2Kin 17:1

Siege of Samaria Begins

The siege of Samaria lasted 3 years [2Kin 17:5-6]

King Sennacherib of Assyria Floods Judah and Comes Up as Far as Jerusalem

As prophesied by Isaiah, the king of Assyria sweeps through Judah coming up as far as Jerusalem but is unable to conquer Jerusalem. In fact, he does not shoot even an arrow in Jerusalem because of the Lord's intervention.

Isa 8:6-10; 2Ki 18:13-37; 19:1-37; 2Chron 32:1-23; Isa 8:6-10; 36; 37

2Kin 18:13

King Ahaz Begins to Reign

2Kin 16:1

Siege of Samaria Comes to an End

The siege of Samaria comes to an end in the third year of the seige [2Kin 17:5-6]

Hezekiah and Ahaz Coregency

Hezekiah reigns as coregent with his father, king Ahaz.

When Did Hezekiah Begin to Reign As King?

• Ahaz's reign plus Hoshea's reign covered 20 years (11 yrs + 9 yrs)
• Ahaz reigned for 16 years
• Hoshea began to reign in the 12th year of Ahaz and
  
• Hoshea reigned for 9 years
• Hezekiah began to reign 1 year before the end of the reign of Ahaz his father.
• Hoshea's 9th year was Hezekiah's 6th year
• Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz
• Hezekiah's 4th year was the 7th year of King Hoshea of Israel
• Hoshea reigned for 9 years
• Therefore, Hoshea's 9th year was Hezekiah's 6th year
  
• Ahaz's reign plus 6 years of Hezekiah's reign (which is Hoshea's 9th year) will cover
• 22 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign 1 year AFTER Ahaz
• (16 yrs + 6 yrs)
• 21 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign the SAME year Ahaz died
• (16 yrs + 5 yrs)
• 20 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign 1 year BEFORE Ahaz
• (16 yrs + 4 yrs)
• Therefore, Hezekiah must have begun to reign before the end of the reign of Ahaz his father.

Before He Knows How To Say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother’

[Isa 8:4; Lev 27:2-8]

1 month to 5 years is the lowest age range under the Law [Lev 27:2-8]. Within this time, a child would have been able to say, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother’.
Therefore, this prophecy means that before Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is 

When Did Aram & Israel Attack Jerusalem?

[2Kin 16:5-6; 2Chron 28:5,6-7]

The account in 2Kings combined with the account in 2Chronicles, shows that it was about the 11th year of Ahaz's reign.

1. King Tiglath-Pileser attacked Damascus and
2. Judah, though not Samaria
3. Then Hoshea assassinated Pekah son of Remaliah and
4. Then submitted to Assyria.

From the account of 2Chron 28, we can see that the invaders, i.e., Aram and Israel had returned to their lands before king Ahaz reached out to the king of Assyria for help.

King Tiglath-Pileser Attacks Israel

In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria. [2Kin 15:29]

1. Tiglath-Pileser attacked
1. Ijon,
2. Abel Beth Maacah,
3. Janoah,
4. Kedesh and
5. Hazor.
6. Gilead and
7. Galilee and
8. All the land of Naphtali
2. He deported the people to Assyria

A Partial Deportation

Hoshea intervened by,

1. Assassinating king Pekah of Israel [2Kin 15:30], and
2. Becoming a vasal to the kingdom of Assyria,

Hoshea Assassinates Pekah Son of Remaliah

Clearly,

1. Hoshea conspired against Pekah and attacked him and assassinated him [2Kin 15:30], and
2. He became king of Israel,
3. This was in the "twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah" [2Kin 17:1]
4. As King of Israel, Hoshea submitted to Assyria [2Kin 17:3].
5. This halted the complete destruction of Israel by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser

King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria Comes to King Ahaz's Aide

1. Assyria attacks Damascus capital of Aram [2Kin 16:7-8,9-10; 2Chron 28:16,20-21]
2. The King of Assyria attacked Israel [2Kin 15:29]
   1. Ijon,
   2. Abel Beth Maacah,
   3. Janoah,
   4. Kedesh and
   5. Hazor.
   6. Gilead and
   7. Galilee and
   8. All the land of Naphtali
   and deported them to Assyria.

Judean Captives Are Sent Back

Confronted by the prophet Obed, the Israelites return their kinsmen whom they had taken captive back to Judah [2Chron 28:14-15, 8-15]

Israelites Take Their Kinsmen Captive

The Israelites take captives of their kinsmen and bring them back to Samaria [2Chron 28:8,9]. They had the intention "...to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem" their slaves [2Chron 28:10], but the prophet Obed confronted them about this.

Aram Defeats King Ahaz in Battle

King Ahaz is defeated by the Arameans in battle [2Chron 28:5]

Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. [2Kin 16:5]

The Arameans Bring Judean Captives to Damascus

Therefore Yahweh his God handed him over to the king of Aram. The Arameans defeated him and took many of his people as prisoners and brought them to Damascus. [2Chron 28:5]

Ahaz's Army Loses to Pekah King of Israel

Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. [2Kin 16:5]

In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah-because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. ₇Zicri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. [2Chron 28:6-7]

Apparently, considering the presence of the three eminent men from Judah in this battle,

1. The king's son, Maaseiah,
2. The officer in charge of the palace, Azrikam, and
3. The second to the king , Elkanah,
   

the army of Judah must have been divided into two units fighting on two different fronts; one, under king Ahaz, fighting Arameans and the other fighting the Israelites.

Edomites Attack Judah

The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners [2Chron 28:17]

We can see from 2Kings that the attack of the Edomites followed the victory of Aram.

At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day. [2Kin 16:6]

Philistines Attack & Occupy Parts of Judah

...the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth Shemesh, Aijalon and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah and Gimzo, with their surrounding villages. [2Chron 28:18]

King Ahaz Sends to Assyria for Help

At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. [2Chron 28:16]

Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” [2Kin 16:7]

And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. [2Kin 26:8]

Aram had defeated him in battle and taken prisoners. Though they willingly returned the captives and plunder that they had taken, Israel had defeated his army, killed a lot of his men, his son, his palace administrator and his second in command in the battle. Now Edomites and Philistines had attacked Judah. Who would not be overwhelmed?

He certainly needed help, yet it was God who was afflicting him, and so it was to God he ought to have turned, but no, it was to Assyria he turned for help.

King Tiglath-Pileser Attacks Damascus

The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death. [2Kin 16:9]

Tiglath-Pileser Receives King Ahaz's Message

King Ahaz Meets Tiglath-Pileser at Damascus

Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria... [2Kin 16:10]

King Ahaz Meets Tiglath-Pileser at Damascus

Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria... [2Kin 16:10]

Isaiah Goes to Meet King Ahaz

This meeting must have been

1. After the failed, but costly for Judah, attempt by Aram and Israel take Jerusalem and put an end to the kingship of the house of David
2. Before king Ahaz had sent to the king of Assyria for help

Ephraim To Be Too Shattered Within 65 Years

Isaiah prophesies against Ephraim that it would be too shattered to be a people within 65 years.

Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. [Isa 7:8]

Thus, the threat they continually pose to the house of David would cease within 65 years.

King Ahaz Reigns for 16 Years

King Hezekiah Reigns for 29 Years

The Prophetess Conceives and Gives Birth to Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

Isa 8:1

Useful to understanding the sign of Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is knowing when to start counting from.

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz

By 20 Years of Age

Age 20 is the scriptural age of accountability, when a person is acknowledged as having the knowledge of good and evil [Lev 27:2-8].

Hezekiah Reigns As King

With the passing of king Ahaz, his father, Hezekiah begins to reign as sole king.

King Hezekiah's Fatal Illness & Miraculous Recovery

2Ki 20:1-11 ; 2Ch 32:24-25; Isa 38:1-8

The 11th Year of King Ahaz

This must have been the 11th year of King Ahaz's reign from the following facts,

1. King Hoshea son of Elah came to power in Israel in the 12th year of king Ahaz [2Kin 18:1]
2. King Hoshea came to power
1. By assassinating Pekah son of Remaliah [2Kin 15:30]
2. In response to the king of Assyria's attack on Israel [2Kin 15:29-30]
3. The year the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, attacked Israel must have been the same year that Hoshea assassinated king Pekah.
4. The Attack of the king of Assyria on Israel
1. Was in answer to King Ahaz's call [2Kin 16:7]
2. Which was after the joint attack of king Rezin of Aram and king Pekah of Israel on Jerusalem [2Kin 16:5-7]
5. Therefore,
1. The attack of king Pekah of Israel on Jersualem which prompted king Ahaz's call for Assyria's help must have been either in
1. The last year of the reign of Pekah—which is the 11th/12th year of Ahaz's reign—or
2. Penultimate year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah—which is the 10th/11th year of Ahaz's reign
2. And which must have been
1. The same year Pekah attacked Jerusalem or
2. The following year

Possible Scenarios

1. First Scenario
   1. 12^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Aram and Israel attack Jerusalem
      2. Assyria attacks Damascus
      3. Assyria attacks Israel
      4. Hoshea assassinates Pekah and becomes king of Israel
2. Second Scenario
   1. 11^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Aram and Israel attack Jerusalem
      2. Assyria attacks Damascus
      3. Assyria attacks Israel
   2. 12^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Hoshea assassinates Pekah and becomes king of Israel
3. Third Scenario
   1. 10^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Aram and Israel attack Jerusalem
      2. Assyria attacks Damascus
   2. 11^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Assyria attacks Israel
   3. 12^th Year of King Ahaz
      1. Hoshea assassinates Pekah and becomes king of Israel

The Reign of King Hoshea

Hoshea assassinated Pekah son of Remaliah and came to power

1. In the 12th year of Ahaz king of Judah [2Kin 17:1]
2. And he reigned for 9 years [2Kin 17:1]
3. He started out as a vasal to the king of Assyria but became a traitor and turned to Egypt [2Kin 17:3-4]
4. The King of Assyria came up against him in the 7th year of his reign and besieged Samaria for 3 years [2Kin 17:3,5-6]
5. “...the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in the towns of the Medes.” [2Kin 17:6]

Hoshea Assassinates Pekah Son of Remaliah

Clearly, the coming to power of Hoshea as king of Israel and his submission to Assyria as a vassal is what halted the complete destruction of Israel by the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser.

The Reign of King Hezekiah

Apparently, King Hezekiah began to reign before the death of King Ahaz his father. That is, he reigned as coregent with king Ahaz his father.

Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

1. In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [2Kin 18:1]
2. At the age of 25 years [2Kin 18:2]
3. Reigned for 9years [2KIn 2]

When Did Hezekiah Begin to Reign As King?

2Kin 17:1,6; 18:1

• Ahaz's reign plus Hoshea's reign covered 20 years (11 yrs + 9 yrs)
• Ahaz reigned for 16 years
• Hoshea began to reign in the 12th year of Ahaz and
  
• Hoshea reigned for 9 years
• Hezekiah began to reign 1 year before the end of the reign of Ahaz his father.
• Hoshea's 9th year was Hezekiah's 6th year
• Hezekiah succeeded Ahaz
• Hezekiah's 4th year was the 7th year of King Hoshea of Israel
• Hoshea reigned for 9 years
• Therefore, Hoshea's 9th year was Hezekiah's 6th year
  
• Ahaz's reign plus 6 years of Hezekiah's reign (which is Hoshea's 9th year) will cover
• 22 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign 1 year AFTER Ahaz
• (16 yrs + 6 yrs)
• 21 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign the SAME year Ahaz died
• (16 yrs + 5 yrs)
• 20 years
• If Hezekiah began to reign 1 year BEFORE Ahaz
• (16 yrs + 4 yrs)
• Therefore, Hezekiah must have begun to reign before the end of the reign of Ahaz his father.

Aram and Israel Become Allies and Plan to End the Davidic Dynasty

King Ahaz and the people heard this news and their hearts were shaken [Isa 7:2]

1. It was at this time that God sent the prophet Isaiah with Shear-Jashub his son to meet king Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct on the road to the Washerman's field [Isa 7:3].
2. Naturally, the execution of a plan does not precede the plan itself. Therefore, the coming up of Aram and Israel against Jersualem must have followed the after the news of the alliance got to Jersualem.

Rezin and Pekah March Up Against Jerusalem

[Isa 7:1]