2 Chronicles 25:14

Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

AMAZIAH ADOPTS THE EDOMITE FORM OF WORSHIP, AND SPURNS A PROPHETIC WARNING (2Chronicles 25:14-16).

(14) From the slaughter.—From smiting.

Brought the gods.—The Assyrian inscriptions often refer to this custom of carrying off the idols of conquered countries. Esarhaddon states that he restored the gods of Hazael, king of Arabia, at that prince’s entreaty, after engraving on them “the might of Asshur” and his own name. Assurbanipal recovered an image of Nana, which an Elamite sovereign had carried off one thousand six hundred and thirty-five years previously.

The children of Seir.—Bnê Seir, the tribal designation of the Edomites (1Chronicles 1:38).

Set them up to be his gods.—Not necessarily abandoning the worship of Jehovah. (Comp. the conduct of Ahaz, 2Chronicles 28:23; 2Kings 16:10, et seq.; also 2Kings 17:27-33.) Thenius says this contradicts 2Kings 14:3; and it may be allowed that the chronicler portrays Amaziah in a darker light than the older account. This only proves independence of judgment and the possession of additional information. Thenius and Bertheau further suppose that the chronicler, from his theocratic standpoint, merely inferred the idolatry of Amaziah from his ill success against Israel. It is more likely that it was mentioned in one of the histories which the compiler had before him.

Bowed down himself.—Literally, And before them would he bow himself, and to them would he offer incense; relating his habitual practice.

Benson Commentary

2 Chronicles 25:14. He brought the gods of Seir, and set them up for his gods — Egregious folly! When Ahaz worshipped the gods of those that had conquered him, (2 Chronicles 28:23,) he had some little colour for it, as he hoped, probably, thus to prevail upon them to assist him too. But for Amaziah to worship the gods of those he had conquered, was surely most unreasonable. What did he see in the gods of the children of Seir, that could tempt him to set them up for his gods, and bow down himself before them? If he had cast the idols down from the rock, and broken them to pieces, instead of the prisoners, he would have discovered more of the piety, as well as more of the pity, of an Israelite. But, perhaps, as a punishment for that barbarous inhumanity, he was given up to this ridiculous idolatry.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

25:14-16 To worship the gods of those whom Amaziah had conquered, who could not help their own worshippers, was the greatest absurdity. If men would consider how unable all those things are to help them, to which they look whenever they forsake God, they would not be such enemies to themselves. The reproof God sent by a prophet was too just to be answered; themselves. The reproof God sent by a prophet was too just to be answered; but he was bidden not to say a word more. The secure sinner rejoices to have silenced his reprovers and monitors; but what comes of it? Those that are deaf to reproof, are ripening for destruction.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The practice of carrying off the images of the gods from a conquered country, or city, as trophies of victory, was common among the nations of the East. Sometimes as with the Romans, the object was worship, especially when the gods were previously among those of the conquering country, and the images had the reputation of special sanctity.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14-16. Amaziah … brought the gods of the children of Seir—The Edomites worshipped the sun under different forms and with various rites. But burning incense upon altars was a principal act of worship, and this was the very thing Amaziah is described as having with strange infatuation performed. Whether he had been captivated with the beauty of the images, or hoped by honoring the gods to disarm their spite at him for his conquest and harsh treatment of their votaries, his conduct in establishing these objects of religious homage in Jerusalem was foolish, ignorant, and highly offensive to God, who commissioned a prophet to rebuke him for his apostasy, and threaten him with the calamity that soon after befell him.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites,.... Instead of returning thanks to God for the victory obtained, and giving him the glory of it:

that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods; what were the gods of the Edomites is nowhere said in Scripture; only Josephus (l) speaks of the priests of Coze, which he says was a god of the Idumaeans:

and bowed himself before them, and burned incense unto them; which was the greatest piece of sottishhess and stupidity imaginable, to worship the gods of a nation conquered by him; for since they could not save them, what help could he expect from them?

(l) Antiqu. l. l5. c. 7. sect. 9.

Geneva Study Bible

Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and {l} bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

(l) That where he should have praised God for his benefits and great victory, he fell from God and most vilely dishonoured him.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14–16 (not in Kings). Amaziah’s Idolatry and the Prophet’s Rebuke

14. bowed down … and burned] The tenses in the Heb. are imperfect and imply that this became Amaziah’s practice. The act was according to a policy frequently pursued in ancient times. Solomon affords an instance of it (1 Kings 11:7).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - Brought the gods of the children of Seir... to be his gods. Amaziah's devout gratitude to God, and acknowledgment of him in the name Joktheel, was soon gone, and at the very last, grown confident, he loses all, and realizes the fulfilment of the "man of God's" prophetic denunciations. 2 Chronicles 25:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Amaziah's idolatry. - 2 Chronicles 25:14. On his return from smiting the Edomites, i.e., from the war in which he had smitten the Edomites, Amaziah brought the gods (images) of the sons of Seir (the inhabitants of Mount Seir) with him, and set them up as gods, giving them religious adoration.

(Note: This statement, which is not found in 2 Kings 14, may, in the opinion of Berth., perhaps not rest upon a definite tradition, but be merely the application of a principle which generally was found to act in the history of Israel to a particular case; i.e., it may be a clothing in historical garments of the principle that divine punishment came upon the idolatrous king, because it does not agree with the statement of 2 Kings 14:3. In that passage it is said of Amaziah: He did what was right in the eyes of Jahve, only not as David; altogether as his father Joash had done, did he. But Joash allowed his princes, after Jehoiada's death, to worship idols and Asheras, and had caused the prophet Zechariah, who reproved this idolatry, to be stoned. These are facts which, it is true, are narrated only in the Chronicle, but which are admitted by Bertheau himself to be historical. Now if Amaziah did altogether the same as his father Joash, who allowed idolatry, etc., it is hard indeed to see wherein the inconsistency of our account of Amaziah's idolatry with the character assigned to this king in 2 Kings 14:3 consists. Bertheau has omitted to give us any more definite information on this point.)

In order to turn him away from this sin, which would certainly kindle Jahve's wrath, a prophet said to Amaziah, "Why dost thou seek the gods of the people, who have not delivered their people out of your hand?" The prophet keeps in view the motive which had induced the king to set up and worship the Edomite idols, viz., the belief of all polytheists, that in order to make a people subject, one must seek to win over their gods (cf. on this belief that remarks on Numbers 22:17), and exposes the folly of this belief by pointing out the impotence of the Edomite idols, which Amaziah himself had learnt to know.