Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 15
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Kings 15
Albert Barnes Commentary
2 Kings 15
"And Jehovah smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house. And Jotham the king`s son was over the household, judging the people of the land." — 2 Kings 15:5 (ASV)
The Lord smote the king, so that he was a leper - The circumstances under which this terrible affliction befell one of the greatest of the Jewish kings are given at some length by the author of Chronicles. This author supplies us with a fairly full account of this important reign, which the writer of Kings dismisses in half a dozen verses.
A several house - This means "a house of liberation" or "freedom." The Law required that lepers live apart from other people. Jotham became regent in his father's place and served as judge (see the note on 1 Kings 3:9) from the time his father became a leper.
"In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months." — 2 Kings 15:8 (ASV)
In the thirty-eighth year — This should rather be read as the 27th year of Azariah, according to the chronology in 2 Kings 14:23 and 2 Kings 15:2. Some suppose there was an interregnum between Jeroboam and Zachariah, which, however, is very improbable.
"And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead." — 2 Kings 15:10 (ASV)
Before the people - that is, openly and publicly. The Septuagint renders the original words as a proper name, Keblaam, and presents him as the actual assassin, but with little justification.
"And Menahem the son of Gadi went up from Tirzah, and came to Samaria, and smote Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria, and slew him, and reigned in his stead." — 2 Kings 15:14 (ASV)
Tirzah, the old capital, once more appears as a place of importance, giving birth to the pretender, who alone of all these later kings died a natural death and left the crown to his son (2 Kings 15:22). It would seem from the present passage that it was on lower ground than Samaria.
"Then Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were therein, and the borders thereof, from Tirzah: because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up." — 2 Kings 15:16 (ASV)
Regarding the supposed inability of Menahem to lead an expedition to Tiphsah (Thapsacus) on the Euphrates, we should first note that such an expedition was a natural sequel to Jeroboam’s occupation of Hamath (2 Kings 14:28). Furthermore, this campaign would have been greatly facilitated by the weakness of Assyria at this time, since that empire had fallen into a state of decline around 780 B.C.
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