2 Kings 15 32

2 Kings 15:32 kjv

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign.

2 Kings 15:32 nkjv

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 Kings 15:32 niv

In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign.

2 Kings 15:32 esv

In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.

2 Kings 15:32 nlt

Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah's reign in Israel.

2 Kings 15 verses

2 Kings 15 32 Meaning

This verse marks the beginning of Jotham's reign as King of Judah, specifying that it commenced in the second year of Pekah's reign as King of Israel. It serves as a crucial chronological marker within the biblical historical record, synchronizing the reigns of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms.

2 Kings 15 32 Context

The Book of 2 Kings 15 provides a turbulent historical account, particularly for the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It details a rapid succession of kings, often marked by regicide and political instability (Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea), indicative of their departure from the covenant with God. In stark contrast, the Southern Kingdom of Judah, while not without its spiritual struggles (not removing high places), maintains a more stable, albeit sometimes co-reigned, succession through the promised Davidic line. This specific verse synchronizes the reign of Jotham, a Judean king generally described as righteous like his father Uzziah, with the turbulent reign of Pekah in Israel, highlighting the divergent spiritual and political paths of the two kingdoms heading towards their eventual exiles. Jotham had likely already served as co-regent due to Uzziah's leprosy for several years prior to his formal commencement as king.

2 Kings 15 32 Word analysis

• In the second year: (Hebrew: בִּשְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם, bishnat shtayim). This phrase is a common and crucial temporal marker in biblical historical texts, demonstrating the chronological precision employed by the sacred writers. It is essential for inter-kingdom dating, helping scholars align the parallel histories of Israel and Judah and understand the broader sweep of the biblical narrative within ancient Near Eastern chronology.
• Pekah: (Hebrew: פֶּקַח, Pekaḥ). Meaning "He opens" or "Opened eye." He was the king of Israel, an army officer who usurped the throne by assassinating his predecessor, Pekahiah. His reign was a period of intense conflict, particularly with Judah, and a deepening decline towards the Assyrian conquest. His character represents the prevalent political and spiritual instability of the Northern Kingdom.
• the son of Remaliah: (Hebrew: בֶּן־רְמַלְיָהוּ, ben-Remalyahu). A standard patriarchal identification. Remaliah (רְמַלְיָהוּ, Remalyahu) means "Yahweh has adorned." This familial descriptor places Pekah within his immediate lineage, which might be seen as ironic given his violent rise to power and his anti-Judah/anti-Yahweh actions as king.
• king of Israel: Identifies the monarch of the Northern Kingdom, which had separated from Judah after the reign of Solomon (1 Ki 12). The spiritual trajectory of these kings, starting with Jeroboam's sin of calf worship, consistently led the nation away from true worship of Yahweh.
• Jotham: (Hebrew: יוֹתָם, Yotham). Meaning "Yahweh is perfect/complete." He was the king of Judah, generally depicted as a righteous ruler who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," albeit with the persistent caveat of not removing the high places. His name signifies a reliance on or acknowledgment of God's character.
• the son of Uzziah: (Hebrew: בֶּן־עֻזִּיָּה, ben-`Uzziyyah). Uzziah (עֻזִּיָּה, `Uzziyyah) means "My strength is Yah" or "Yahweh is my strength." Uzziah had a long and initially prosperous reign that ended with his leprosy due to pride (2 Chron 26). This lineage grounds Jotham in a significant Davidic royal heritage, tying him to a powerful and relatively stable period for Judah.
• king of Judah: Identifies the monarch of the Southern Kingdom, the seat of the Davidic dynasty, whose throne was eternally secured by God's covenant with David (2 Sam 7). This lineage carries the divine promise and the hope of the Messiah.
• began to reign: (Hebrew: מָלַךְ, malak). This verb denotes the formal act of commencing kingship. It signifies the assumption of full royal authority, even if a co-regency period preceded it due to the previous monarch's infirmity (as with Uzziah and Jotham).

Words-group Analysis:

• "Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel" and "Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah": This dual reference powerfully highlights the stark contrast between the two kingdoms. Israel, represented by Pekah, is characterized by political chaos, usurpers, and instability (symbolized by Remaliah, whose son becomes a regicide). Judah, represented by Jotham, demonstrates relative dynastic stability within the Davidic covenant line, despite spiritual failings like not removing the high places (Uzziah's reign also signifying strength before his downfall). This juxtaposition underscores the theological judgments pervasive in Kings: Judah's continued existence and adherence to the Davidic line reflect God's enduring covenant faithfulness, while Israel's rapid decline signals the consequences of forsaking that covenant.
• "In the second year of Pekah... Jotham... began to reign": This specific chronological synchronism demonstrates the historical precision intended by the biblical authors. It weaves the separate histories of Israel and Judah into a single, cohesive narrative of God's unfolding plan. It subtly hints at the greater purpose for Jotham's reign in Judah within a time of northern tumult, where God preserves His covenant line and prophetic word even amidst widespread sin.

2 Kings 15 32 Bonus section

• Polemics: The structured naming conventions (e.g., "son of") in the Book of Kings are subtly polemical against pagan Near Eastern ideas of divine kingship that often suggested mythical, non-human origins for rulers. By firmly rooting kings in their human genealogies, the biblical text emphasizes their mortality and their accountability to God. Furthermore, the relentless evaluation of each king based on their faithfulness to Yahweh's covenant (as seen in Jotham's positive assessment contrasted with the "high places" issue) serves as a profound polemic against any notion that a king's rule or a nation's prosperity is independent of God's moral law.
• Biblical Chronology: Verses like 2 Kings 15:32 are cornerstones for constructing the detailed and often complex chronology of the divided monarchy. Scholars use these synchronization statements, sometimes with careful adjustments for co-regencies and different calendar systems, to piece together the precise historical timeline of biblical events within the broader context of ancient Near Eastern history.
• Jotham's Reign: While this verse only marks the beginning, subsequent verses (2 Ki 15:33-38 and 2 Chron 27) elaborate on Jotham's generally good reign. He "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" and grew mighty "because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God" (2 Chron 27:6), making significant building efforts. This portrays him as a relatively strong and pious king, though his failure to remove the "high places" foreshadows Judah's eventual spiritual decline that would culminate in their own exile, demonstrating that even good intentions or strong leadership were insufficient without complete obedience to God's commands.

2 Kings 15 32 Commentary

2 Kings 15:32 is a precise chronological statement, setting the official start of King Jotham of Judah's reign in parallel with King Pekah of Israel. Beyond its historical function, it reinforces the contrast between the two kingdoms: the chronic political and spiritual instability of Israel under kings like Pekah (a regicide), versus the dynastic continuity of Judah under the Davidic covenant, here represented by Jotham. Jotham's reign, though generally righteous and prosperous, carried the recurring spiritual blemish of failing to remove the "high places," underscoring Judah's own persistent compromises with God's law despite the relative stability of its monarchy. The verse therefore serves as both a historical anchor and a theological signpost, showing God's providential preservation of the Davidic line in Judah amidst the increasing apostasy and decline that characterized the era leading up to the exiles.