What is the meaning of 2 Kings 16:6? At that time 2 Kings 16:6 opens with a time–marker that ties the event to the Syro-Ephraimite war already underway (see 2 Kings 16:5 and Isaiah 7:1-2). Judah’s King Ahaz is under pressure, and the Lord is allowing neighboring powers to chip away at Judah’s borders, fulfilling earlier warnings about covenant unfaithfulness (Leviticus 26:17). Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram • Elath (also spelled Eloth) sat at the northern tip of the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba—Judah’s only seaport, first secured by Amaziah and fortified by Uzziah (2 Kings 14:22; 2 Chronicles 26:2). • By “recovered,” the text shows that the port had once belonged to Aram or under its influence before Judah’s expansion. Now Rezin retakes it, cutting Judah off from maritime trade and tribute. • This military success against Judah fits the pattern of God using foreign kings as instruments of discipline (2 Kings 24:2; Isaiah 10:5-6). Drove out the men of Judah • The phrase stresses total displacement; Judahite settlers, soldiers, and merchants are expelled. • Cross references underline the loss: in 2 Chronicles 28:17-18 Edomites and Philistines simultaneously raid Judahite towns, showing Judah’s borders collapsing on multiple fronts. • The literal expulsion fulfills the warning that enemies would “occupy your land and settle in it” when Judah rebelled (Deuteronomy 28:43-44). Sent the Edomites into Elath • Instead of keeping the port for himself, Rezin installs Edomites—long-standing rivals of Judah (Genesis 25:23; Obadiah 10). • Edom had already thrown off Judahite control in the days of Jehoram (2 Kings 8:20-22); placing them in Elath cements their resurgence and blocks Judah’s access to the sea. • The move creates an anti-Judah alliance of Aram, Israel, and Edom (compare Psalm 83:5-8), intensifying Ahaz’s desperation that will soon drive him to appeal to Assyria (2 Kings 16:7-9). Where they live to this day • This editorial note assures readers that the displacement had lasting effects; even at the time of the chronicler the Edomites still occupied Elath. Similar “to this day” statements appear in Joshua 4:9 and 1 Kings 8:8, underscoring the reliability of the historical record. • The permanence of the loss highlights the cost of Ahaz’s unbelief and foreshadows further judgments that will culminate in Babylonian exile (2 Kings 21:12-15). summary 2 Kings 16:6 records a pivotal moment when Syria’s King Rezin seized Judah’s Red Sea port, expelled Judahites, and resettled Edomites there, leaving them in control for generations. The verse demonstrates God’s faithfulness to His covenant warnings: when Judah abandoned Him, He allowed hostile nations to erode her borders and prosperity. The enduring Edomite presence at Elath stands as a tangible reminder that obedience brings blessing, while rebellion yields lasting loss. |
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