The war with Joash, king of Israel. - Instead of following the counsel of the prophet, Amaziah consulted (sc., with his public officials or courtiers), and challenged King Joash of Israel to war. The challenge, and the war which followed, are also narrated in 2Ki 14:8-14 in agreement with our account, and have been already commented upon at that place, where we have also considered the occasion of this war, so fatal to Amaziah and the kingdom of Judah, on account of which has been handed down to us only in the supplementary narrative of the Chronicle. לך in 2Ch 25:17 for לכה, come, as in Num 23:13 and Jdg 19:13. - In 2Ch 25:20 the chronicler explains Amaziah's refusal to hear the warning of Joash before the war with him, by a reference to the divine determination: “For it (came) of God (that Amaziah still went to war), that He might deliver them (the men of Judah) into the hand, because they had sought the gods of Edom.” בּיד נתן, to give into the power of the enemy. - In 2Ch 25:23, הפּונה שׁער is a manifest error for הפּנּה (2Ki 14:13). Were הפּונה, the gate that turns itself, faces (in some direction), correct, the direction would have to be given towards which it turned, e.g., Eze 8:3. - וגו וכל־הזּהב, 2Ch 25:24, still depends upon תּפשׂ, 2Ch 25:23 : and (took away) all the gold, etc. In 2Ki 14:14, ולקח is supplied.The end of Amaziah's reign; cf. 2Ki 14:17-20. - Although conquered and taken prisoner by Joash, Amaziah did not lose the throne. For Joash, contented with the carrying away of the treasures of the temple and of the palace, and the taking of hostages, set him again at liberty, so that he continued to reign, and outlived Joash by about fifteen years.
Verse 26
On the book of the kings of Judah and Israel, see the Introduction.
Verses 27-28
On the conspiracy against Amaziah, his death, etc., see the commentary on 2Ki 14:17. יהוּדה בּעיר, in the city of Judah, is surprising, since everywhere else “the city of David” is mentioned as the burial-place, and even in our passage all the ancient versions have “in the city of David.” יהוּדה would therefore seem to be an orthographical error for דויד, occasioned by the immediately following יהוּדה.
Chap. 26
Verses 1-5
The statements as to Uzziah's attainment of dominion, the building of the seaport town Elath on the Red
