2 Kings 18:1

THE MESSAGE

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz began his rule over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. In God 's opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. He got rid of the local fertility shrines, smashed the phallic stone monuments, and cut down the sex-and-religion Asherah groves. As a final stroke he pulverized the ancient bronze serpent that Moses had made; at that time the Israelites had taken up the practice of sacrificing to it—they had even dignified it with a name, Nehushtan (The Old Serpent).

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the third year of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.

Hebrew Names Version
Now it happened in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Yisra'el, that Hizkiyahu the son of Achaz king of Yehudah began to reign.

King James Version
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

English Standard Version
In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

New Century Version
Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah became king during the third year Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.

New English Translation
In the third year of the reign of Israel's King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz's son Hezekiah became king over Judah.

Amplified Bible
Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

New American Standard Bible
Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

World English Bible
Now it happened in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now in the third yeere of Hoshea, sonne of Elah King of Israel, Hezekiah the sonne of Ahaz king of Iudah began to reigne.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

Berean Standard Bible
In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.

Contemporary English Version
Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah in the third year of Hoshea's rule in Israel.

Complete Jewish Bible
It was in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Isra'el, that Hizkiyahu the son of Achaz, king of Y'hudah, began his reign.

Darby Translation
And it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

Easy-to-Read Version
Hezekiah son of Ahaz was king of Judah. Hezekiah began to rule during the third year that Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
NOW in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Good News Translation
In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah

Lexham English Bible
It happened in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

Literal Translation
And it happened in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah the king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz the king of Judah began to reign.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In the thirde yeare of Oseas ye sonne of Ela kynge of Israel, reigned Ezechias ye sonne of Achas kynge of Iuda.

American Standard Version
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Bible in Basic English
Now in the third year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, became king of Judah.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
In the thirde yere of Hosea sonne of Ela king of Israel, it came to passe that Hezekia ye sonne of Ahaz king of Iuda did raigne.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

King James Version (1611)
Now it came to passe in the third yere of Hoshea sonne of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the sonne of Ahaz king of Iudah, began to reigne.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass in the third year of Osee son of Ela king of Israel that Ezekias son of Achaz king of Juda began to reign.

English Revised Version
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the thridde yeer of Osee, sone of Hela, kyng of Israel, regnyde Ezechie, sone of Achaz, kyng of Juda.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, reigned hath Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah;

Update Bible Version
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

New King James Version
2 Chronicles 29:1,2: 31:1">[xr] Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

New Living Translation
Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea's reign in Israel.

New Life Bible
In the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to rule.

New Revised Standard
In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.

Douay-Rheims Bible
In the third year of Osee, the son of Ela, king of Israel, reigned Ezechias, the son of Achaz, king of Juda.

Revised Standard Version
In the third year of Hoshe'a son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezeki'ah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

Contextual Overview

¹In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz began his rule over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. In God 's opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. He got rid of the local fertility shrines, smashed the phallic stone monuments, and cut down the sex-and-religion Asherah groves. As a final stroke he pulverized the ancient bronze serpent that Moses had made; at that time the Israelites had taken up the practice of sacrificing to it—they had even dignified it with a name, Nehushtan (The Old Serpent). ⁵Hezekiah put his whole trust in the God of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after. He held fast to God —never loosened his grip—and obeyed to the letter everything God had commanded Moses. And God , for his part, held fast to him through all his adventures. ⁷He revolted against the king of Assyria; he refused to serve him one more day. And he drove back the Philistines, whether in sentry outposts or fortress cities, all the way to Gaza and its borders.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3278, bc 726

in the third: 2 Kings 18:9, 2 Kings 15:30, 2 Kings 17:1

Hezekiah: 2 Kings 16:20, 1 Chronicles 3:13, 2 Chronicles 28:27, 2 Chronicles 29:1, Matthew 1:9, Matthew 1:10, Ezekias

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 32:32 - in the book Psalms 80:13 - The boar Isaiah 7:17 - bring upon Jeremiah 3:12 - toward the north Hosea 1:1 - Uzziah

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.

Genesis 15:1
After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!"

Genesis 17:22
God finished speaking with Abraham and left.

Genesis 18:1
God appeared to Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent. It was the hottest part of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing. He ran from his tent to greet them and bowed before them.

Genesis 18:3
He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."

Genesis 26:2
God appeared to him and said, "Don't go down to Egypt; stay where I tell you. Stay here in this land and I'll be with you and bless you. I'm giving you and your children all these lands, fulfilling the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I'll make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky and give them all these lands. All the nations of the Earth will get a blessing for themselves through your descendants. And why? Because Abraham obeyed my summons and kept my charge—my commands, my guidelines, my teachings."

Genesis 48:3
Jacob said to Joseph, "The Strong God appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. He said, ‘I'm going to make you prosperous and numerous, turn you into a congregation of tribes; and I'll turn this land over to your children coming after you as a permanent inheritance.' I'm adopting your two sons who were born to you here in Egypt before I joined you; they have equal status with Reuben and Simeon. But any children born after them are yours; they will come after their brothers in matters of inheritance. I want it this way because, as I was returning from Paddan, your mother Rachel, to my deep sorrow, died as we were on our way through Canaan when we were only a short distance from Ephrath, now called Bethlehem."

Exodus 4:1
Moses objected, "They won't trust me. They won't listen to a word I say. They're going to say, ‘ God ? Appear to him? Hardly!'"

2 Chronicles 1:7
That night God appeared to Solomon. God said, "What do you want from me? Ask."

Acts 7:2
Stephen replied, "Friends, fathers, and brothers, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia, before the move to Haran, and told him, ‘Leave your country and family and go to the land I'll show you.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel,.... That is, in the third year of his rebelling against the king of Assyria, when he shook off his yoke, and refused to be tributary to him any longer, see 2 Kings 17:1,

[that] Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign; having finished the account of the kingdom of Israel, and the captivity of the people, the historian returns to the kingdom of Judah, and the things of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the third year - If Hoshea ascended the throne toward the close of the 12th year of Ahaz 2 Kings 17:1, and if Ahaz reigned not much more than 15 years 2 Kings 16:2, the first of Hezekiah might synchronise in part with Hoshea’s third year.

Hezekiah - The name given by our translators follows the Greek form, Ἐζεκίας Ezekias, rather than the Hebrew, which is Hizkiah. Its meaning is “strength of Yahweh.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XVIII

Hezekiah begins to reign; he removes the high places, breaks to

pieces the brazen serpent, and walks uprightly before God, 1-6.

He endeavours to shake off the Assyrian yoke, and defeats the

Philistines, 7, 8.

Shalmaneser comes up against Samaria, takes it, and carries the

people away into captivity, 9-12.

And then comes against Judah, and takes all the fenced cities,

13.

Hezekiah sends a message to him at Lachish to desist, with the

promise that he will pay him any tribute he chooses to impose;

in consequence of which Shalmaneser exacts three hundred

talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold; to pay which

Hezekiah is obliged to take all his own treasures, and those

belonging to the temple, 14-16.

The king of Assyria sends, notwithstanding, a great host against

Jerusalem; and his general, Rab-shakeh, delivers an insulting

and blasphemous message to Hezekiah, 17-35.

Hezekiah and his people are greatly afflicted at the words of

Rab-shakeh, 36, 37.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVIII

Verse 2 Kings 18:1. Now - in the third year of Hoshea — See the note on 2 Kings 16:1, where this chronology is considered.