The allies did not propose to content themselves with exacting tribute from the young king; they meant to dethrone him, and to set up in his room a son of Tabeel, whom they had brought with them; they were nevertheless obliged to retire without effecting a breach in his defences and leave the final assault till the following campaign. Rezin, however, had done as much injury as he could to Judah; he had laid waste both mountain and plain, had taken Elath by storm and restored it to the Edomites,* and had given a free hand to the Philistines (735).**
* 2 Kings xvi. 6, where the Massoretic text states that the
Syrians retained the town, while the Septuagint maintain
that he restored it to the Edomites.
** Chron. xxviii. 18, where a list is given of the towns
wrested from Judah by the Philistines. The delight felt by
the Philistines at the sight of Judah’s abasement seems to
be referred to in the short prophecy of Isaiah (xiv. 29-32),
wrongly ascribed to the year of Ahaz’s death.
Drawn by Faucher-
Gudin, from
Lanzone’s statuette.
A direct reproduction from a plaster cast now in Paris. The
inscription discovered by Schick, in 1880, has since been
mutilated, and only the fragments are preserved in the
museum at Constantinople. Some writers think it was composed
in the time of Hezekiah; for my own part, I agree with Stade
in assigning it to the period of Ahaz.
The whole position seemed so hopeless, that a section of the people began to propose surrendering to the mercy of the Syrians.*
* This seems to be an obvious inference from the words of
Isaiah (viii. 6): “Forasmuch as this people hath refused the
waters of Shiloah that go softly, and lose courage because
of Rezin and Bemaliali’s son.” [The R.V. reads “rejoice
in” Rezin, etc.—Tr.]