2 Chronicles 21:17

(17) And brake into it.—Literally, clave it asun-der (Exo_14:16). Here as in 1Ch_11:18; 2Sa_23:16.

And carried away all the substance . . . his wives.—This statement implies that the enemy entered Jerusalem, although the chronicler has not expressly said it. In the same way (2Ch_12:9) he omitted to state that Shishak captured the city before plundering the Temple and palace. The desire to be concise accounts for both omissions. (See on 2Ch_22:1.)

All the substance that was found in the king’s house.—Literally, that belonged to the king’s house. (Comp. 2Ch_34:32 for in; comp. also Deu_21:17.) It is not said that the Temple was plundered; but nothing can be inferred from the writer’s silence on this point.

So that there was never a son left him.—They were not only taken, but slain (2Ch_22:1).

Save Jehoahaz.—Called Ahaziah in 2Ch_22:1, which is the same name with the elements of it reversed. It means “Iah holdeth.” The “Azariah” of 2Ch_22:6 seems to be a mistake. LXX., Syriac, Arabic, and Targum, “Ahaziah.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 21:17 And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

Ver. 17. And carried away all the substance.] Plundered the chief city also, and the king’s palace. Jerusalem, after it became idolatrous, was ten times taken: Rome, since it became Papal, was never besieged but it was also taken and plundered. This word plunder, which we first heard of in the Swedish wars, is said to come from planum dare, to level or plane all to nothing; or from the Dutch, as if it were to plume or pluck the feathers of a bird to the bare skin.

And his sons also.] Whom they slew. {2Ch 22:1}

And his wives.] Athaliah escaped, for a public mischief.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 21:17. And his sons also, and his wives — Whom they slew, all except Ahaziah and Athaliah, who possibly were hid in some secret place. So that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz — Who is also called Ahaziah, a name of the same signification with Jehoahaz, and, by a small alteration of the letters, Azariah, (2Ch 22:6,) the meaning of which word is akin to the other, all signifying the possession, strength, or help of the Lord. Thus blood was required for blood. Jehoram had slain all his brethren; they slay all his sons but one. And he had not escaped, had he not been of the house of David, which must not be extirpated, like that of Ahab, because a blessing was in it, no less a blessing than that of the Messiah.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Called also Ahaziah, as 2 Chron. 22:1, or Azariah, verse 6 following.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 17. Save Jehoahaz the youngest] This person had at least three names, Jehoahaz, Ahaziah, (2Ch 22:1,) and Azariah, (2Ch 22:6.)

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. and brake into it] The proper meaning of the Heb. verb is “to make a breach in a city-wall [and so take the city]”; cp. 2Ch_32:1. The word is metaphorically applied (here and Isa_7:6) to a whole country.

in the king’s house] R.V. mg., belonging to the king’s house. The rendering of A.V. suggests that the allies entered Jerusalem, but this was almost certainly not the case.

Jehoahaz] In 2Ch_22:1 he is called Ahaziah, which is only another form of the name, the prefix Jeho- of the one, and the ending -iah of the other being each the representative of the divine name Jehovah. The name in either form means “Jehovah hath taken” (or “chosen”). Two similar cases are Jehoshaphat and Shephatiah (2Ch_21:1) and Jehonathan and Nethaniah in 2Ch_17:8.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years,.... See Kg2 8:17,

and departed without being desired; to live, either by himself, being weary of life through the pain he endured; or by his people, he being so wicked a prince, and so ill beloved by them, that nobody wished to have him live, but were glad to hear of his death; the meaning is, he died unlamented; his death is expressed by a departing out of this world into another, a phrase more than once used for death in the New Testament, see Joh 13:1,

howbeit, they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings; they showed him some respect for the sake of his father, by burying him in the city of David, but denied him the honour of lying in the royal sepulchres, see Kg2 8:24.

Next: 2 Chronicles Chapter 22

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Jehoahaz - The writer of Chronicles calls him indifferently Jeboahaz and Abaziah, which are equivalent names (2Ki 8:24 note).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Joachaz, alias Ochozias, (Ch.) or Azarias, in Hebrew, C. xxii. 1., and 6. C. --- The variation of names seems to originate in the mistakes of transcribers, very frequently. If we found in some profane author, that Philip had only one son, Ander-alex, left, and that this son, Alex-ander, succeeded him, we should readily allow that the first syllables had been erroneously placed last, (Kennicott) as on this occasion aez-ieu stands for ieu-aez. Sept. has here Greek: Ochozias; as the other versions have also Ochozias, (chap. xxii. 6.) instead of Azrieu, (H.) a name given to Ozias, king of Juda, when it belonged to the priests, as it here belongs to one of the captains, C. xxiii. 1. Sometimes we find Aezie, 4 K. ix. 16. Strange inconsistency! Kennicott) See 4 K. xiv. 21.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

His sons also and his wives; whom also they slew, 2Ch 22:1, except Ahaziah and Athaliah, who possibly were hidden in some secret and safe place.

Jehoahaz; called also Ahaziah, which signifies the very same thing with Jehoahaz; and Azariah, 2Ch 22:6, whose signification is near akin to the other, all signifying God’s taking or helping of him.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Brake into it — Made a forcible irruption into the kingdom, and captured many of the chief cities, if not Jerusalem itself.

Carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives — This most naturally implies the capture of Jerusalem and the plunder of the royal palace. And yet, it must be confessed, that such a plunder of the capital city is usually described in a more direct and unmistakable way. Compare 2Ch_12:9; 2Ch_25:24 : 2Ki_14:13. Keil therefore argues that the capital was not captured, and that “the substance that was found in the king’s house” was the treasures belonging to the king’s family, which were stored in various cities, villages, and castles of the kingdom. 1Ch_27:25. He supposes also that the king’s sons and wives were captured, not in Jerusalem, but in the camp of the men of Judah, (2Ch_22:1,) where they were surprised and taken by the enemy. Owing to the brevity of the narrative, the exact sense is somewhat obscure; but we cannot resist the conviction that the king of Judah’s wives would scarcely have been found in the camp, and the whole passage is most easily and naturally explained by supposing that, on this occasion as on a number of others, Jerusalem was broken into, and largely plundered by the invading forces.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Brake into it; Hebrew, kal future of qB; (compare the other four significant and expressive occurrences of this exact form, (Jud_1:15:19 2Sa_23:16; 1Ch_11:18; Isa_48:21) The elementary idea of the root is to divide; and it occurs in one conjugation or another fifty-one times, there being no more typical occurrence than that ofYiw; Gen_7:11. Carried away. The Hebrew uses the word "carried captive" (WBv) possibly the order of ver. 14 is inadvertently neglected, which puts the living beings before all the substance, or, goods (vWkrhAlK). His sons also. From 2Ch_24:7 we note that the sons were not punished for their father"s sins alone, but for their own. Jehoahaz. This person is called Ahaziah in 2Ch_22:1 (the syllables of the name being reversed) and Azariah in 2Ch_22:6, which cannot be explained, but must be supposed an error. The Jehoiachin 2Ch_36:9 is written Jeconiah, or Jechoniah, in 1Ch_3:16, 1Ch_3:17; Coniah in Jer_22:24, etc.; and Jechoniah in 2Ch_24:1, etc. The two parts of the word combined in either order make the same meaning. On account of the express mention of the camp in 2Ch_22:1, some think that the slaughter and the plunder were all such as might have been wrought in the royal quarters there; others that we are to infer the taking by assault of Jerusalem itself and what was therein.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

His wives - Whom also they slew, chap. xxii, 1, except Ahaziah and Athaliah; who possibly were hidden in some secret place. Left him - Blood for blood. He had slain all his brethren; they slay all his sons, but one. And he had not escaped, had be not been of the house of David; which must not be extirpated, like that of Ahab: because a blessing was in it; no less a blessing than that of the Messiah.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Jehoahaz

Called Ahaziah, 2Ch 22:1; 2Ch 22:6 and Azariah:

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and split it - Heb. וַיִִּבְקָעוּהָ, like (Isa. 7:6): “Let us go up to Judah and provoke it and breach its walls וְנַבְקִעֶנָה and so, (II Kings 3:26): “to break a way (לְהַבְקִיעַ)o the king of Edom.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.