2 Reis 16

BLIVRE · Chapter 16/25

1No ano dezessete de Peca filho de Remalias, começou a reinar Acaz filho de Jotão rei de Judá.

2Quando começou a reinar Acaz, era de vinte anos, e reinou em Jerusalém dezesseis anos: e não fez o que era correto aos olhos do SENHOR seu Deus, como Davi seu pai;

3Antes andou no caminho dos reis de Israel, e ainda fez passar pelo fogo a seu filho, segundo as abominações das nações que o SENHOR expulsou de diante dos filhos de Israel.

4Também sacrificou, e queimou incenso nos altos, e sobre as colinas, e debaixo de toda árvore frondosa.

5Então Resim rei da Síria, e Peca filho de Remalias rei de Israel, subiram a Jerusalém para fazer guerra, e cercar a Acaz; mas não puderam tomá-la.

6Naquele tempo Resim rei da Síria restituiu Elate à Síria, e expulsou aos judeus de Elate; e os sírios vieram a Elate, e habitaram ali até hoje.

7Então Acaz enviou embaixadores a Tiglate-Pileser rei da Assíria, dizendo: Eu sou teu servo e teu filho: sobe, e defende-me da mão do rei da Síria, e da mão do rei de Israel, que se levantaram contra mim.

8E tomando Acaz a prata e o ouro que se achou na casa do SENHOR, e nos tesouros da casa real, enviou um presente ao rei da Assíria.

9E atendeu-lhe o rei da Assíria; pois subiu o rei da Assíria contra Damasco, e tomou-a, e transportou os moradores a Quir, e matou a Resim.

10E foi o rei Acaz a encontrar a Tiglate-Pileser rei da Assíria em Damasco; e visto que havia o rei Acaz o altar que estava em Damasco, enviou a Urias sacerdote o desenho e a descrição do altar, conforme a toda sua feitura.

11E Urias o sacerdote edificou o altar; conforme a tudo o que o rei Acaz havia enviado de Damasco, assim o fez o sacerdote Urias, antes que o rei Acaz viesse de Damasco.

12E logo que veio o rei de Damasco, e viu o altar, aproximou-se o rei a ele, e sacrificou nele;

13E acendeu seu holocausto, e sua oferta de alimentos, e derramou suas libações, e espalhou o sangue de seus sacrifícios pacíficos sobre o altar.

14E o altar de bronze que estava diante do SENHOR, ele o moveu de diante da parte frontal da casa, entre o altar e o templo do SENHOR, e o pôs ao lado do altar até o norte.

15E o rei Acaz mandou ao sacerdote Urias, dizendo: No grande altar acenderás o holocausto da manhã e a oferta de alimentos da noite, e o holocausto do rei e sua oferta de alimentos, e também o holocausto de todo o povo da terra e suas ofertas de alimentos e suas libações; e espargirás sobre ele todo o sangue do holocausto, e todo o sangue do sacrifício; e o altar de bronze será meu para nele consultar.

16E o sacerdote Urias fez conforme a todas as coisas que o rei Acaz lhe havia mandado.

17E cortou o rei Acaz as cintas das bases, e tirou-lhes as fontes; tirou também o mar de sobre os bois de bronze que estavam debaixo dele, e o pôs sobre o piso de pedra.

18Também a tenda do sábado que haviam edificado na casa, e a entrada de fora do rei, ele os moveu do templo do SENHOR, por causa do rei da Assíria.

19Os demais dos feitos de Acaz que pôs por obra, não estão todos escritos no livro das crônicas dos reis de Judá?

20E descansou o rei Acaz com seus pais e foi sepultado com seus pais na cidade de Davi: e reinou em seu lugar Ezequias seu filho.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Ahaz of Judah is an extremely idolatrous king, who sacrifices his own son in the fire and seeks military help from Assyria against a coalition of Israel and Syria, paying for it with treasures from the temple. He also replaces the temple's original altar with a replica of a pagan altar he saw in Damascus.

Explanation

Ahaz represents one of the lowest points of religious faithfulness in Judah before the exile, going so far as to sacrifice his own son, a practice expressly forbidden and abhorred by God (Leviticus 18:21). His decision to seek Assyrian protection, paying with sacred resources, and then to physically alter temple worship to imitate foreign pagan practices, shows how the pursuit of political security can lead to profound spiritual compromise. This pattern of dependence on Assyria also planted the seeds of future problems for Judah.

Fun facts

  • The prophet Isaiah, a direct contemporary of Ahaz, confronted this same king during the crisis with Israel and Syria (Isaiah 7), offering a famous messianic sign about a young woman who would conceive a son named Immanuel — an episode that takes place alongside this chapter.
  • The 'sundial of Ahaz,' mentioned later in Hezekiah's reign (2 Kings 20:11), is attributed to this same king, suggesting an interest in technology and foreign knowledge, possibly stemming from contact with Assyria.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Reis 16:1Ahaz, son of Jotham, begins to reign over Judah (the southern kingdom) in the seventeenth year of Pekah of Israel (the north).
  2. 2 Reis 16:2Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and stayed sixteen years in Jerusalem; unlike David, he does not do what is right — one of the worst kings of Judah.
  3. 2 Reis 16:3This phrase describes a child sacrifice, probably tied to the cult of Molech, practiced by some kings of Judah in their moments of deepest religious desperation. The text cites it as the worst example of a Davidic king copying Canaanite customs.
  4. 2 Reis 16:4Ahaz goes beyond the usual: he sacrifices and burns incense at the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree — a level of idolatry greater than most kings of Judah.
  5. 2 Reis 16:5Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel (the north) attack Jerusalem together and besiege Ahaz, but cannot defeat him — this is the Syro-Ephraimite war also mentioned in Isaiah.
  6. 2 Reis 16:6In this same period, Rezin takes Elath back for Syria, driving out the Jews there, and it is occupied by another people down to the time the book was written.
  7. 2 Reis 16:7Ahaz declares himself a willing vassal of Assyria to get help against his neighbors. It is a move that solves the immediate problem but ties Judah to Assyria’s orbit for generations, with mandatory tribute.
  8. 2 Reis 16:8Ahaz empties the treasures of the temple and the palace of silver and gold to send as a gift to the king of Assyria, buying military help.
  9. 2 Reis 16:9The Assyrian king answers the request, attacks Damascus, conquers it, deports its residents, and kills Rezin — solving Ahaz’s immediate problem, but creating a dangerous dependence of Judah on Assyria.
  10. 2 Reis 16:10Impressed by an altar he saw in the Syrian capital, Ahaz orders a copy built in Jerusalem and moves the temple’s original bronze altar off to one side. It is a gesture that mixes political fascination with a foreign power with an unauthorized liturgical reform.
  11. 2 Reis 16:11The priest Urijah builds the altar exactly as Ahaz ordered from Damascus, having everything ready even before the king returns.
  12. 2 Reis 16:12On returning from Damascus, Ahaz sees the new altar and goes up himself to offer sacrifice on it, something normally reserved for the priests.
  13. 2 Reis 16:13Ahaz burns his burnt offering and grain offering, pours out his drink offering, and spatters the blood of his peace offerings on this foreign-modeled altar.
  14. 2 Reis 16:14The Lord’s original bronze altar is moved from its place of honor in front of the temple and shoved to the north side, making room for the new altar copied from Damascus.
  15. 2 Reis 16:15Ahaz instructs the priest Urijah to use the new large altar for all the regular sacrifices, keeping the old bronze altar for his own personal use only.
  16. 2 Reis 16:16Urijah obeys Ahaz’s orders exactly — a priest who bends completely to the corruption of worship imposed by the king.
  17. 2 Reis 16:17Ahaz goes on to dismantle bronze pieces from the temple — the stands, the basin, and the oxen that supported the great tank — probably to send more tribute or out of sheer disregard for the temple’s original design.
  18. 2 Reis 16:18Ahaz removes other structures from the temple to please the king of Assyria, showing just how far political submission had already compromised worship in Jerusalem.
  19. 2 Reis 16:19The closing formula for Ahaz points to the chronicles of the kings of Judah (the southern kingdom).
  20. 2 Reis 16:20Ahaz dies and is buried with his ancestors in the City of David; his son Hezekiah takes the throne — a turning point, since Hezekiah will be one of the best kings of Judah.

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