Ahaz makes his son pass through the fire, sends the Temple's silver to Assyria, and copies the altar he saw at Damascus; the brazen altar of Hashem is set aside for the king's new pattern.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
verse value 3349
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Remaliah" (בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: he·reigned, king. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Sheba·ten" (שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה), "son·of·Jotham" (בֶּן־יוֹתָ֖ם). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·reigned" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "in·year·of" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings); "son·of·Remaliah" (root בין, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of·Remaliah', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: בִּשְׁנַת֙ [in·year·of] (752) + שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה [Sheba·ten] (947) + שָׁנָ֔ה [year] (355) + לְפֶ֖קַח [of·Pekah] (218) + בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֑הוּ [son·of·Remaliah] (343) + מָלַ֛ךְ [he·reigned] (90) + אָחָ֥ז [Ahaz] (16) + בֶּן־יוֹתָ֖ם [son·of·Jotham] (508) + מֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָֽה [Judah] (30) = 3349.
Metzudat David
"In the seventeenth year." For Jotham began to reign in the second year of Pekah, and the days of his reign were sixteen years, and they ended in the seventeenth year of Pekah, and then Ahaz reigned.
Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Hashem his God, like David his father.
verse value 4555
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "year" (שָׁנָה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "son·of·twenty" (בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִ֤ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 355: year, year. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·not·he·did" (וְלֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·his·reigning" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·not·he·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Metzudat David
"And sixteen," etc. And they were fragmentary [years]:
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, indeed, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom Hashem cast out from before the children of Israel.
verse value 5265
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5265 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·also" (וְגַ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·abominations·of" (כְּתֹֽעֲבוֹת֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "made·pass" (הֶעֱבִ֣יר), "like·abominations·of" (כְּתֹֽעֲבוֹת֙). The root ישראל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root תועבה ("like·abominations·of") in II Kings. First appearance of the root ירש ("he·cast·out") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 13 words.
Metzudat David
"He passed through fire": This refers to the idolatrous practice of Molech, in which one causes his son to pass between two fires.
Metzudat Zion
Drive out. Expel:
Malbim
And he also passed his son through the fire; and in Chronicles it is written, "And he burned his sons with fire." For as regards Hezekiah, his mother had anointed him with [the blood of] a salamander (as stated in Sanhedrin 94a); so he only kindled a fire upon him, but it had no power over him; whereas his other son was passed through the fire completely (and see what is written below, 21:6).
And he sacrificed and offered in the high places, and on the hills, and under every leafy tree.
verse value 2794
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "and·under" (וְתַ֖חַת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·on·the·hills" (וְעַל־הַגְּבָע֑וֹת, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·on·the·hills" (וְעַל־הַגְּבָע֑וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·tree" (root כל, 66x in II Kings); "and·under" (root תחת, 40x in II Kings); "in·the·high·places" (root במה, 25x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·on·the·hills', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְזַבֵּ֧חַ [and·he·sacrificed] (33) + וַיְקַטֵּ֛ר [and·he·burned·incense] (325) + בַּבָּמ֖וֹת [in·the·high·places] (450) + וְעַל־הַגְּבָע֑וֹת [and·on·the·hills] (592) + וְתַ֖חַת [and·under] (814) + כׇּל־עֵ֥ץ [all·tree] (210) + רַעֲנָֽן [leafy] (370) = 2794.
Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
verse value 3355
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֣ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Remaliah" (בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֧הוּ, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·Pekah" (וּפֶ֨קַח), "upon·Ahaz" (עַל־אָחָ֔ז). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Aram" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "son·of·Remaliah" (root בין, 106x in II Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: אָ֣ז [then] (8) + יַעֲלֶ֣ה [will·go·up] (115) + רְצִ֣ין [Rezin] (350) + מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲ֠רָ֠ם [king·Aram] (331) + וּפֶ֨קַח [and·Pekah] (194) + בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֧הוּ [son·of·Remaliah] (343) + מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [king·Israel] (631) + יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [Jerusalem] (586) + לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה [to·the·battle] (153) + וַיָּצֻ֙רוּ֙ [and·they·bound] (312) + עַל־אָחָ֔ז [upon·Ahaz] (116) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יָכְל֖וּ [were·able] (66) + לְהִלָּחֵֽם [to·fight] (113) = 3355.
Metzudat David
And they could not fight. They did not prevail in battle against Jerusalem.
Metzudat Zion
And they besieged. From the word siege:
Malbim
"And they could not make war against him": It is recorded in Chronicles that the Arameans struck him, and likewise the king of Israel struck him a great blow. Only afterward did they ascend against Jerusalem itself and sought to abolish his kingship, but they were unsuccessful. And as appears from Isaiah chapter 7, each one initially ascended against Jerusalem on his own and could not make war, and afterward Aram and Ephraim joined together, yet they were unsuccessful, as Isaiah prophesied.
At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there, to this day.
verse value 5632
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jew" (אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·he·drove·out" (וַיְנַשֵּׁ֥ל), "Jew" (אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִ֖ים), "from·Elath" (מֵֽאֵיל֑וֹת). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Aram" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "they·went·in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "day" (root יום, 79x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Elath', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 9 words.
Radak
“Elath, which belongs to Aram.” For Azariah, king of Judah, had already taken it.
"And he drove out the Jews from Elath." This is Elath, for it was called both Elath and Ailoth; likewise in Chronicles it is written Ailoth. And the meaning of "vayenashel" (and he drove out) is like "venashal" (and He will drive out) in "many nations before you" [Deuteronomy 7:1], denoting the matter of expulsion and sending away.
"And Edomites came to Elath." It is written "Aramites" [ketiv: ארמים], because the king of Aram had taken it, and through him the Aramites settled there; yet it is read "Edomites" [kri: אדומים] with a dalet, for it belonged to the children of Edom, as we explained above.
Ralbag
"And he stripped the Jews from Elath." This means that he had already cast them out and expelled them from there, and it is Elath which Azariah built, as stated earlier.
Metzudat David
"He restored," etc., "Elath." This is the one mentioned above (2 Kings 14:22), "which Azariah built and restored to Judah," and now Rezin came and restored it to Aram.
And he stripped it. He exiled the Jews from there, and the Edomites dwelt in it as they had dwelt in it from of old, before Amaziah had taken it. And since Aram came to restore it to Edom, therefore it says, "restore to Aram," as if it had belonged to them from of old, for they came in place of Edom.
Metzudat Zion
And he cast out. A matter of casting out, so too (Deuteronomy 7:1): and cast out many nations:
Malbim
Elath, which Uzziah built and restored to Judah, the Jews were exiled and driven out from there, and the Edomites settled in it, as it is stated in Chronicles that the Edomites also came and struck Judah.
Cross-references: II Kings 8:22; II Kings 14:7; II Kings 14:22
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying: ‘I am your servant and your son; come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.’
verse value 4959
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֜ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Tiglath-pileser" (אֶל־תִּ֠גְלַ֠תפְּלֶ֤סֶר, 10 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Tiglath-pileser" (אֶל־תִּ֠גְלַ֠תפְּלֶ֤סֶר), "and·your·son" (וּבִנְךָ֖), "and·save·me" (וְהוֹשִׁעֵ֜נִי). The root כף appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Aram" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·Tiglath-pileser" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Radak
"Those who rise up against me." [This is] an adjective, on the pattern of "tovim" [good ones — i.e., the same grammatical noun-pattern].
Ralbag
“Those who rise against me.” This means: those who set themselves up against me.
Cross-references: Isaiah 7:13; II Chronicles 28:16; II Chronicles 28:20
And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Hashem, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
verse value 4261
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֜ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·king·of·Assyria" (לְמֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house·of, house·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·king·of·Assyria" (לְמֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר), "present" (שֹֽׁחַד). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֨ח [and·took] (124) + אָחָ֜ז [Ahaz] (16) + אֶת־הַכֶּ֣סֶף [the·silver] (566) + וְאֶת־הַזָּהָ֗ב [and·the·gold] (426) + הַנִּמְצָא֙ [found] (186) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וּבְאֹֽצְר֖וֹת [and·in·treasuries·of] (705) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ [king] (95) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח [and·he·sent] (354) + לְמֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁ֖וּר [to·king·of·Assyria] (627) + שֹֽׁחַד [present] (312) = 4261.
And the king of Assyria hearkened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.
verse value 4640
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Rezin" (וְאֶת־רְצִ֖ין, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 507: Assyria, Assyria. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Damascus" (אֶל־דַּמֶּ֙שֶׂק֙), "and·he·took·it" (וַֽיִּתְפְּשֶׂ֔הָ), "and·he·exiled·it" (וַיַּגְלֶ֖הָ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "to·him" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Kir', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע [and·he·heard] (426) + אֵלָיו֙ [to·him] (47) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + אַשּׁ֔וּר [Assyria] (507) + וַיַּ֩עַל֩ [and·went·up] (116) + מֶ֨לֶךְ [king] (90) + אַשּׁ֤וּר [Assyria] (507) + אֶל־דַּמֶּ֙שֶׂק֙ [to·Damascus] (475) + וַֽיִּתְפְּשֶׂ֔הָ [and·he·took·it] (801) + וַיַּגְלֶ֖הָ [and·he·exiled·it] (54) + קִ֑ירָה [to·Kir] (315) + וְאֶת־רְצִ֖ין [and·Rezin] (757) + הֵמִֽית [he·put·to·death] (455) = 4640.
Rashi
And he exiled it to Kir. The people who were in it, he exiled to a province whose name is Kir:
Radak
"And he exiled [them] to Kir." The people who were in it he exiled to Kir, and Kir was in Assyria. This is what the prophet Amos says: "And the people of Aram shall go into exile to Kir," says the LORD [Amos 1:5].
Ralbag
And he carried them away to Kir. This means that he exiled the people who were in Damascus to Kir.
Metzudat David
"And he deported her." He deported her people to Kir, and it [Kir] is in the land of Assyria.
Malbim
"The king of Assyria listened to him": in the Book of Chronicles it says that he distressed him and did not strengthen him. And this is not a contradiction, for there it is written that the Edomites and the Philistines came against him. And the king of Assyria removed only the king of Aram from upon him, but did not strengthen him against all who rose up against him from all sides.
And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.
verse value 8273
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 107 letters. The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֡ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·pattern" (וְאֶת־תַּבְנִית֖וֹ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, to·all·his·deed. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Damascus" (דּוּמֶּ֔שֶׂק), "in·Damascus" (בְּדַמָּ֑שֶׂק), "to·Urijah" (אֶל־אוּרִיָּ֣ה). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·Urijah" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מעשה ("to·all·his·deed") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Damascus', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
Uriah the priest: It is possible that he is Amariah mentioned in Chronicles I 5:33. See the end of the book, in the calculation of the generations.
"The form of the altar": For its pattern was right in his eyes, and he sent the form to the priest to make an altar according to its pattern.
"For all its workmanship." This means: the pattern of the particular designs within it.
Malbim
(10-11) “And he saw the altar”: In Chronicles it is explained that he offered incense to the gods of Damascus, who had struck him. And he likewise chose the design of the altar that was in Damascus to set it up for the purpose of the service of the gods of Damascus, thereby associating the Name of Heaven with another deity. And it relates that even the High Priest hastened to carry out the king’s decree.
And Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so did Urijah the priest make it against the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus.
verse value 3762
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. Verse gematria: 3762 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·altar" (אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 484: from·Damascus, from·Damascus. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "until·coming·of" (עַד־בּ֥וֹא). The root אוריה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that·sent" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "until·coming·of" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). First appearance of the root אוריה ("Uriah") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·altar', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Rashi
Until come. Before the coming of the king from Damascus:
Ralbag
"And Uriah the priest built." This means that Uriah the priest built the altar while King Ahaz was coming from Damascus, so that when he arrived, he found it already built.
Metzudat David
"According to all," etc. Even the specific/individual designs:
"Until the coming." Before the king's coming, etc.
And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king drew near to the altar, and offered thereon.
verse value 2180
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·came" (וַיָּבֹ֤א, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·altar" (אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·offered, upon·him. The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "upon·him" (root על, 116x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·altar', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ [king] (95) + מִדַּמֶּ֔שֶׂק [from·Damascus] (484) + וַיַּ֥רְא [and·saw] (217) + הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ [king] (95) + אֶת־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ [the·altar] (463) + וַיִּקְרַ֥ב [and·approached] (318) + הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ [king] (95) + עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ [upon·the·altar] (162) + וַיַּ֥עַל [and·offered] (116) + עָלָֽיו [upon·him] (116) = 2180.
Radak
"And the king drew near to the altar." It is a transitive verb, and this alone, from the Kal [simple stem], is transitive; that is to say, it means "to offer upon the altar his sacrifices and to bring up his burnt offerings." Alternatively, "drew near" may be an intransitive verb according to its standard usage, and "upon the altar" would then be equivalent to "to the altar," meaning that he himself approached the altar and offered upon it.
Metzudat David
“And he drew near.” He drew near to the altar, and offered upon it his burnt offerings:
Malbim
"And he came" — this relates his wickedness: that upon his coming, he ascended the altar and offered incense upon it himself, to deny the general principle of the service of God and the law of the priesthood; for he built a second altar, contrary to the unity [of the altar], and a layman served in it, contrary to the covenant of the priesthood. And what is stated, "And he drew near upon," is like "And he drew near to the altar."
And he offered his burnt-offering and his meal-offering, and poured his drink-offering, and dashed the blood of his peace-offerings against the altar.
verse value 4668
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "and·poured·out" (וַיַּסֵּ֖ךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "blood·of·the·peace-offerings" (אֶת־דַּֽם־הַשְּׁלָמִ֥ים, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 537: drink offering, that·to·him. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "whole burnt offering" (אֶת־עֹֽלָתוֹ֙), "and·poured·out" (וַיַּסֵּ֖ךְ), "drink offering" (אֶת־נִסְכּ֑וֹ). The root נסך appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·to·him" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "whole burnt offering" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings); "upon·the·altar" (root מזבח, 28x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נסך ("and·poured·out") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'drink offering', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּקְטֵ֤ר [and·he·burned·incense] (325) + אֶת־עֹֽלָתוֹ֙ [whole burnt offering] (907) + וְאֶת־מִנְחָת֔וֹ [and·gift] (911) + וַיַּסֵּ֖ךְ [and·poured·out] (96) + אֶת־נִסְכּ֑וֹ [drink offering] (537) + וַיִּזְרֹ֛ק [and·dashed] (323) + אֶת־דַּֽם־הַשְּׁלָמִ֥ים [blood·of·the·peace-offerings] (870) + אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ [that·to·him] (537) + עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ [upon·the·altar] (162) = 4668.
And the brazen altar, which was before Hashem, he brought from the forefront of the house, from between his altar and the house of Hashem, and put it on the north side of his altar.
verse value 5451
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֒) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and" (וְאֵ֨ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "altar" (הַמִּזְבַּ֣ח, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: and, him. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "between" (מִבֵּין֙), "and·between" (וּמִבֵּ֖ין), "upon·thigh" (עַל־יֶ֥רֶךְ). The root מזבח appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "the·house" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נחשת ("copper") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 5 words.
Rashi
And the altar of brass and he brought and so on. It is impossible to say the altar of brass that Moses made, for it was hidden, and it is impossible to say the altar of stones that Solomon made and they called it in Chronicles (II 7:7) the altar of brass, for it is impossible to bring it from corner to corner except if they demolished it, and behold we learned that the fire that descended in the days of Solomon did not depart from upon the altar, until Manasseh came and removed it, he who demolished the altar as we found in Agadat Chalak (Zevachim 61b), I have nothing to explain this altar except in the lavers and bases of brass, which were needs of the altar, and they were near the altar of the holy place, and when Ahaz made the altar for idolatry, he removed the laver and brought it to the other side from before the house, not to interrupt between the altar that he made and the House of the Lord, and he placed it near the altar of the holy place to the north. And we found that our Sages explained its like (in Shabbat 55a) and they came and stood by the altar of brass (Ezekiel 9:2), what was the altar of brass, He said to them begin from the place where they say song before Me. Behold here for instruments of music of brass they called altar:
Radak
"And the altar of bronze that was before the LORD." It is a construct form despite bearing the definite article, similar to "the kingdoms of Canaan." It is the altar that Solomon made, as I explained in the section on the construction of the Temple. He said that this altar was placed alongside the altar that was before the LORD. The meaning of "he brought it near from before the house" is that he moved this altar away from the bronze altar that had been in the courtyard, toward the front of the house; he moved this one more toward the side of the house, and placed it between the [new] altar and the House of the LORD, on the flank of the altar toward the north.
Ralbag
"And the bronze altar that was before the Lord." This means that this altar which Uriah built was in the courtyard of the priests, together with the bronze altar that was before the Lord which Solomon had built. And this second altar was closer to the face of the Temple, as if it were between the altar and the House of God. However, it was not aligned directly in front of the House, but rather was located at the northern side of the altar. It is possible that he placed it on the northern side because they worshipped the host of heaven, and the northern stars are the strongest in their influences in this world, according to what God has ordained concerning them. And therefore you will find that the power of the sun is stronger in the northern constellations.
Metzudat David
"And the altar." The new altar was placed together with the bronze altar, etc., which Solomon made. This means: the stone altar that Solomon made, in place of the bronze altar that Moses made in the wilderness.
"And he brought it near." The new altar was drawn away from opposite the front of the Sanctuary, and he returns to explain that it was drawn out from between the bronze altar and the House of God, for its proper place was between the bronze altar and the Sanctuary, since it was there that He commanded the sacrifices to be offered. Therefore, it was fitting that nothing should intervene between it and the Sanctuary. Now, he did not place it in its proper place, but rather placed it beside the bronze altar to its north, and part of the bronze altar intervened between it and the Sanctuary.
Malbim
And the altar of bronze: This refers to Solomon's altar, which stood in place of the bronze altar in the Tabernacle of Moses. It stood before the Lord, opposite the entrance to the sanctuary, and he could not move it from its place because it was a fixed structure. Therefore, he placed the new altar to its north. However, he positioned it closer to the sanctuary than the bronze altar, such that it stood between the altar and the House of the Lord, placing it on the northern side of the altar, drawn toward the sanctuary to the west. And regarding the phrase "and the altar," the explanation is that since the bronze altar's place was before the Lord, opposite the entrance, therefore "he brought it near from the face of the house," meaning from the side of the altar that was adjacent to the entrance, he brought it to the western side, so that it would be between the altar and the House of the Lord, as if it were closer to the sanctuary than the bronze altar, and it was on the north of the altar. And there is an interpretation that "and the altar" refers back to what was mentioned above, that he sprinkled the blood of the peace offerings on the altar that he brought from Damascus, and also on the bronze altar, for on both of them he sprinkled the blood of the peace offerings.
And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying: ‘Upon the great altar offer the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meal-offering, and the king’s burnt-offering, and his meal-offering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings; and dash against it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice; but the brazen altar shall be for me to look to.’
verse value 10623
Insights
Verse structure: 31 words, 158 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·burnt-offering·of·the·morning" (אֶת־עֹֽלַת־הַבֹּ֩קֶר֩, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 117: and·commanded, and·all·blood·of·sacrifice. 17 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·commanded·him" ((ויצוהו)), "and·commanded" (וַיְצַוֶּ֣ה), "Uriah" (אֶת־אוּרִיָּ֨ה). The root עלה appears 4 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king·Ahaz" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "shall·be·to·me" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·dash', dividing the verse into phrases of 27 and 4 words.
Rashi
To inquire. From time to time, when it will rise in my heart to inquire of it:
Radak
"And King Ahaz commanded him." It is written with a vav [ketiv: ויצוהו] and read without the vav [kri: ויצוה], and the written form is like "and she saw him, the child" [Exodus 2:6], and the written and the read are one and the same matter.
"Upon the great altar." This is the altar that he made, and he meant that it would be the primary one, and the altar of the LORD would be secondary to it. And this is also [the sense of] what he said, "It shall be for me to visit," meaning: sometimes, when I wish to visit it and offer up upon it.
Ralbag
And behold, Ahaz called that altar which he had built "the Great Altar," perhaps because its dimensions were larger, or because it was more esteemed in his mind. And "the altar of bronze shall be for Me to inspect" means that sometimes I will wish to see it and visit it, to offer upon it.
Metzudat David
"The great altar." For he made the new altar larger than that of Solomon.
"The morning burnt-offering" refers to the daily morning sacrifice.
The evening meal-offering. This is the perpetual offering of between the evenings:
"To visit." To resort to it on occasion, whenever it occurs to him to offer sacrifices upon it.
Metzudat Zion
To inquire. To search, so too (Leviticus 13:36): the priest shall not examine:
Malbim
And he also commanded in his wickedness that all the sacrifices be offered upon it, and that the bronze altar be used only for him to consult occasionally, so that the priest offered all the sacrifices on this altar.
Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
verse value 1471
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "as·them" (כְּכֹ֥ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·commanded" (אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖ה, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that·commanded" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "and·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'priest', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֖עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + אוּרִיָּ֣ה [Uriah] (222) + הַכֹּהֵ֑ן [priest] (80) + כְּכֹ֥ל [as·them] (70) + אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖ה [that·commanded] (602) + הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ [king] (95) + אָחָֽז [Ahaz] (16) = 1471.
And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone.
verse value 8654
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·borders" (אֶת־הַמִּסְגְּר֣וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 407: and, him. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "the·borders" (אֶת־הַמִּסְגְּר֣וֹת), "the·bases" (הַמְּכוֹנֹ֗ת), "from·upon·them" (מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶם֙). The root על appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "from·upon·them" (root על, 116x in II Kings). First appearance of the root קצץ ("and·he·cut·in·pieces") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'under·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Rashi
The frameworks of the bases. Ledges upon which the bases were made, as it is said (I Kings 7:28): and this is the work of the bases, frameworks to them:
Radak
"The insets of the stands." [This phrase] is in construct with the definite article, like "the bronze altar." And the meaning of "he cut off the insets of the stands" is that they enclosed the lavers within them; he cut off those insets and removed the lavers. Likewise, he took down the Sea from atop the bronze oxen and set it upon a stone pavement. Likewise, he set the laver upon a stone pavement. When it says "the laver," it is a general term, for there were ten lavers. After it said "the stands" (plural), we know that it spoke regarding the lavers, for if it had referred to a single laver alone, it would not have said "the stands" (plural) but rather "the stand" (singular). All of this that he did, he did only in a manner of contempt and provocation, just as he did with the altar, and just as he extinguished the lamps, and just as he closed the doors of the House of the Lord so that no person would enter there to offer sacrifices. And he made altars in every corner of Jerusalem, as it says in Chronicles. Initially, he placed the altar that he had made before the altar of the Lord, making it the primary one and the altar of the Lord secondary to it. And when he further provoked [God], he further damaged the vessels of the House of God and closed the doors so that no person would enter there.
“Which is beneath it.” The sea is mentioned in the feminine gender, whereas in other places it is in the masculine gender.
"Paved with stones." Like [the phrase] "a pavement of bahat (marble) and shesh (alabaster)" [Esther 1:6]. And the floor of the Sanctuary was not paved with stones, but was overlaid with gold, hammered onto cedar planks. Rather, "paved with stones" means that he made for them stone pavements in place of the stands.
Ralbag
"The frames of the stands." This means: the frames [i.e.] the frames of the stands. And he removed from them the laver, and the laver stood without its stand. And so he did to all the lavers that were there. And the sea he removed from upon the twelve oxen that were under it, and he placed it upon a pavement of stones.
Metzudat David
"And he cut off." He cut off the frames of the stands—these are the "levavzavim"—and the partitions of the stands that were beneath the lavers, in I Kings 7:28, which Solomon made.
"The laver." From each stand he removed the laver that was placed upon it.
"From above the bronze oxen." For Solomon had set the Sea upon twelve bronze oxen, as is stated in 1 Kings 7:25; and he removed it from those oxen, and he placed it upon a floor of stones.
Metzudat Zion
And cut down. A matter of cutting:
The bases. From the word base and foundation:
The laver. Like a large basin, made for washing:
The sea. Made like a large tub:
The pavement. A matter of placing stones on the floor:
Malbim
And he cut down. Afterwards, he added to his wickedness by cutting down the engines and the frames of the engines, which I have already explained (I Kings 7) that there were engines and frames, and he cut down both of them. He also removed the basins that were there and lowered Solomon's Sea from upon the twelve oxen, as it is stated in Chronicles: "And he cut down the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord." In this manner, he altered all the matters of the Temple vessels and its affairs according to the desire of his spirit, because he did not believe that everything is in the hand of the Lord, who endowed him with all the skill of the design.
And the covered place for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he to the house of Hashem, because of the king of Assyria.
verse value 4350
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4350 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "he·turned" (הֵסֵ֖ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·covered structure" (וְאֶת־מוּסַ֨ךְ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·covered structure" (וְאֶת־מוּסַ֨ךְ), "that·they·built" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּנ֣וּ), "and·entrance·of" (וְאֶת־מְב֤וֹא). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that·they·built" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words.
Rashi
The Sabbath ceiling. A tent roof made for shade, to sit under it in the court on the Sabbath day:
And the entry of the king. That he used to come in it from his house to the House of the Lord through the outside, he turned it to a place of seclusion, on account of the king of Assyria that he should not desire those vessels, and also the entry he turned, lest he need to hide, and flee in seclusion:
Radak
"And the shelter of the Sabbath." It is written with a yod and read with a vav, and it is one word, its root being "yasek," from the matter of "s'kak" (covering). There are two roots with a single meaning. And the Targum [renders it] "tikusa d'shabba'a" (the covering of the Sabbath). In some manuscripts, it is "yet taksa midbacha d'shabba'a" (the structure of the altar of the Sabbath), and its meaning is a structure they built for the members of the watch to take shelter under. And since they associated it with the Sabbath, it appears that they built it for the outgoing watch, which departed on the Sabbath. They were free from their service on that day and would sit there until the end of the day, when they would go their ways. The text does not state what he did with it, but it appears that he tore it down.
"And the outer entrance of the king." The accent is on the penultimate syllable, and the letter heh is an additional [directional] heh, like the heh in the words "to the gate" and "to the chamber." It is adjacent to what he said above regarding how he took down the laver and the Sea; so too, he took down this covering and hid it. And it is like [the word] "outer": "he turned the entrance of his house that was outside; he turned it toward the House of the Lord," and they did not enter it except through the House of the Lord, to take refuge in it from before the king of Assyria.
Ralbag
And the covered structure of the Sabbath that they built in the house: it was like a tent, for the watch that went out [on duty] to stand there until evening.
"And the outer entrance of the king he turned into the house of the LORD." Behold, because of his fear of the king of Assyria, he sealed the entrance to his own house from the outside, and they would enter the king's house through the house of the Lord.
Metzudat David
"And the shelter of the Sabbath." He also brought down the shelter of the Sabbath, etc., and it was a structure roofed from above, for the men of the outgoing watch to sit beneath it on the Sabbath, since they were then relieved from their duties, as the incoming watch had come to take their place; therefore, they sat under the shade of the shelter until the day was far spent, the time for their going home.
"And the king's entrance." This was the entrance to the king's house, which was on the outer side; it was redirected to lead into the House of the Lord, so that it would serve as the entrance from the House of the Lord. He did this because of the king of Assyria, so that he would not come upon him suddenly from the outside.
Metzudat Zion
A covering. From the word cover:
Malbim
And his "musach" was a place for a tent and for shade for the guards coming and going on the Sabbath. And his "mavo," which was an entrance for the king from the outside way into the House of the Lord, he turned it inward. And by means of this, he abolished [the practice] so that they would not go out and enter into the House of the Lord, because the king came through there. And this is what is written in Chronicles, that they closed the doors of the House of the Lord, and from then on they extinguished the lamps and abolished the service, as is written in Chronicles. And here it recounts this briefly, alluded to in what is said, "And the rest of the acts of Ahaz, etc." And in Chronicles his abominations are mentioned at length.
Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
verse value 3204
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. Verse gematria: 3204 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָ֖ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "written" (כְּתוּבִ֗ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 216: words·of, words·of. The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·the·kings·of" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "words·of" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'did', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְיֶ֛תֶר [and·remainder·of] (616) + דִּבְרֵ֥י [words·of] (216) + אָחָ֖ז [Ahaz] (16) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָשָׂ֑ה [did] (375) + הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם [not·they] (81) + כְּתוּבִ֗ים [written] (478) + עַל־סֵ֛פֶר [in·the·book·of] (440) + דִּבְרֵ֥י [words·of] (216) + הַיָּמִ֖ים [day] (105) + לְמַלְכֵ֥י [of·the·kings·of] (130) + יְהוּדָֽה [Judah] (30) = 3204.
And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
verse value 3150
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 3150 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "Ahaz" (אָחָז֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·his·fathers" (עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 529: with·his·fathers, with·his·fathers. The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·reigned" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "his·son" (root בן, 66x in II Kings); "with·his·fathers" (root עם, 65x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חזקיהו ("Hezekiah") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב [and·he·slept] (338) + אָחָז֙ [Ahaz] (16) + עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו [with·his·fathers] (529) + וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר [and·he·was·buried] (318) + עִם־אֲבֹתָ֖יו [with·his·fathers] (529) + בְּעִ֣יר [in·city·of] (282) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + חִזְקִיָּ֥הוּ [Hezekiah] (136) + בְנ֖וֹ [his·son] (58) + תַּחְתָּֽיו [in·his·stead] (824) = 3150.
Ralbag
"And he was buried with his fathers in the city of David." He explained in the book of Chronicles: "For they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of the House of Israel."
Metzudat David