victory monuments (Sennacherib's Annals):


2 Kings 18, The Assyrians attack and force tribute payment (18:13–16)
The Bible text records that Hezekiah initially tried to free himself from Assyrian pressure by conceding defeat and paying a heavy tribute, which also conforms with Sennacherib's record:


2 Kings 18, Rabshakeh's speeches   (18:17–37)
Sennacherib decided that the tribute from Judah is not enough, so he sent his "big guns", his main officers, consisting of: 'Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh' to force the capitulation of Jerusalem verse 17). The Assyrians started by using psychological warfare, with Rabshakeh speaking directly to the people of Jerusalem at the wall of the city using the Hebrew language and employing shrewd rhetoric on Israelite faith while undermining it.


2 Kings 18, Rabshakeh's speeches   (18:17–37)
The Rabshakeh is not a common messenger, as he is a 'propagandist and skill negotiator' with the ability of speaking the 'language of diplomatic disputation', with a purpose to divide the people of Judah along calls lines (verse 27). The envoy delivered two speeches: one directed to King Hezekiah and his officers/negotiators, including Shebna and Eliakim, (verses 19–25) and one to 'the (warring) people on the city walls' (verses 27–35). Rabshakeh's well-crafted speeches alternate between promises of good things from the Assyrian king and warnings not to trust YHWH nor Hezekiah to protect them:


2 Kings 18, Rabshakeh's speeches   (18:17–37)
Rabshakeh hammers on the issue of trust, which is a key issue in 2 Kings 17, as spoken by the prophets, but here he offers the theological challenge: Hezekiah's acts of destroying places of worship provoke the displeasure of YHWH, and the implication: neither Hezekiah nor Egypt nor YHWH can be trusted to deliver the people.


2 Kings 18, Rabshakeh's speeches   (18:17–37)
He ends his speech with an audacious claim that Sennacherib, not Hezekiah, is doing the will of God (verse 25) and that the Assyrian king will be the shepherd-king for Israel, a composite of Moses, Joshua and Solomon, to bring the people to a land full of prosperity (verse 32). Brueggemann observes a structure in the speech mocking YHWH's power to emphasize that 'YHWH is only one among many gods':


2 Kings 18, Rabshakeh's speeches   (18:17–37)
Rabshakeh's argument rises from the polytheistic worship system of the empire with the boast that Assyria has the king 'before whom no gods can stand'. This leads to the confrontation and the display of YHWH's power in chapter 19.


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Ahaz
Other than in the Books of Kings, Ahaz is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah, Books of Chronicles, Gospel of Matthew (1:9), and Assyrian inscriptions (ANET 282–284), such as the " Nimrud Tablet K.3751", which is the first ancient record for the name "Judah" (Yaudaya or KUR.ia-ú-da-a-a) and "Ahaz" (written as "Jeho-ahaz").


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Ahaz
Several bullae  with the printed name of Ahaz have been found:


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Hezekiah
Extra-biblical sources specify Hezekiah by name, along with his reign and influence. "Historiographically, his reign is noteworthy for the convergence of a variety of biblical sources and diverse extrabiblical evidence often bearing on the same events. Significant data concerning Hezekiah appear in the Deuteronomistic History, the Chronicler, Isaiah, Assyrian annals and reliefs, Israelite epigraphy, and, increasingly, stratigraphy". Archaeologist Amihai Mazar considers the tensions between Assyria and Judah "one of the best-documented events of the Iron Age" and "Hezekiah's story is one of the best to cross-reference with the rest of the Mid Eastern world's historical documents".


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Hezekiah
Several bullae  bearing the name of Hezekiah have been found:


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Hezekiah
Other artifacts bearing the name "Hezekiah" include LMLK stored jars along the border with Assyria "demonstrate careful preparations to counter Sennacherib's likely route of invasion" and show "a notable degree of royal control of towns and cities which would facilitate Hezekiah's destruction of rural sacrificial sites and his centralization of worship in Jerusalem", with the evidence suggesting the use throughout Hezekiah's reign, and the Siloam inscription.


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Shebna
An inscription bearing the name "Shebnayahu" was discovered on the lintel above the entrance of a rock-cut tomb which suggests the connection to Shebna, the court officer mentioned in 2 Kings 18:18 and 2 Kings 19:2.


2 Kings 18, Extra biblical documentation, Sennacherib
The accounts of Sennacherib of Assyria, including his invasion into the Kingdom of Judah, especially the capture of Lachish and the siege of  Jerusalem, are recorded in a number of ancient documents and artifacts:


2 Kings 19
2 Kings 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the invasion of Assyrian to Judah during the reign of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, a part of the section comprising 2 Kings 18:1 to 20:21, with a parallel version in Isaiah 36–39.


2 Kings 19, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 37 verses.


2 Kings 19, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 19, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 19, Analysis
The last part of the previous chapter (2 Kings 18:17–37) and this chapter form a subunit in the account of king Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20) focusing on YHWH's deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib's invasion. It begins on 2 Kings 18:13 with a conjunctive waw and a reference to the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, proceeding with 'a form of prophetic confrontation narrative' featuring Sennacherib, represented by his officers who tried to intimidate Jerusalem to surrender, against Hezekiah and YHWH, represented by the prophet Isaiah.


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's first oracle (19:1–8)
This section records the response of king Hezekiah and prophet Isaiah to the speeches of Rabshakeh in the previous chapter. Aware of the serious predicament of the Assyrian attack, Hezekiah sent a delegation to Isaiah for advice from YHWH. The answer from Isaiah is the classic opening, 'Do  not be afraid', followed by a positive oracle that YHWH will send a 'spirit' to the Assyrian king (cf. 1 Kings 22:21–22), so the king will be in panic after merely hearing a rumor and retreat to Assyria, then there he will be murdered.


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's first oracle (19:1–8)
Each part of this oracle is recorded as "fulfilled" in 2 Kings 19:8, 9a, 36–37. The Bible text states that an Egyptian army appeared and forced Sennacherib to retreat. In his annals (ANET 287), the Assyrian king also mentions the advance of an Egyptian army, though he claims to have defeated them at Eltekeh, near the border of Philistine and Egypt (cf. Joshua 19:44).


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's first oracle (19:1–8), Verse 8
After capturing Lachish, the big city in the region, Sennacherib attacked to smaller targets, such as Libnah, identified with 'Tell Bornat', 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Lachish.


2 Kings 19, Sennacherib's letter and Hezekiah's prayer (19:9–19)
The Assyrians were still in Syria-Palestine, and even after hearing a report of Taharqa's attack, Sennacherib became bolder than Rabshakeh in mocking YHWH to be at the same level as the useless gods of other defeated nations. Hezekiah appeared more pious than in verses:1–4, acknowledging that YHWH is only one that exists, as opposed to all other gods.


2 Kings 19, Sennacherib's letter and Hezekiah's prayer (19:9–19), Verse 9
Nelson suggests that the narrator exploits the ambiguity of the Hebrew verb shub to 'tease the readers' of the impending confrontation, because it would be expected that when the Assyrian king heard a "report" (about Tirhakah), as prophesied, he soon '"returned'" (shub) home, but, instead, he "once more" (another use of shub) sent messengers to Hezekiah. Therefore, it would not be a 'relatively uneventful withdrawal' as in 2 Kings 7:6–7, but a more pronounced retreat.


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37)
The second response from Isaiah is much more detailed than his first, containing three oracles in Isaiah's message this time:


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37)
The  speech  has  an  ABCBA  structure, bracketed by an introductory and a concluding  formula  ('thus  says the  LORD—says  the  LORD'), containing a central message with a double assurance that the enemy shall not enter this city: his weapons will not harm Jerusalem and he shall retreat in failure. Verse 34 is thought to be a late-Deuteronomistic inclusion (cf. 1 Kings 11:12–13).


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37)
The song of scorn in verses 21–28 that YHWH himself challenges the king of Assyria for his faulty theological logic:


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37)
The prophecy took an immediate effect: in one night, a plague-bringing angel kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their camp (verse 35), forcing Sennacherib to retreat and never to return (verse 36b). The "great army" (2 Kings 18:17) was destroyed overnight, leaving behind dead bodies (cf. Exodus 14:30). Even Sennacherib's own (pseudo-)god "NIsroch" cannot protect him in his own temple (#Verse 37|verse 37).


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37), Verse 35
The account of Sennacherib invasion into Judah is corroborated by some extrabiblical sources:


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37), Verse 36
This point marks the end of the Assyrian threat against the kingdom of Judah, although the Assyrians claimed to control Judah through the mid-seventh century BCE. Sennacherib indeed decorated his palace in Nineveh with the image of his invasion, in particular, his victory over Lachish in a stone relief (Lachish reliefs, now in the British Museum) and described Hezekiah's desperate situation, although somehow was left alive, on several victory monuments (Sennacherib's Annals):


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37), Verse 36
Sennacherib never claimed to have captured Jerusalem or forced Hezekiah from the throne, uncharacteristic for a king who led a revolt against the Assyrian empire, but his records are still showing successes as typical in Assyrian annals. On the other hand, Judah's records emphasize the protection of YHWH over Jerusalem and the house of David (cf. Psalm 2, Psalm 46, Psalm 47, Psalm 48).


2 Kings 19, Isaiah's second oracle and Jerusalem's liberation (19:20–37), Verse 37
According to Assyrian records, Sennacherib was assassinated in 681 BCE, twenty years after the 701 BCE invasion of Judah.


2 Kings 19, Extrabiblical documentation, Hezekiah
Extra-biblical sources specify Hezekiah by name, along with his reign and influence. "Historiographically, his reign is noteworthy for the convergence of a variety of biblical sources and diverse extrabiblical evidence often bearing on the same events. Significant data concerning Hezekiah appear in the Deuteronomistic History, the Chronicler, Isaiah, Assyrian annals and reliefs, Israelite epigraphy, and, increasingly, stratigraphy". Archaeologist Amihai Mazar calls the tensions between Assyria and Judah "one of the best-documented events of the Iron Age" and Hezekiah's story is one of the best to cross-reference with the rest of the Mid Eastern world's historical documents.


2 Kings 19, Extrabiblical documentation, Hezekiah
Several bullae  bearing the name of Hezekiah have been found:


2 Kings 19, Extrabiblical documentation, Hezekiah
Other artifacts bearing the name "Hezekiah" include LMLK stored jars along the border with Assyria "demonstrate careful preparations to counter Sennacherib's likely route of invasion" and show "a notable degree of royal control of towns and cities which would facilitate Hezekiah's destruction of rural sacrificial sites and his centralization of worship in Jerusalem". Evidence suggests they were used throughout his 29-year reign and the Siloam inscription.


2 Kings 19, Extrabiblical documentation, Shebna
An inscription bearing the name "Shebnayahu" was discovered on the lintel above the entrance of a rock-cut tomb which suggests the connection to Shebna, the court officer mentioned in 2 Kings 18:18 and 2 Kings 19:2.


2 Kings 19, Extrabiblical documentation, Sennacherib
The accounts of Sennacherib of Assyria, including his invasion into the Kingdom of Judah, especially the capture of Lachish and the siege of  Jerusalem, are recorded in a number of ancient documents and artifacts:


2 Kings 2
2 Kings 2 is the second chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. The first part of this chapter (verses 1–18) records the appointment of Elisha to succeed Elijah and Elijah's ascension to heaven, while the second part (verses 19–25) records some miraculous acts of Elisha showing that he has been granted power similar to Elijah's.


2 Kings 2, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 25 verses.


2 Kings 2, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 2, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 2, Analysis
The story of Elisha's inheritance of Elijah's prophetic power is placed in this chapter after the reign of Ahaziah is closed but before the reign of Jehoram opens, underscoring its importance, as the only account of a prophetic succession recorded in the Tanakh. It is also the one of the two occasions (the other is at the death of Elisha; 13:14-21) that a story stands outside the narrated time (in the midst of, but separate from, the sequential and interlocking formulas of royal succession), setting "prophetic over against royal power."


2 Kings 2, Analysis
The narratives of this chapter recall the past history of Israel, with Elijah as a new Moses, Elisha as his Joshua, Ahab as Pharaoh, and when one son died (Passover), Elijah departs on the far side of Jordan (as Moses does), while Elisha crosses the Jordan back into the west bank ‘to carry on a conquest, significantly starting at Jericho’.


2 Kings 2, Structure
This whole chapter has a chiastic structure,mapping the scenes of a journey and a return: Elijah and Elisha journeyed from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho and then to the other side of the Jordan where the climactic ascent of Elijah occurs. Elisha then returned alone via Jericho, Bethel, Mount Carmel and ended in Samaria.


2 Kings 2, Elisha's Appointment and Elijah's Ascension (2:1–18)
Elijah's life was coming to an end with an ascension to heaven, one of the very few breaches of the "wall of death" in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Because he 'only departed rather than died', he was expected to return without the need of resurrection to 'announce the Messiah's arrival' as noted at the time of the New Testament (Mark 6:15; 8:28). Verses 2–6 indicate that Elijah, Elisha, and many prophet disciples were aware of Elijah's impending departure.


2 Kings 2, Elisha's Appointment and Elijah's Ascension (2:1–18)
While Elijah seems to wish to be alone when the time comes, Elisha wants to accompany him: he is to be 'a witness to the miracle and an heir to the master'. Elisha requested and was granted the inheritance of Elijah's 'spirit' (as 'the double portion due the eldest son', verse 9, cf. Deuteronomy 21:17), which is considered closest to 'the sphere of God' (cf. Judges 3:10; 14:6; 1 Samuel 10:10; 11:6; Isaiah 11:2, among others).


2 Kings 2, Elisha's Appointment and Elijah's Ascension (2:1–18)
Elisha also inherits Elijah's mantle, one of the older prophet's hallmark (1 Kings 19:13, 19; cf. 2 Kings 1:8), which is also proved to have magical powers (both Elijah and Elisha could divide the river Jordan with it, reminding us of Moses' division of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:21). The military title of honor, 'chariot of Israel and its horsemen' (verse 12; or "horses"), is also applied to Elisha (2 Kings 13:14) in relation to wartime successes achieved by the kingdom of Israel with his help (the later acts of Elisha are recorded mainly in 2 Kings 3; 6–7).


2 Kings 2, Elisha's Appointment and Elijah's Ascension (2:1–18), Verse 1
The first clause of the opening verse summarizes the events to happen, whereas the second one notes the beginning of the journey that leads up to it. Since the start, YHWH is 'named as the subject of this occurrence' with săarah ("storm, whirlwind"; often associated with theophany, such as in Job 38:1) as the agent of Elijah's ascent. Elisha is mentioned for the first time since Elijah chose him (1 Kings 19:19–21), accompanying the prophet from Gilgal (probably north of Beth-el), setting up the conflict between the two in the next three scenes as Elijah insists that he journey alone, while Elisha swears to follow.


2 Kings 2, The early acts of Elisha: bringing life and death (2:19-25)
This section records some of Elisha's first actions, confirming that 'Elisha has the same power to perform miracles as Elijah before him'. The spring named after Elisha (attributed to the miracle recorded in verses 19–22) can still be seen today at the oasis in Jericho with its fresh and abundant life-giving water. By stark contrast, ridiculing prophets can cost lives (verses 23–24; cf. 2 Kings 1:9–14; another 42 deaths are by Jehu in 2 Kings 10:12–14).


2 Kings 20
2 Kings 20 is the twentieth chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Hezekiah and Manasseh, the kings of Judah.


2 Kings 20, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 21 verses.


2 Kings 20, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 20, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 20, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows:


2 Kings 20, Hezekiah’s illness and recovery (20:1–11)
This passage records the miraculous healing of Hezekiah from mortal illness as a corollary with the account of Jerusalem's deliverance, both by YHWH. The prophet Isaiah acted as the messenger of YHWH, first to announce the 'prophecy of woe' that Hezekiah would die  (verse 1b; cf. 2 Kings 1:16), later to announce a positive prophecy: Hezekiah would recover (and receive the addition of fifteen years of life, verse 6a) and to order a 'fig paste' to be spread on the diseased part of his body, 'so that he may recover' (verse 7; cf. Isaiah 38:21). The king asked for a sign that he really would get healed (verse 8a), so YHWH had the shadow on the sundial (put up byHezekiah's father, Ahaz) to move back: a sign that 'Hezekiah's life-clock' had also been turned back (w. 9-11).


2 Kings 20, Hezekiah’s illness and recovery (20:1–11)
Narrative in the parallel passage in Isaiah 38 differs extensively in some parts:


2 Kings 20, Hezekiah’s illness and recovery (20:1–11)
The additional of fifteen years correlates Hezekiah's illness with Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem which occurred in the fourteenth year (2 Kings 18:13) of Hezekiah's reign making a total of twenty nine years (2 Kings 18:2).


2 Kings 20, Hezekiah shows his treasures; end of his reign (20:12–21)
This passage includes two episodes: one account of the Babylonian envoys dispatched by  Merodach-Baladan following Hezekiah's illness (verses 12–13) and an account of Isaiah's confronting Hezekiah for showing his treasures to the envoys (verses 14–19). Historical records to date suggest that this event more likely took place before 701 BCE, when the anti-Assyrian coalition would form following the death of Sargon II in 705 BCE, and Hezekiah's effort to impress Babylon by showing off his treasures would indicated a 'preparation for alliance and revolt'.


2 Kings 20, Hezekiah shows his treasures; end of his reign (20:12–21)
According to the narrative, Hezekiah's act caused the prophet Isaiah to be critical of the king, which conforms with the strong criticism of Hezekiah's alliance policy in Isaiah 30–31. The concluding regnal formula on Hezekiah (verses 20–21) contains a quote from the Annals of the Kings of Judah, which also mention the construction of Siloam tunnel to carry water from Gihon Spring under the city of David to the Pool of Siloam within city walls of Jerusalem (cf. 2 Chronicles 32:3–4; the remains of the fortifications have been excavated in modern times).


2 Kings 20, Archaeology, Hezekiah
Extra-biblical sources specify Hezekiah by name, along with his reign and influence. "Historiographically, his reign is noteworthy for the convergence of a variety of biblical sources and diverse extrabiblical evidence often bearing on the same events. Significant data concerning Hezekiah appear in the Deuteronomistic History, the Chronicler, Isaiah, Assyrian annals and reliefs, Israelite epigraphy, and, increasingly, stratigraphy". Archaeologist Amihai Mazar calls the tensions between Assyria and Judah "one of the best-documented events of the Iron Age" and Hezekiah's story is one of the best to cross-reference with the rest of the Mid Eastern world's historical documents.


2 Kings 20, Archaeology, Hezekiah
Several bullae  bearing the name of Hezekiah have been found:


2 Kings 20, Archaeology, Hezekiah
Other artifacts bearing the name "Hezekiah" include LMLK stored jars along the border with Assyria "demonstrate careful preparations to counter Sennacherib's likely route of invasion" and show "a notable degree of royal control of towns and cities which would facilitate Hezekiah's destruction of rural sacrificial sites and his centralization of worship in Jerusalem". Evidence suggests they were used throughout his 29-year reign and the Siloam inscription.


2 Kings 20, Archaeology, Manasseh
Manasseh is mentioned in the Esarhaddon Prism (dates to 673–672 BCE), discovered by archaeologist Reginald Campbell Thompson during the 1927–28 excavation season at the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh. The 493 lines of cuneiform inscribed on the sides of the prism describe the history of King Esarhaddon’s reign and an account of the reconstruction of the Assyrian palace in Babylon, which reads "Together 22 kings of Hatti [this land includes Israel], the seashore and the islands. All these I sent out and made them transport under terrible difficulties"; one of these 22 kings was King Manasseh of Judah ("Menasii šar [âlu]Iaudi").


2 Kings 20, Archaeology, Manasseh
A record by Esarhaddon’s son and successor, Ashurbanipal, mentions "Manasseh, king of Judah" who contributed to the invasion force against Egypt.


2 Kings 21
2 Kings 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Manasseh and Amon, the kings of Judah.


2 Kings 21, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 26 verses.


2 Kings 21, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 21, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 21, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows:


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18)
The passage recording the reign of Manasseh consists of the 'introductory regnal form' (verses 1–3), the body/regnal account (verses 4–16; with major subunits in verses 4–5, 6–8, 9–15 and 16, each in the waw-consecutive narrative form) and the 'concluding regnal form' (verses 17–18). Manasseh's 55-year reign is the longest of all the kings of Judah, but in the Books of Kings he is considered the worst king of the southern kingdom. Manasseh behaved like Ahab, the king of Israel in Samaria:


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18)
Later, his grandson, king Josiah, must abolish all the deities reintroduced by Manasseh (cf. 2 Kings 23).


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18)
Manasseh was Assyria's vassal, that Assyrian sources mention as 'a bringer of tribute and as a military follower', without the slightest indication of resistance. This might be the reason for the length of his reign.


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18), Verse 1
Two seals appeared on the antiquities market in Jerusalem (first reported in 1963), both bearing the inscription, "Belonging to Manasseh, son of the king." As the term "son of the king" refers to royal princes, whether they eventually ascended the throne or not, the seal is considered to be Manasseh's during his co-regency with his father.


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18), Verse 1
It bears the same iconography of the Egyptian winged scarab as the seals attributed to King Hezekiah, recalling the alliance between Hezekiah and Egypt against the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:21; Isaiah 36:6), and may symbolize 'a desire to permanently unite the northern and southern kingdoms together with God’s divine blessing'.


2 Kings 21, Manasseh king of Judah (21:1–18), Verse 1
Jar handles bearing  a stamp with a winged-beetle and the phrase LMLK ("to the king"), along with the name of a city, have been unearthed throughout ancient Judah as well as in a large administrative complex discovered outside of the old city of Jerusalem and used to hold olive oil, food, wine, etc – goods that were paid as taxes to the king, dated to the reigns of Hezekiah (cf. "Hezekiah's storehouses"; 2 Chronicles 32:27–28) and Manasseh. These artifacts provide the evidence of 'a complex and highly-organized tax system in Judah' from the time of Hezekiah extending into the time of Manasseh, among others to pay the tribute to the Assyrians.


2 Kings 21, Amon, king of Judah (21:19–26)
Amon, Manasseh's son and successor, is recorded to have 'walked in the waywhich his father walked' (verse 21), but, unlike his father, he had a short period of reign. Then, 'the people of the land'—the same political groupwho brought down the 'evil' queen Athaliah, enabling the 'good' king Joash to seize the throne (2 Kings 11:18, 20)—intervene to 'punish the king's murderers' and place Josiah, Amon's son, on the throne.


2 Kings 21, Archaeology
Manasseh and the kingdom of Judah are only mentioned in the list of subservient kings/states in Assyrian inscriptions of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal. Manasseh is mentioned in the Esarhaddon Prism (dates to 673–672 BCE), discovered by archaeologist Reginald Campbell Thompson during the 1927–28 excavation season at the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh. The 493 lines of cuneiform inscribed on the sides of the prism describe the history of King Esarhaddon's reign and an account of the reconstruction of the Assyrian palace in Babylon, which reads "Together 22 kings of Hatti [this land includes Israel], the seashore and the islands. All these I sent out and made them transport under terrible difficulties"; one of these 22 kings was King Manasseh of Judah ("Menasii šar [âlu]Iaudi").


2 Kings 21, Archaeology
A record by Esarhaddon's son and successor, Ashurbanipal, mentions "Manasseh, king of Judah" who contributed to the invasion force against Egypt. This was recorded on the "Rassam cylinder" (or "Rassam Prism", now in the British Museum), named after Hormuzd Rassam, who discovered it in the North Palace of Nineveh in 1854. The ten-faced, cuneiform cylinder contains a record of Ashurbanipal’s campaigns against Egypt and the Levant, that involved 22 kings "from the seashore, the islands and the mainland", who are called "servants who belong to me," clearly denoting them as Assyrian vassals. Manasseh was one of the kings who 'brought tribute to Ashurbanipal and kissed his feet'.


2 Kings 21, Archaeology
In rabbinic literature on "Isaiah" and Christian pseudepigrapha "Ascension of Isaiah", Manasseh is accused of executing the prophet Isaiah, who was identified as the maternal grandfather of Manasseh.


2 Kings 21, Archaeology
Manasseh is mentioned in chapter 21 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, where he is used as an example of ungodly king.


2 Kings 22
2 Kings 22 is the twenty-second chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Josiah, the king of Judah, especially the discovery of the Book of the Law (Torah) during the renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem.


2 Kings 22, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 20 verses.


2 Kings 22, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 22, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century).


2 Kings 22, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows:


2 Kings 22, Analysis
2 Kings 22–23:30 mainly contains the story of Josiah's actions of his eighteenth year (22:3; 23:23) and the discovery of the book of the law (22:8-10; 23:24) as grouped based on five royal initiatives (using distinct verbs "send" and "command"):


2 Kings 22, Josiah king of Judah (22:1–7)
The account of Josiah ben Amon as the king of Judah is bracketed by the introductory regnal form in 2 Kings 22:1–2 and the concluding regnal form in 2 Kings 23:28–30, as the body in 2 Kings 22:3–23:27 highlights the religious reform and national restoration. The life of Josiah shows some similarities to the life of Joash, king of Judah, that:


2 Kings 22, Josiah king of Judah (22:1–7)
In 625 BCE Babylon achieved independence under Nabopolassar and in 612 BCE took the Assyrian capital Nineveh. This situation enables the kingdom of Judah, not under the threat of the Assyrians anymore, could make internal changes, including religious reforms.


2 Kings 22, Josiah king of Judah (22:1–7)
Verses 3–7 records the instruction of Josiah, through the scribe Shaphan ben Azaliah ben Meshullam, to the high priest Hilkiah to lead the renovation of the Temple in Jerusalem.


2 Kings 22, The Book of the Law was discovered (22:8–13)
Hilkiah reported to Shaphan about the discovery of a book of Torah in the temple during the renovations. (verse 8; cf. 2 Kings 12). Critical studies suggest that the discovered book was Deuteronomy or its core (Deuteronomy 6ab–28), which contains the speech made by Moses shortly before his death and might include some older materials as well.


2 Kings 22, The Book of the Law was discovered (22:8–13)
The closing admonitions (Deuteronomy 28), the strict demand for the exclusive worship of YHWH (Deuteronomy 6:5) and the cultic veneration of YHWH alone in the central holy site of Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12) would impress Josiah, and rules such as the social laws of Deuteronomy (e.g. Deuteronomy 15: 24) would become state law during his reign.


2 Kings 22, The Book of the Law was discovered (22:8–13)
Shaphan's report to King Josiah concerning the discovery of the Torah scroll and read the document (verses 9–10), causing Josiah's distress on hearing the words and his command to a delegation including Hilkiah the priest, Shaphan the scribe, and others to make an inquiry of YHWH  to determine the significance of this discovery (verses 11–13), which led them to the home of the prophetess, Huldah, wife of Shallum ben Harhas, the keeper of garments.


2 Kings 22, Huldah's prophecy (22:14–20)
The prophetess Huldah pointed out the inevitability that the kingdom of Judah would suffer destruction because of the people's apostasy, although she showed supports for Josiah's reforms and indicated that Josiah's righteousness would earn him a peaceful death before the catastrophe striked.


2 Kings 22, Archaeology
Two ostraca were found in 1997 (Shlomo Moussaieff #1 and #2) that seems to strengthen the evidence for a temple renovation during the reign of Josiah (see Bordreuil, Israel, and Pardee 1996 and 1998), but these artifacts did not come from regular excavations, so there is a suspicion of modern forgery. The first ostracon has a five-line inscription that records a royal contribution of three shekel of silver by a king ʾAshyahu to the temple of Yahweh to be made through a royal functionary named Zakaryahu, dated by palaeography to the time of Josiah. The name "Ashyahu" is determined as a short form of Yo’shiyahu ("Josiah"). The second ostracon contains a widow's plea about an inheritance which mentions Josiah's name and a short quote from Psalm 22:11.


2 Kings 22, Illustration
King Josiah ordered Shaphan the scribe to go to the high priest Hilkiah


2 Kings 22, Illustration
Hilkiah reported to Shaphan about the discovery of the Book of the Law


2 Kings 22, Illustration
Josiah tore his clothes when Shaphan read the Book of the Law to him.


2 Kings 23
2 Kings 23 is the twenty-third chapter of the second part of the  Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Josiah, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, kings of Judah.


2 Kings 23, Text
This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 37 verses.


2 Kings 23, Text, Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).


2 Kings 23, Text, Textual witnesses
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; G{\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}A; 5th century). The extant palimpsest AqBurkitt contains verses 11–27 in Koine Greek translated by Aquila of Sinope approximately in the early or mid-second century CE.


2 Kings 23, Analysis
A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11-20 and 2 Kings 21-25, as follows:


2 Kings 23, Analysis
2 Kings 22–23:30 mainly contains the story of Josiah's actions of his eighteenth year (22:3; 23:23) and the discovery of the book of the law (22:8-10; 23:24) as grouped based on five royal initiatives (using distinct verbs "send" and "command"):


2 Kings 23, Analysis
2 Kings 23–24 contain a 'neat scheme' within the chaos at the end of the kingdom of Judah:


2 Kings 23, Analysis
Most of  2 Kings 23 particularly focuses on Josiah's response to the Book of Law, being grammatically the subject of all the verbs used throughout verses 1–30. 2 Kings 23:4-20 records twelve actions by Josiah, which in numerological view is signified by his 'twelvefold purging' of idolatry, reformation of all twelve tribes of Israel and the renewal of the kingdom from Bethel to Beersheba.


2 Kings 23, Analysis
He is the eighth king commended for "doing right" in the eyes of God, who began his reign in his eighth year of age (2 Kings 22:1)  and the only king who actually heard and read the book of Torah. However, Josiah could not prevent the destruction of Judah, as the promise and threat of Torah would be seen as fulfilled in the whole book of Kings. By the end of 2 Kings, everything established during the golden age of Solomon, promised to David, became unraveled: Under Solomon, Egypt entered a marriage alliance with Judah, but after Josiah, Egypt conquered Judah (23:31-37), and whereas Solomon received tribute, his descendants paid it to other nations.


2 Kings 23, Josiah's implementation of religious reforms (23:1–24)
This section records the religious reform by Josiah that he had performed together with all the people in a covenant (verse 4). The actions cover three areas:


2 Kings 23, Josiah's death (23:25–30)
In death, there is a parallel between Josiah and Ahab as both were killed during battles with foreign powers, and both were brought from the battlefield to the capital city to be buried(1 Kings 22:34-37; 2 Kings 23:28-30).