The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  12lThen Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, min the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

  The Captivity of Jerusalem

  13nAnd he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he ocut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, pas the LORD had said.

  14Also qhe carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, rten thousand captives, and sall the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except tthe poorest people of the land.

  15And uhe carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

  16vAll the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

  Zedekiah Reigns in Judah

  (2 Chr. 36:11–14; Jer. 52:1–3)

  17Then wthe king of Babylon made Mattaniah, xJehoiachin’s4 uncle, king in his place, and ychanged his name to Zedekiah.

  18zZedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was aHamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

  19bHe also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

  20For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. cThen Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

  2 Kings 25

  The Fall and Captivity of Judah

  (2 Chr. 36:15–21; Jer. 52:4–30)

  1Now it came to pass ain the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

  2So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

  3By the ninth day of the bfourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

  4Then cthe city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And dthe king1 went by way of the 2plain.

  5But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

  6So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon eat Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.

  7Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, fput3 out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

  8And in the fifth month, gon the seventh day of the month (which was hthe nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), iNebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

  9jHe burned the house of the LORD kand the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, lhe burned with fire.

  10And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard mbroke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

  11Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive nthe rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

  12But the captain of the guard oleft some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

  13pThe bronze qpillars that were in the house of the LORD, and rthe carts and sthe bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and tcarried their bronze to Babylon.

  14They also took away uthe pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

  15The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

  16The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, vthe bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

  17wThe height of one pillar was 4eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

  18xAnd the captain of the guard took ySeraiah the chief priest, zZephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

  19He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, afive men of 5the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

  20So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

  21Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. bThus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

  Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah

  (Jer. 40:5—41:18)

  22Then he made Gedaliah the son of cAhikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over dthe people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

  23Now when all the ecaptains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and 6Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

  24And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

  25But fit happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

  26And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose gand went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

  Jehoiachin Released from Prison

  (Jer. 52:31–34)

  27hNow it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that 7Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, ireleased Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.

  28He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

  29So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he jate 8bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

  30And as for his 9provisions, there was a 10regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

  2 Kings Commentaries

  2 Kings 1

  1:1 Moab rebelled. See note on Gen. 19:37, 38; Introduction to Ruth: Background and Setting; cf. 3:4–27.

  1:2 Ahaziah. This king of the northern kingdom of Israel is not to be confused with Ahaziah of Judah (8:25—9:29). lattice of his upper room. Ahaziah’s rooftop room was enclosed with crossbars of interwoven reed or wood strips, which shut out direct sunlight while letting in cool breezes. It was not sturdy enough to keep Ahaziah from falling to the ground below (for unexplained reasons). This took place ca. 852 B.C. Baal-Zebub. This was a local expression of the Baal cult at Ekron (see note on 1 Kin. 16:31, 32). Baal-Zebub meant “lord of the flies,” suggesting that he was the storm god who controlled diseases brought by flies. On the other hand, the name may have been the sarcastic Israelite parody of Baal-Zebul, meaning “prince Baal” or “exalted lord,” a common title for Baal in extrabiblical Canaanite texts. The NT preserved the name in
the form Beelzebul, a name for Satan, the prince of the demons (Matt. 10:25; 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15). Ekron. The northernmost of the major Philistine cities, located about 22 mi. W of Jerusalem (see note on 1 Sam. 5:10).

  1:3 the angel of the LORD. Although some interpret this as a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ (e.g., Gen. 16:7–14; Judg. 2:1–4; see note on Ex. 3:2), probably here the reference is to an angelic messenger, like the one sent earlier by the Lord to Elijah (cf. 19:35; 1 Kin. 19:7). The Lord’s messenger was in contrast to the messengers of the wicked king (vv. 2, 3, 5). Elijah. The record of this unusual prophet to Israel begins in 1 Kin. 17:1 and extends to 2 Kin. 2:11 (see note on 1 Kin. 17:1).

  1:4 you shall surely die. The Lord’s punishment on Ahaziah for consulting a false god instead of the true God was that he would fail to recover from his injuries. This was a merciful application of the Mosaic Law (cf. Ex. 22:20), which demanded death. Cf. vv. 16, 17.

  1:8 A hairy man. Lit. “possessor of hair.” This has been interpreted in two ways: 1) Elijah was physically hairy; or 2) Elijah wore a garment made of hair. The language supports the second viewpoint that Elijah wore a coarse wool garment girded at the waist with a leather belt. Zechariah 13:4 describes such a garment as belonging to prophets (cf. Matt. 7:15). Further, the NT describes John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and likeness of Elijah, as clothed in camel’s hair (Matt. 3:4).

  1:9 Man of God. A technical title for a man who spoke for God. See notes on Deut. 33:1; 1 Kin. 12:22; 1 Tim. 6:11.

  1:10–12 fire came down from heaven. This was the proof that Elijah was a prophet of the Lord and entitled to respect. Additionally, it was an indication that Elijah was like Moses, who also was validated as the Lord’s prophet by fire from heaven (Num. 16:35).

  1:15 angel of the LORD. See note on 1:3.

  1:16 Baal-Zebub. See note on 1:2.

  1:17 Jehoram…Jehoram. The first Jehoram mentioned here was, like Ahaziah (1 Kin. 22:51), a son of Ahab (3:1), who ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel for 12 years, ca. 852–841 B.C. (see note on 3:1). The second Jehoram mentioned was the son and successor to Jehoshaphat, who ruled in the southern kingdom of Judah, ca. 853–841 B.C. (cf. 8:16–24). second year. Ca. 852 B.C. This was the second year of Jehoram of Judah’s co-regency with Jehoshaphat his father (see notes on 3:1; 8:17; 2 Chr. 21:4–20).

  2 Kings 2

  2:1 by a whirlwind. Lit. “in the whirlwind.” This was a reference to the specific storm with lightning and thunder in which Elijah was taken to heaven (v. 11). The Lord’s presence was connected with a whirlwind in Job 38:1; 40:6; Jer. 23:19; 25:32; 30:23; Zech. 9:14. Elisha. The record of this prophet, who was the successor to Elijah, begins in 1 Kin. 19:16 and extends to his death in 2 Kin. 13:20 (see note on 1 Kin. 19:16). Gilgal. Although some take this to be the Gilgal located W of the Jordan River near Jericho (cf. Josh. 4:19; 5:9), the close affinity to Bethel (v. 2) and its distance from Jericho (v. 4) seem to indicate that the Gilgal mentioned here was located in the hill country of Ephraim about 7 mi. N of Bethel.

  2:2 Bethel. A town in Benjamin about 8 mi. N of Jerusalem, where one of Israel’s false worship centers was located (see note on 1 Kin. 12:29).

  2:3 the sons of the prophets. See note on 1 Kin. 20:35. take away. The same term was used of Enoch’s translation to heaven in Gen. 5:24. The question from the sons of the prophets implied that the Lord had revealed Elijah’s imminent departure to them. Elisha’s response that he didn’t need to hear about it (“keep silent”) explicitly stated that Elijah’s departure had been revealed by the Lord to him also (cf. v. 5). from over you. I.e., from supervising you, an allusion to the habit of students sitting beneath the feet of their master, elevated on a platform. Elisha would soon change from being Elijah’s assistant to serving as the leader among the prophets.

  2:4 Jericho. A city about 14 mi. SE of Bethel in the Jordan River Valley (cf. Josh. 2:1; 6:1), to which Elisha accompanied Elijah (cf. v. 6).

  2:8 water…was divided. Elijah rolled up his cloak into a kind of rod and struck the water of the Jordan River. Immediately, the water parted, leaving a dry path through the river bed for the two prophets to cross. Elijah’s act recalled Moses’ parting of the Red Sea with his rod (Ex. 14:21, 22) and the parting of the Jordan when Israel crossed over into the Land (Josh. 3:14–17). The crossing put Elijah on the Jordan’s E bank, the area where Moses’ life came to an end (Deut. 34:1–6).

  2:9 a double portion. In Israel, the firstborn son inherited a double share of his father’s possessions and with it the right of succession (Deut. 21:17). “A double portion of your spirit” was not merely Elisha’s request to succeed Elijah in his prophetic ministry, since the Lord had already revealed this succession in 1 Kin. 19:16–21. Nor was it Elisha’s desire for ministry superior to Elijah’s, though Elisha did, in fact, do twice as many recorded miracles as Elijah. Apparently, Elisha was asking to succeed Elijah in the prophetic office, as God had promised, with spiritual power beyond his own capabilities to meet the responsibilities of his position as Elijah’s successor. He desired that Elijah’s mighty power might continue to live through him.

  2:10 a hard thing. Since only God can give spiritual power, Elijah did not have the ability to grant Elisha’s request. Elijah told Elisha that if Elisha saw his departure, it would be the sign that God Himself would grant Elisha’s request.

  2:11 chariot of fire…with horses of fire. The horse-drawn chariot was the fastest means of transport and the mightiest means of warfare in that day. Thus, the chariot and horses symbolized God’s powerful protection, which was the true safety of Israel (v. 12). As earthly kingdoms are dependent for their defense on such military force as represented by horses and chariots, one single prophet had done more by God’s power to preserve his nation than all their military preparations.

  2:12 My father. The sons of the prophet recognized the leader of their company as their spiritual father. This title of respect for a person of authority (Gen. 45:8; Judg. 17:10) was later used for Elisha (6:21; 13:14).

  2:13 the mantle of Elijah. Elijah’s cloak (see note on 1:8), picked up by Elisha, authenticated him as Elijah’s legitimate spiritual successor.

  2:14 water…was divided. Elisha repeated the action of Elijah (v. 8) in using the cloak to immediately part the waters of the Jordan River, allowing Elisha to recross on dry land. This confirmed that Elisha had received from God the same great power as his master, Elijah.

  2:15 bowed to the ground. This action symbolized the submission of the prophets to the preeminence of Elisha as the prophet in Israel.

  2:16 They knew that when souls went into God’s presence at death, bodies remained on earth. Out of sensitivity to the body of Elijah, they wanted to retrieve it for appropriate care. Elisha knew Elijah’s body would not be left behind, because he had seen his bodily ascension (v. 11) while the others had not, so he said, “No.”

  2:17 ashamed. In 8:11 and Judg. 3:25, this term was used for the feeling of embarrassment under the unrelenting pressure of their request. But with shame for his own failure to believe what he had seen, Elisha was also embarrassed for the prophets, knowing the futile outcome of their search (v. 18). Cf. 1 Kin. 18:12.

  2:20, 21 bowl…salt. Salt purifies water, but the small amount used there could not clean the whole water supply. Rather, the use of salt from a new bowl symbolized the cleansing of the waters that God would miraculously do. The healing of Jericho’s water, through Elisha, freed the city from Joshua’s curse, making it habitable for humans once again (cf. Josh. 6:26; 1 Kin. 16:34).

  2:23 youths. These were not children, but infidels and idolatrous young men in their late teens or twenties (cf. Gen. 22:12; 37:2; 1 Kin. 20:14, 15). baldhead. Baldness was regarded as a disgrace (cf. Is. 3:17, 24). The baldness of Elisha referred to here may be: 1) natural loss of hair; 2) a shaved head denoting his separation to the prophetic office; or more likely, 3) an epithet of scorn and contempt, Elisha not being literally bald. These youths were sarcastically taunting and insulting th
e Lord’s prophet by telling him to repeat Elijah’s translation (“go up”).

  2:24 pronounced a curse. Because these young people of about 20 years of age or older (the same term is used of Solomon in 1 Kin. 3:7) so despised the prophet of the Lord, Elisha called upon the Lord to deal with the rebels as He saw fit. The Lord’s punishment was the mauling of 42 youths by two female bears. The penalty was clearly justified, for to ridicule Elisha was to ridicule the Lord Himself. The gravity of the penalty mirrored the gravity of the crime. The appalling judgment was God’s warning to any and all who attempted to interfere with the newly invested prophet’s ministry.

  2:25 Mount Carmel. For the location, see note on 1 Kin. 18:19. Elisha associated his prophetic ministry with Elijah’s stand against Baalism. Samaria. The capital city of the northern kingdom, located in central Palestine (cf. 1 Kin. 16:24).

  2 Kings 3

  3:1 Jehoram. See note on 1:17. He was Ahaziah’s brother (1 Kin. 22:51). eighteenth year. Ca. 852 B.C. This was Jehoshaphat of Judah’s 18th year of rule after the death of his father Asa in 870 B.C. Jehoshaphat was co-regent with Asa from 873–870 B.C. Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram was co-regent with his father from 853–848 B.C. (see notes on 1:17; 8:17). twelve years. 852–841 B.C.

  3:2 pillar of Baal. This was probably an image of the god Baal that King Ahab had made and placed in the temple he built to Baal (1 Kin. 16:32, 33). This image was only put in storage, not permanently destroyed, because it reappeared at the end of Jehoram’s reign (10:26, 27).

  3:3 Jeroboam. Ca. 931–910 B.C. See notes on 1 Kin. 11:26—14:20; 2 Chr. 9:29–13:20.

  3:4 Mesha king of Moab. According to the Moabite Stone (discovered at Dihon, Moab, in A.D. 1868 and dated to ca. 840–820 B.C.), Moab, which is located E of the Dead Sea between the Arnon River and the Brook Zered, had been Israel’s vassal since Omri (ca. 880 B.C.). Moab’s king, Mesha, was a sheep breeder (cf. Amos 1:1) who supplied the king of Israel with lambs and wool. This was Moab’s annual tribute to the Israelite king.