Chronicles II 26:15

15 And he made in Jerusalem machines invented by a wise contriver, to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to cast darts and great stones: and of their preparation was heard at a distance; for he was wonderfully helped, till he was strong.

Chronicles II 26:15 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 26:15

And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to
be on the towers, and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great
stones withal
Such as with the Romans were called "catapultae", "ballistae" ^F21, "scorpiones" ^F23 and by this it appears that these were not first invented in Greece and Rome, but in Judea. It is said ^F24, that the Romans received the machine to batter cities from the Greeks, and that the Trojan horse was no other than a battering ram; but if they did, the invention of them must be ascribed, not to them, but rather to the Syrians and Phoenicians, according to Pliny {y}; though others ^F26 suppose the Carthaginians, who were a colony of theirs, to be the inventors of them; yet, after all, they seem to be the device of some skilful men among the Jews, in the times of Uzziah; according to Diodorus Siculus ^F1, they were not found out when Nineveh was besieged in the times of Sardanapalus:

and his name spread far abroad;
in distant countries, for his warlike dispositions and preparations, which made them stand in fear of him:

for he was helped until he was strong;
he was wonderfully helped by the Lord to build fortified places, raise a numerous army, and provide all sorts of armour for them, and invent such machines as would greatly annoy the enemy, whereby he became very potent, and injected dread round about him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Cicero. Tusculan. Quaest. l. 2. Tacit. Hist. l. 3. c. 23.
F23 Ammian. Marcellin. l. 23.
F24 Vid. Valtrinum de re militari Roman. l. 5. c. 6.
F25 Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56.
F26 Vitruvius de Architectura, l. 10. c. 19. Tertullian. de Pallio, c. 1. & Salmasius in ib. Vid. Turnebi Adversaria, l. 29. c. 18.
F1 Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 113.

Chronicles II 26:15 In-Context

13 and with them was a warrior force, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred: these waged war mightily to help the king against enemies.

14 And Ozias prepared for them, for all the host, shields, and spears, and helmets, and breastplates, and bows, and slings for stones.

15 And he made in Jerusalem machines invented by a wise contriver, to be upon the towers and upon the corners, to cast darts and great stones: and of their preparation was heard at a distance; for he was wonderfully helped, till he was strong.

16 And when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; and he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to turn incense on the altar of incense.

17 And there went in after him Azarias the priest, and with him eighty priests of the Lord, mighty men.