2 Kings 18:7

“And the Lord was with him, etc.] The Word of the Lord was for his help, as the Targum: and he prospered whithersoever he went forth; that is, to war: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria: which is explained in the next clause: and served him not; he refused to be his servant, as his father Ahaz had been, (<121607>2 Kings 16:7), to which he was not obliged by any agreement of his; and, if it was in his power, might lawfully shake off his yoke, which is all that is meant by rebelling against him; he refused to be tributary to him.”

“he rebelled against the king of Assyria--that is, the yearly tribute his father had stipulated to pay, he, with imprudent haste, withdrew. Pursuing the policy of a truly theocratic sovereign, he was, through the divine blessing which rested on his government, raised to a position of great public and national strength. Shalmaneser had withdrawn from Palestine, being engaged perhaps in a war with Tyre, or probably he was dead. Assuming, consequently, that full independent sovereignty which God had settled on the house of David, he both shook off the Assyrian yoke, and, by an energetic movement against the Philistines, recovered from that people the territory which they had taken from his…”

“The Lord was with him - This had been said of no king since David (marginal reference). The phrase is very emphatic. The general prosperity of Hezekiah is set forth at some length by the author of Chronicles 2 Chronicles 32:23, 2 Chronicles 32:27-29. His great influence among the nations bordering on the northern kingdom, was the cause of the first expedition of Sennacherib against him, the Ekronites having expelled an Assyrian viceroy from their city, and delivered him to Hezekiah for safe keeping: an expedition which did not very long precede that of 2 Kings 18:13, which fell toward the close of Hezekiah’s long reign. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Rebelled - He shook off that yoke of subjection, to which his father had wickedly submitted, and reassumed that full and independent sovereignty which God had settled in the house of David. And Hezekiah's case differs much from that of Zedekiah, who is blamed for rebellion against the king of Babylon, both because he had engaged himself by a solemn oath and covenant, which we do not read of Ahaz; and because he broke the covenant which he himself had made; and because God had actually given the dominion of his own land and people to the king of Babylon, and commanded both Zedekiah and his people to submit to him. And whereas Hezekiah is here said to rebel; that word implies, only a defection…”

“18:7-8 Because of Hezekiah’s unparalleled spiritual commitment, God blessed him and he was successful in everything he did. Hezekiah began a series of reforms, including the cleansing, repair, and refurbishing of the Temple (2 Chr 29:3-36); observance of the Passover (2 Chr 30); and the reconstituting of vital worship in Judah (2 Chr 31:1-19). • He revolted against the king of Assyria: In the ancient Near East, rebellion and the withholding of tribute usually took place with the change of government; King Sennacherib of Assyria succeeded Sargon II in 704 BC. Assyria’s preoccupation with matters in southern Mesopotamia at this time might have emboldened Hezekiah. Assyria’s response was to…”

“And the Lord: Gen 21:22, Gen 39:2, Gen 39:3; Sa1 18:14; Ch2 15:2; Psa 46:11, Psa 60:12; Mat 1:23; Mat 28:20; Act 7:9, Act 7:10 he prospered: Gen 39:2; Sa1 18:5, Sa1 18:14 \*marg. Sa2 8:6, Sa2 8:14; Ch2 31:21, Ch2 32:30; Psa 1:3, Psa 60:12; Rom 8:31 rebelled: Kg2 18:20, Kg2 16:7 4 Kings (2 Kings) 18:8”