11 And the king of Assyria took Israel away as prisoners into Assyria, placing them in Halah and in Habor on the river Gozan, and in the towns of the Medes;
And all the people will have experience of it, even Ephraim and the men of Samaria, who say in the pride of their uplifted hearts, The bricks have come down, but we will put up buildings of cut stone in their place: the sycamores are cut down, but they will be changed to cedars. For this cause the Lord has made strong the haters of Israel, driving them on to make war against him; Aram on the east, and the Philistines on the west, who have come against Israel with open mouths. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. But the heart of the people was not turned to him who sent punishment on them, and they made no prayer to the Lord of armies. For this cause the Lord took away from Israel head and tail, high and low, in one day. The man who is honoured and responsible is the head, and the prophet who gives false teaching is the tail. For the guides of this people are the cause of their wandering from the right way, and those who are guided by them come to destruction. For this cause the Lord will have no pleasure in their young men, and no pity on their widows and the children without fathers: for they are all haters of God and evil-doers, and foolish words come from every mouth. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. For evil was burning like a fire; the blackberries and thorns were burned up; the thick woods took fire, rolling up in dark clouds of smoke. The land was dark with the wrath of the Lord of armies: the people were like those who take men's flesh for food. On the right a man was cutting off bits and was still in need; on the left a man took a meal but had not enough; no man had pity on his brother; every man was making a meal of the flesh of his neighbour. Manasseh was making a meal of Ephraim, and Ephraim of Manasseh; and together they were attacking Judah. For all this his wrath is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
Israel has come to destruction; now they are among the nations like a cup in which there is no pleasure. For they have gone up to Assyria like an ass going by himself; Ephraim has given money to get lovers.
Give ear to this word, my song of sorrow over you, O children of Israel. The virgin of Israel has been made low, never again to be lifted up: she is stretched out by herself on her land; there is no one to put her on her feet again. For these are the words of the Lord God: The town which was able to send out a thousand, will have only a hundred; and that which sent out a hundred, will have only ten, in Israel.
Did you come to me with offerings of beasts and meal offerings in the waste land for forty years, O Israel? Truly, you will take up Saccuth your king and Kaiwan your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves. And I will send you away as prisoners farther than Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of armies.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Kings 18
Commentary on 2 Kings 18 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 18
When the prophet had condemned Ephriam for lies and deceit he comforted himself with this, that Judah yet "ruled with God, and was faithful with the Most Holy,' Hos. 11:12. It was a very melancholy view which the last chapter gave us of the desolations of Israel; but this chapter shows us the affairs of Judah in a good posture at the same time, that it may appear God has not quite cast off the seed of Abraham, Rom. 11:1. Hezekiah is here upon the throne,
But how well it ended, and how much to the honour and comfort of our great reformer, we shall find in the next chapter.
2Ki 18:1-8
We have here a general account of the reign of Hezekiah. It appears, by comparing his age with his father's, that he was born when his father was about eleven or twelve years old, divine Providence so ordering that he might be of full age, and fit for business, when the measure of his father's iniquity should be full. Here is,
2Ki 18:9-16
The kingdom of Assyria had now grown considerable, though we never read of it till the last reign. Such changes there are in the affairs of nations and families: those that have been despicable become formidable, and those, on the contrary, are brought low that have made a great noise and figure. We have here an account,
2Ki 18:17-37
Here is,