2 Kings 19:13

2Ki 19:13 Where [is] the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

Ver. 13. Where is the king of Hamath, &c.?] See 2Ki 18:33. Only there it is gods of those places, and here kings. The heathens commonly called their gods kings - as Fοιβε αναξ, βασιλευς ανδρων τε θεων τε, &c. - and they reckoned, that whatsoever their gods could do, their kings should be sure of. We have not so served the gods, said that Roman emperor, that they should serve us no better than to give the enemy the better of us. {a}

{a} Non sic deos coluimus, &c. - Antonin. Phil.

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.

Compare the marginal reference 2Ki 17:24. 2Ki 19:12 refers to former Assyrian successes, 2Ki 19:13 to comparatively recent ones.

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

2Ki 19:13. Where is the king of Hamath, &c. — He may mean the gods of these places, calling them their kings, because the people looked upon them as their protectors and governors, which kings are or should be to their subjects: or rather, he means their kings, properly so called. And so, as before he compared their gods with the God of Jerusalem, so now he compares their kings with King Hezekiah; and by both comparisons intends to persuade Hezekiah and his people that neither he, their king, nor their God, was able to save them out of his hand.

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

(13) The king.—Comp. 2Ki_18:34, from which, as well as from the sequence of thought in 2Ki_19:12-13 here, it is clear that “king” is here used as a synonym of local god. (Comp. Amo_5:26; Psa_5:2 : “My King, and my God.”)

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

13. Where is the king of Hamath] On all the places named here, see above in the notes on 2Ki_17:34.

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.

where is the king of Hamath? either,

1. Their god, whom he here calls their king, because they looked upon him as their protector and governor, which kings are or should be to their people. Or rather,

2. Their king properly so called. And as before he compared their gods with the God of Jerusalem, so now he compares their kings with king Hezekiah; and by both intends to persuade them, that neither their God nor their king was able to save them out of his hand.

Of Sepharvaim, of Itena, and Ivah; of which See Poole "2Ki 18:31".

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

13. Where is the king of Hamath — In 2Ki_18:34, we have “gods of Hamath.” The arrogant Assyrian claims that neither gods nor kings can resist his power.

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

Where is the King of Hamath. Ilu-bid, King of Hamath, raised a rebellion against Sargon in B.C. 720, and was taken prisoner the same year and carried to Assyria (see the "Eponym Canon," p. 127). And the King of Arpad. Arpad revolted in conjunction with Hamath, and was reduced about the same time ("Eponym Canon," p. 126). Its "king" is not mentioned, but he probably shared the fate of Ilu-bid. And the King of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hens, and Ivah? It is probably not meant that these three cities were all of them under the dominion of one and the same king. "King" is to be taken distributively. (On the sites of the cities, see the comment upon 2Ki_18:34)

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

He exiled and twisted. The king of Ashur exiled and twisted them.

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.