2 Chronicles 28:19

19 Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God's help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. Judah, brought to its knees by God, was now reduced to begging for a handout.

2 Chronicles 28:19 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 28:19

For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel,
&c.] Because of his impieties and idolatries, which the people by his example went into; he is called king of Israel, because he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and because he ruled over two of the tribes of Israel, and of right was king over all Israel, as David and Solomon his ancestors were; though the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, and Syriac versions, read, king of Judah; and so the Targum: "for he made Judah naked"; stripped them of their religion, and the worship of God, and so of the divine protection, whereby they were exposed to their enemies, see ( Exodus 32:25 ) the Targum is,

``for the house of Judah ceased from the worship of the Lord;''

transgressed sore against the Lord;
by committing gross idolatry the same Targum is,

``they dealt falsely with the Word of the Lord.''

2 Chronicles 28:19 In-Context

17 The Edomites had come back and given Judah a bad beating, taking off a bunch of captives.

18 Adding insult to injury the Philistines raided the cities in the foothills to the west and the southern desert and captured Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, along with Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages, and moved in, making themselves at home.

19 Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God's help, had unleashed an epidemic of depravity. Judah, brought to its knees by God, was now reduced to begging for a handout.

20 But the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, wouldn't help - he came instead and humiliated Ahaz even more by attacking and bullying him.

21 Desperate, Ahaz ransacked The Temple of God, the royal palace, and every other place he could think of, scraping together everything he could, and gave it to the king of Assyria - and got nothing in return, not a bit of help.