Kings II 15:5

5 And it came to pass when a man came near to do him obeisance, that he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.

Kings II 15:5 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 15:5

And the Lord smote the king
With leprosy; the reason of it was, because he intruded into the priest's office, and went into the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense, ( 2 Chronicles 26:19 2 Chronicles 26:20 ) ,

so that he was a leper unto the day of his death;
but how long it was to it from his being smitten cannot be said with certainty; Dr. Lightfoot ^F12 thinks he died the same year he was smitten:

and dwelt in a several house:
without Jerusalem, as the Targum; for lepers, according to the law, were to dwell separate without the camp or city, ( Leviticus 13:46 ) the word for "several" signifies "free" ^F13; here he lived alone, free from the company and conversation of men, free from the business of government, his son doing that for him, and in the country, where he might freely walk about, as lepers did, and take the air; the Jews say ^F14, his house was among the graves, where he was free among the dead, as the phrase is, ( Psalms 88:5 ) , but not likely; much better is what Abendana observes from R. Jonah, that the word, in the Arabic ^F15 language, signifies a little house, and so this might be in which he dwelt out of the city, in comparison of his palace:

and Jotham the king's son was over the house;
had the direction of the palace, and the management of all affairs in it:

judging the people of the land;
administering justice in all cases, for which they came to him, and so filled up his father's place; he did not depose his father, nor take upon him to be king, only did the business of one.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Works, vol. 1. p. 99.
F13 (tyvpxh tybb) "in domo libero", V. L. Tigurine version
F14 T. Hieros. apud Jarchium in loc.
F15 <arabic> "in exiqua domo resedit assidue", Castel. Lexic. col. 1345.

Kings II 15:5 In-Context

3 And Abessalom said to him, See, thy affairs right and clear, yet thou hast no one of the king to hear thee.

4 And Abessalom said, O that one would make me a judge in the land; then every man who had a dispute or a cause would come to me, and I would judge him!

5 And it came to pass when a man came near to do him obeisance, that he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.

6 And Abessalom did after this manner to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; and Abessalom gained the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Abessalom said to his father, I will go now, and pay my vows, which I vowed to the Lord in Chebron.