Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah's Reign and VictoriesThis section describes the reign of Amaziah, a king who started well but lacked wholehearted devotion to God. He followed the Lord

v. 3-4: Amaziah punished the men who had murdered his father, but he obeyed God’s law by not putting their children to death. This showed his respect for justice and for God’s command that children should not die for their parents’ sins (2 Chronicles 25:3-4; Deuteronomy 24:16 ).

v. 5-6: Amaziah prepared for war against the Edomites. He organized his own army of 300,000 men and hired 100,000 soldiers from Israel to strengthen his forces. However, this decision showed his lack of trust in God, as he relied on human strength instead of fully depending on the Lord

v. 7-8: A prophet warned Amaziah not to use the Israelite soldiers because God was not with them. The prophet reminded him that God had the power to help him without their assistance. If he relied on these idolatrous soldiers, he would fail in battle (2 Chronicles 25:7-8 ).

v. 9: Amaziah was concerned about losing the money he had already paid to the Israelite soldiers. The prophet reassured him, saying, The Lord

v. 10: Amaziah obeyed the prophet and sent the Israelite soldiers home. However, the soldiers were very angry and felt insulted. They had expected to gain spoils from the battle, and their anger would later cause trouble for Judah .

v. 11-12: Amaziah led his army to victory against the Edomites. He killed 10,000 enemy soldiers in battle and captured another 10,000, whom he executed in a cruel manner by throwing them off a cliff. This action was extreme and likely caused great resentment among the Edomites (2 Chronicles 25:11-12 ).

v. 13: Meanwhile, the dismissed Israelite soldiers attacked several towns in Judah. They plundered the towns, killed 3,000 people, and caused significant damage. God allowed this as a punishment for Judah’s sins, particularly the idolatry in the areas influenced by Israel . This shows that even obedience to God can bring temporary difficulties, but His purposes are always just.

Amaziah's IdolatryThis section tells how Amaziah, after his victory over Edom, made a foolish and tragic choice. Instead of staying faithful to the Lord

v. 15: The anger of the Lord

v. 16: Amaziah became angry at the prophet’s warning. He rudely told the prophet to stop talking and threatened to punish him if he continued. Amaziah did not want to listen to advice or correction. Because of his stubbornness, the prophet told him that God had determined to destroy him, since he had chosen idols over the Lord

The Death of AmaziahThis section tells how Amaziah, king of Judah, came to a sad and violent end. His pride led him into a foolish war with Israel, and his heart turned away from the Lord

v. 20-21: Amaziah refused to listen to Joash’s warning. This stubbornness was from the Lord

v. 22-24: Israel’s army defeated Judah at Beth-shemesh. Amaziah was captured, and Joash marched to Jerusalem, broke down part of the city wall, took treasures from the temple and the palace, and took hostages back to Samaria (2 Chronicles 25:22-24 ). This was a great humiliation for Amaziah and all Judah.

v. 25-27: After this defeat, Amaziah lived for fifteen more years. But because he had turned away from the Lord