XXVIII Ahaz reigns ill, ver. 1-4. Is smitten by the Syrians and Israelites, ver. 5-8. who send back the captives they had taken, ver. 9-15. Ahaz sends for help to the king of Asyria, but in vain, ver. 16-21. Yet he continues in idolatry, ver. 22-25. and dies, ver. 26, 27.

5. His God - God was his God, tho' not by special relation, (which Ahaz had renounced) yet by his sovereign dominion over him: for God did not forfeit his right by Ahaz's denying it.

6. Forsaken - Ahaz walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and God chose the king of Israel for his scourge: it is just with God, to make them a plague to us, whom we have made our patterns, or partners in sin.

9. A rage - An unbounded rage, which cries to God for vengeance, against such bloody men.

10. To keep under - It ill becomes sinners to be cruel. Shew mercy to them, for you are undone, unless God shew you mercy.

14. Left the captives - And herein they shewed a more truly heroic bravery, than they did in taking them. It is true honour for a man to yield to reason and religion even in spite of interest.

15. Were expressed - Who were appointed to take care about the management of this business.

16. Kings - Princes, who may be called kings in a more general signification of the word.

19. Low - As high as they were before in wealth and power. They that will not humble themselves under the word of God will be humbled by his judgments. Naked - Taking away their ornament and their defense and strength, namely their treasures, which he sent to the Assyrian to no purpose; their frontier towns, and other strong holds, which by his folly and wickedness were lost; their religion, and the Divine protection, which was their great and only firm security.

20. Distressed - Or, straitened him, by robbing him of his treasures. Strengthened not - A most emphatical expression: for tho' he weakened his present enemy the Syrian, yet all things considered, he did not strengthen Ahaz and his kingdom, but weaken them; for by removing the Syrian, who, tho' a troublesome neighbour, was a kind of bulwark to him, he smoothed the way for himself, a far more dangerous enemy, as appears in the very next king's reign.