2 Chronicles 28:22 kjv
And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.
2 Chronicles 28:22 nkjv
Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. This is that King Ahaz.
2 Chronicles 28:22 niv
In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:22 esv
In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD ? this same King Ahaz.
2 Chronicles 28:22 nlt
Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Chr 28:19 | For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decay... | God's judgment causes distress |
| 2 Chr 28:5-18 | So the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria... | Specific instances of distress/defeat |
| 2 Chr 28:3 | He even burned his son as an offering... | Ahaz's previous extreme wickedness |
| 2 Chr 28:23 | For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus... thinking, "Since the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me." | Nature of his deepened trespass – misguided worship |
| 2 Ki 16:7-9 | Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, "I am your servant... come up and rescue me..." | Seeking human alliances instead of God |
| Jer 5:3 | O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You have smitten them, but they felt no pain... they refused to take correction. | Hearts that harden in distress |
| Amos 4:6-11 | "I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities... Yet you have not returned to Me," declares the LORD. | Divine discipline intended for repentance, yet rejected |
| Isa 1:5 | Why will you be struck no more? You continue to rebel. The whole head is sick... | Persistent rebellion despite suffering |
| Rom 1:21-23 | For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God... their foolish heart was darkened. They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image... | Suppression of truth and turning to idolatry |
| Rom 2:4-5 | Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness... not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart... | Hardening of heart despite God's goodness |
| 2 Tim 3:13 | But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse... | The escalation of evil |
| Heb 3:7-8 | Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me... | Warning against a hardened heart |
| Hos 7:14 | They do not cry to Me from the heart... They err from Me. | Refusal to genuinely seek God in distress |
| Ps 78:34-37 | When He killed them, then they sought Him... but their heart was not steadfast with Him. | Fickle repentance, contrasted with Ahaz's non-repentance |
| 1 Sam 28:15 | "Why have you disturbed me?" And Saul said, "I am greatly distressed... and God has departed from me." | King Saul's distress leading to further transgression (necromancy) |
| Ex 8:15 | But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen... | Pharaoh's heart hardening despite divine judgment/distress |
| Job 36:15 | He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear by adversity. | God's intended purpose for affliction |
| Deut 30:1-3 | When all these things come upon you... and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him... then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes. | Call to repentance in distress |
| Judg 2:11-15 | Then the sons of Israel did evil... and served the Baals... when they were distressed because of those who afflicted them, they would turn back and again do evil... | Israel's cyclical disobedience, less extreme than Ahaz |
| Prov 29:1 | He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond remedy. | The danger of an unrepentant spirit |
| Jer 6:29 | The bellows blow fiercely... their evil deeds are not refined. | Testing in fire revealing lack of true substance |
2 Chronicles 28 verses
2 Chronicles 28 22 Meaning
The verse states that King Ahaz, while experiencing severe distress, chose to increase his rebellion and unfaithfulness against the Lord instead of turning to Him. It then pronounces a concise yet definitive judgment, identifying him as the embodiment of such egregious wickedness.
2 Chronicles 28 22 Context
Chronicles 28 paints a grim picture of King Ahaz's reign (735-715 BC) as one of Judah's most wicked. This specific verse summarizes his ultimate failure in the face of divine discipline. Prior verses (28:5-18) detail the severe military defeats Judah suffered at the hands of Syria, Israel, Edomites, and Philistines, which the Chronicler explicitly states were due to the Lord bringing Judah low because of Ahaz's idolatry and extreme sin. These troubles, intended by God to lead to repentance (2 Chr 28:19), instead hardened Ahaz's heart, driving him further into apostasy. Instead of seeking help from the covenant God, he sought alliances with foreign powers (Assyria, as noted in 2 Kings 16) and adopted the gods of those nations, even those who had defeated him, thinking they would help him (2 Chr 28:23). This verse encapsulates his unparalleled rebellion and serves as a strong condemnation by the Chronicler.
2 Chronicles 28 22 Word analysis
- And in the time of his distress: (וּבְעֵת הַצַּר לוֹ, uv'et hatzatzar lo)
- Distress (צַר, tzar) refers to the severe national and personal affliction King Ahaz experienced through military defeats, territorial loss, and humiliation. It highlights that even direct suffering, meant by God as a means of correction, did not soften his heart. This contrasts with many biblical accounts where distress leads to seeking the Lord (e.g., Ps 107:6).
- did he trespass: (הוֹסִיף לִמְעוֹל, hosif lim'ol)
- Trespass (מָעַל, ma'al) denotes a deliberate act of unfaithfulness or rebellion against God, often implying sacrilege or breaking a covenant, not merely a mistake. This particular verb emphasizes a grave violation of trust or sacred obligation, often with a sense of profanity. Ahaz’s actions were direct affronts to Yahweh’s exclusive claim on Judah.
- The verb hosif (הוֹסִיף, "did he add" or "continued to") is crucial, indicating an escalation. He didn't just trespass, but added to his trespasses, intensifying his rebellion. This signifies a determined defiance, not a moment of weakness.
- yet more: This phrase reinforces the meaning of hosif, emphasizing that the distress did not curb his wickedness; rather, it fueled it, deepening his defiance against God. It suggests a tragic inversion of spiritual development – moving from bad to worse.
- against the LORD: (בַּיהוָה, ba-YHWH)
- Clearly identifies the sole object and recipient of his intensified treachery: Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel. This stresses that his sin was not a mere moral failure but a direct, personal rejection of divine authority and covenant relationship. His rebellion was an affront to the living God who brought Judah low.
- this is that king Ahaz: (הוּא הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז, hu ha-melekh Achaz)
- This is a stark, condemnatory summary statement. The phrase "this is that" (הוּא, hu, meaning "he/this very one") functions as an emphatic indictment, singling Ahaz out as notoriously wicked. It sets him apart from other kings who, though flawed, might have shown some repentance or lesser defiance. It signifies that he exemplifies ultimate rebellion and unrepentance. This phrasing almost functions as an exclamation of profound disgrace or notoriety.
2 Chronicles 28 22 Bonus section
- A Thematic Contrast: Ahaz's unrepentant hardening stands in stark contrast to his son Hezekiah, who, also facing national crisis, humbled himself and sought the Lord (2 Chr 32). This highlights the theological choice individuals face in distress: to repent and seek God, or to further rebel.
- Polemic against Pagan Understanding: Ahaz's reasoning for adopting the gods of Damascus—that they "helped them" (2 Chr 28:23)—is a direct polemic against the pagan notion that deities were limited territorial beings whose power was directly proportional to their nation's military success. Ahaz failed to grasp that Judah's defeat was not because Yahweh was weaker, but because Yahweh was actively judging His people.
- Chronicler's Emphasis: The Chronicler, writing to a post-exilic audience, emphasizes this point to explain why Judah endured the Babylonian exile. It was the culmination of generations of unrepentant rebellion, with Ahaz's reign serving as a stark example of an unyielding refusal to respond to God's discipline.
2 Chronicles 28 22 Commentary
King Ahaz's response to the severe trials and judgments from the Lord is presented as a pinnacle of spiritual rebellion. Instead of acknowledging God's hand in his afflictions and turning to Him for deliverance, Ahaz chose to compound his sin, moving deeper into apostasy and idolatry. His defiance reveals a profound hardening of the heart that resisted divine correction and misinterpreted the cause of his distress, attributing it to external deities or mere ill-fortune rather than to Yahweh's righteous judgment. The Chronicler uses this verse as a climactic condemnation, marking Ahaz as a singularly perverse king whose spiritual trajectory spiraled downward even in the face of overwhelming evidence of God's power and sovereignty. This serves as a potent warning against an unrepentant spirit that refuses to learn from adversity.