Andra KrönikebokenKapitel 28

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Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.

Instead he followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and he even made cast images for the Baals.

He burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and burned his sons in the fire, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

He sacrificed and burned incense at the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

So the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram, who defeated him, took a great many of his people captive, and brought them to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him a heavy blow.

In a single day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand men in Judah, all of them seasoned soldiers, because they had abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second in command to the king.

The Israelites took two hundred thousand of their own kindred captive—women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.

But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army as it came to Samaria and said to them: "Look, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he handed them over to you. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches to heaven.

And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem as your slaves, male and female. But are you not yourselves guilty of sins against the LORD your God?

Now listen to me: send back the captives you have taken from your own kindred, for the fierce anger of the LORD rests on you."

Then some of the leaders of Ephraim—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—confronted those who were returning from the war.

"Do not bring the captives here," they said, "or we will be guilty before the LORD. Do you intend to add to our sins and our guilt? Our guilt is already great, and his fierce anger rests on Israel."

So the soldiers gave up the captives and the plunder before the officials and the whole assembly.

Then the men designated by name took charge of the captives. From the plunder they clothed all who were naked; they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, and anointed their wounds. They put all the weak ones on donkeys and brought them to their kindred at Jericho, the City of Palms. Then they returned to Samaria.

At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help.

The Edomites had also come and attacked Judah and carried off captives,

while the Philistines raided the towns of the foothills and the Negev of Judah. They captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages, and settled there.

The LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted lawlessness in Judah and been utterly unfaithful to the LORD.

Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came against him and oppressed him instead of strengthening him.

For Ahaz took treasures from the temple of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the officials, and gave them to the king of Assyria—but it did him no good.

In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became still more unfaithful to the LORD.

He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, thinking, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me too." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.

Ahaz gathered up the furnishings of the house of God, cut them to pieces, and shut the doors of the LORD's temple. He set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem,

and in every town in Judah he built high places to burn incense to other gods, provoking the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger.

The rest of his acts and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not brought to the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.

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Kapitel 28

Main Theme: King Ahaz's apostasy from the Lord through idolatry leads to military defeats and God's judgment upon Judah.

Content: Ahaz did evil in the sight of the Lord; he practiced idolatry and burned his sons as sacrifices. God allowed Judah to be defeated by the Arameans, Israelites, Edomites, and Philistines. When Israel took 200,000 captives, the prophet Oded warned them to send their brothers back, which they did. Instead of seeking help from the Lord, Ahaz turned to Assyria, but this brought no relief. He shut down the temple, set up altars to foreign gods throughout the land, and at his death was denied a burial place among the kings.

Key Words/Images:

Valley of Hinnom: The place where Ahaz burned his sons as sacrifices to idols, symbolizing the deepest form of apostasy.
The Prophet Oded: God's voice reminding Israel to show mercy toward their brothers and warning against increasing sin.
Shutting of the Temple: Ahaz's final rejection of the Lord by closing the temple doors and building altars to foreign gods.
Assyria's Help: Illustrates Ahaz's misplaced trust in human power rather than God, which only led to greater distress.

Historisk kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for 2 Chronicles 28

People

Ahaz reigned as king of Judah from approximately 732–716 B.C. and is one of the most negatively portrayed kings in the books of Chronicles. His name (אָחָז, 'Achaz) means "he has grasped/held fast" and is likely a shortened form of Jehoahaz ("the Lord has grasped"). Assyrian inscriptions from Tiglath-Pileser III mention him as "Jehoahaz of Judah" (Yauhazi) who paid tribute. King Pekah son of Remaliah ruled the northern kingdom of Israel (ca. 752–732 B.C.) and, together with King Rezin of Aram, led an attack against Judah known as the Syro-Ephraimite War. Oded is a prophet otherwise unknown in the Old Testament, but his role illustrates that prophetic activity continued in the northern kingdom even during a period marked by apostasy.

Tiglath-Pileser III (Hebrew: תִּלְּגַת פִּלְנְאֶסֶר, Tillegat-Pilneser) was the Assyrian king who dominated the Middle East from 745–727 B.C. His annals confirm contact with Ahaz and the tribute paid by Judah. The four Ephraimite leaders mentioned in verse 12—Azariah son of Johanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Hezekiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—represent a conscientious remnant in the otherwise apostate northern kingdom.

Places

The Valley of Hinnom (גֵּיא בֶן־הִנֹּם, "Ben-Hinnom's valley") lay just south of Jerusalem and was used for idolatrous worship, including child sacrifice. The place later became so notorious that the Greek word "Gehenna" (hell) derives from it. Archaeological investigations have uncovered traces of cultic sites in the area.

Jericho (יְרֵחוֹ), referred to as the "City of Palms," was located at an important crossroads in the Jordan Valley and served as a natural boundary region between north and south. Bringing the captives here represented a symbolic return to the border without requiring the Ephraimites themselves to enter Judah's territory.

Beth-Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederot, Socoh, Timnah, and Gimzo are mentioned among the cities captured by the Philistines (verse 18). These were located in the Shephelah (lowland) between the coastal plain and the highlands of Judah, a strategically important area that controlled trade routes between the coast and Jerusalem.

Events and Customs

Child sacrifice (verse 3: וַיַּבְעֵר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאָשׁ, "he burned his sons in the fire") was a practice associated with the Canaanite god Molech. The books of Chronicles use a stronger expression here than the parallel account in 2 Kings 16:3. Both Assyrian and Phoenician sources confirm that such rituals occurred in the region, representing the ultimate deviation from Yahweh worship.

The release of captives (verses 8–15) describes a remarkable event where the northern kingdom freed captives from Judah following the prophet Oded's exhortation. The text notes that 200,000 women, sons, and daughters were taken captive. The detailed care described—providing clothing, food, drink, anointing oil, and transporting the weak on donkeys—reflects obligations later codified in rabbinic thought regarding the treatment of captives and enemies.

Key Terms

מַעַל (ma'al) – "treachery" or "faithlessness" – is used repeatedly concerning Ahaz (verses 19, 22) and is a key term in Chronicles for describing breaches of the covenant relationship with God. The concept carries connotations of embezzlement or misuse of something belonging to another, here God's holy things and trust.

הִכְנִיעַ (hikhnia', verse 19) – "to humble" – is used concerning God's judgment upon Judah. Interestingly, Ahaz is referred to here as "king of Israel," likely an ironic comment that he behaved like the wicked kings of the northern kingdom rather than as a Davidic king.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Tiglath-Pileser III's annals, preserved on clay tablets found in Nimrud (ancient Calah), specifically mention tribute from "Jehoahaz of Judah." This confirms the biblical account that Ahaz sought Assyrian help and paid with temple treasures. The inscriptions also describe campaigns against Aram-Damascus and Israel, which form the backdrop for the military conflicts in this chapter. One text lists goods and wealth received from vassal kings, corresponding to the chapter's description of how Ahaz plundered the temple to pay the Assyrian king.

Personer18

Hadlai1 Shallum1 David1 Pul1 Maaseiah1 Remaliah1 Amasa1 Zichri1 Elkanah (Son of Korah, a Korahite Levite)1 Johanan1 Oded1 Berechiah1 Ahaz (son of Jotham)4 Meshillemoth1 Asrikam1 Pekah1 Azariah1 Hezekiah2

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Nyckelord10

Ahas — A king of Judah who reigned for 16 years and did what was evil in the Lord's sight.
Judah — An Old Testament kingdom, also known as the Southern Kingdom, named after Jacob's son Judah.
Syria — A country in the Middle East that attacked and conquered parts of Judah during Ahas' time.
Edom — An Old Testament kingdom south of Judah, inhabited by descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother.
Philistines — A people who lived in the area along the Mediterranean coast, southwest of Judah. They were often in conflict with the Israelites.
Worship — To show reverence and devotion to a deity or higher power.
Idols — False gods or statues that people worship instead of the true God.
The Lord — A title used to refer to God, especially in the Old Testament.
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