Introduction: The Reign of Amatzyahu son of Yoash
In the previous chapter, we concluded with the death of Yoash, King of Yehudah, and saw the conspirators against him: Zavad son of Shimat the Ammonitess and Yehozavad son of Shimrit the Moabitess, who brought about his death. Now Scripture describes the continuation of the monarchy under his son, Amatzyahu. This chapter takes us from an auspicious beginning to a tragic fall: a king who did what was right in the eyes of Hashem, yet not with a whole heart; who merited a miraculous victory, yet brought back the gods of Se'ir; and who ultimately fell into the hands of the king of Yisrael and was assassinated in a conspiracy formed against him.
בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ אֲמַצְיָהוּ וְעֶשְׂרִים וָתֵשַׁע שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ יְהוֹעַדָּן מִירוּשָׁלָיִם׃ וַיַּעַשׂ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה רַק לֹא בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם׃ - Amatzyahu was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Yerushalayim; his mother's name was Yehoaddan of Yerushalayim. And he did what was right in the eyes of Hashem, but not with a whole heart.
Avenging His Father's Blood, but Sparing the Children
וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר חָזְקָה הַמַּמְלָכָה עָלָיו וַיַּהֲרֹג אֶת־עֲבָדָיו הַמַּכִּים אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ אָבִיו׃ - And it came to pass, when the kingdom was firmly established under him, that he killed his servants who had struck down the king, his father.
Once Amatzyahu's hold on the throne was consolidated, he seized the opportunity to execute retribution upon those servants who had murdered his father, Yoash. At first, he could not afford to take action, as his royal authority was not yet firmly entrenched; but once the kingdom was securely in his grasp, he settled the score with them.
וְאֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם לֹא הֵמִית כִּי כַכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה בְּסֵפֶר מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר לֹא־יָמוּתוּ אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים וּבָנִים לֹא־יָמוּתוּ עַל־אָבוֹת כִּי אִישׁ בְּחֶטְאוֹ יָמוּתוּ׃ - But he did not put their children to death, as it is written in the Torah, in the book of Moshe, where Hashem commanded, saying: "Fathers shall not die on account of children, and children shall not die on account of fathers, but each man shall die for his own sin."
Here Scripture highlights Amatzyahu's integrity, in contrast to the prevailing custom of monarchs in that era. The standard royal practice was that when a person was executed, his entire family was eliminated alongside him, in order to crush any seeds of rebellion: the sons of the executed man would inevitably seek blood vengeance and strive to restore their lost honor, so rulers would exterminate anyone who might rise up to avenge them. Amatzyahu acted differently: he executed only the murderers, sparing their children. Metzudat David explains that "in the book of Moshe" serves to elaborate on "as it is written in the Torah." The reason was that it was unrighteous to put the children to death for the sin of their fathers, and therefore he refrained from doing so.
The Census and the Hiring of One Hundred Thousand from Yisrael
וַיִּקְבֹּץ אֲמַצְיָהוּ אֶת־יְהוּדָה וַיַּעֲמִידֵם לְבֵית־אָבוֹת לְשָׂרֵי הָאֲלָפִים וּלְשָׂרֵי הַמֵּאוֹת לְכׇל־יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן וַיִּפְקְדֵם לְמִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה וַיִּמְצָאֵם שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף בָּחוּר יוֹצֵא צָבָא אֹחֵז רֹמַח וְצִנָּה׃ - And Amatzyahu gathered Yehudah together and organized them by ancestral houses, under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, for all Yehudah and Binyamin. He numbered them from twenty years old and upward, and found them to be three hundred thousand chosen men fit for military service, capable of handling spear and shield.
Amatzyahu set about organizing his army. Ruling over Yehudah and Binyamin, he assembled them and arranged them by ancestral houses under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, conducting a census to determine how many men would be available to him in time of battle. A romach is a javelin thrown in combat, while a tzinah is a large body shield.
וַיִּשְׂכֹּר מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָה אֶלֶף גִּבּוֹר חָיִל בְּמֵאָה כִכַּר־כָּסֶף׃ - He also hired one hundred thousand valiant warriors from Yisrael for one hundred talents of silver.
The Malbim notes: Observe and see: in the days of Yehoshaphat there were four times this number, one million two hundred thousand; in the days of Asa there were twice as many, six hundred thousand; but here there are only three hundred thousand. When Amatzyahu saw that the number of soldiers going out to war was so few, he went and hired one hundred thousand men from Israel, from the people of the Ten Tribes in Shomron, to join him in battle as mercenaries.
The Prophecy of the Man of God: Hashem Is Not with the Children of Ephraim
וְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים בָּא אֵלָיו לֵאמֹר הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל־יָבוֹא עִמְּךָ צְבָא יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי אֵין יְהֹוָה עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּל בְּנֵי אֶפְרָיִם׃ - But a man of God came to him, saying: "O king, let not the army of Israel go with you, for Hashem is not with Israel, with all the children of Ephraim."
Chazal say that this prophecy came from the mouth of Amoz, the father of the prophet Yeshayahu, and Amoz and Amatzyahu were brothers: one a prophet and the other a king. His brother the prophet came to him and said: Do not take an army from the children of Ephraim with you. Why? Because Yarov'am was from the tribe of Ephraim, and he was the first to cause Israel to sin, and in every generation after him the calves he fashioned remained a snare. Even though Yarov'am himself was long gone, still "Hashem is not with Israel, with all the children of Ephraim": Scripture refers to the entire kingdom of Israel as "the children of Ephraim," because the monarchy belonged to Yarov'am the Ephraimite, who set up the calves.
The Malbim explains the train of the prophet's thought: If you intend to rely on the salvation of Hashem, know that the salvation of Hashem is not with the children of Ephraim, for the Holy One, Blessed is He, does not dwell with the wicked; and since you have taken wicked mercenaries, your war will not succeed through them.
כִּי אִם־בֹּא אַתָּה עֲשֵׂה חֲזַק לַמִּלְחָמָה יַכְשִׁילְךָ הָאֱלֹהִים לִפְנֵי אוֹיֵב כִּי יֶשׁ־כֹּחַ בֵּאלֹהִים לַעְזוֹר וּלְהַכְשִׁיל׃ - But if you go, act, be strong for battle, God will cause you to stumble before the enemy; for God has power to help and to bring down.
The prophet continues: And if you say that you are not relying on success from Hashem but on sheer physical might, and that is why you need a vast multitude and an armed, well-equipped army, hiring men from Ephraim - know this: indeed, to succeed by natural means you must employ tactics and strengthen yourself with a multitude of troops, but "God will cause you to stumble before the enemy." If Hashem makes you stumble, you will not succeed even by natural means, even if you have a vast and mighty army.
And the reason for this, says the Malbim, is that success in war comes only through the Holy One, Blessed is He, and He either helps those who trust in Him or brings down those who rely on an arm of flesh. If you rely on the Holy One, Blessed is He, He can save you even with a small army; and if you rely on an arm of flesh, He has the power to bring you down even with a massive army. Thus, the line of thinking "I need many soldiers" is flawed: if you are with God, you will succeed even with a small army; and if you are not with Him, even a multitude of soldiers will not help you.
"And What Shall We Do for the Hundred Talents?" - A Question in the Laws of Hiring Workers
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲמַצְיָהוּ לְאִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וּמַה־לַּעֲשׂוֹת לִמְאַת הַכִּכָּר אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִגְדוּד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים יֵשׁ לַיהֹוָה לָתֶת לְךָ הַרְבֵּה מִזֶּה׃ - And Amatzyahu said to the man of God: "And what shall we do for the hundred talents that I have given to the troop of Israel?" And the man of God answered: "Hashem is able to give you much more than this."
See what words of emunah and bitachon these are! The Malbim explains that the question was actually a halachic one: When someone hires a worker and backs out after the worker has already set out to his job, the ruling depends on the circumstances. If the cancellation was due to negligence by the employer, he must pay him at least the wage of an idle laborer (po'el bateil), which is lower than the wage of an active professional. If you hired a builder, brought him to the site, and then changed your mind, and he argues that because of you he lost work elsewhere, the halachah is that you must pay him as an idle laborer. But if the cancellation was due to an unavoidable circumstance (ones), he is exempt. If you brought a builder and suddenly an inspector arrived and halted construction, so you send the worker home, he cannot claim any money from you, for you were in an ones situation.
And this was Amatzyahu's argument: It never occurred to me at the outset that a prophet would come and warn me, which places me in the category of ones, and consequently I am entitled to get my money back from these men. Should I demand it from them? To this the prophet replied: "Hashem is able to give you much more than this." Leave the money with them; you gave a hundred talents of silver - leave it be, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, will give you far more than that.
Metzudas David offers an interpretation closer to the plain meaning of the text, which seems more straightforward: Amatzyahu's concern was that he would never see his money back at all. All the fine points of Halachah are wonderful, but these were men from the kingdom of Shomron, longtime idolaters, and we will soon see that they left in a furious rage and even acted upon it. Did Halachah interest them? What could anyone ever recover from them? Therefore, he argued: the money is lost. To this the prophet consoled him: Hashem will make up your loss; do not worry, Hashem has much more than this to give you.
The Troop Returns in Fierce Anger
וַיַּבְדִּילֵם אֲמַצְיָהוּ לְהַגְּדוּד אֲשֶׁר־בָּא אֵלָיו מֵאֶפְרַיִם לָלֶכֶת לִמְקוֹמָם וַיִּחַר אַפָּם מְאֹד בִּיהוּדָה וַיָּשׁוּבוּ לִמְקוֹמָם בׇּחֳרִי־אָף׃ - Amatzyahu then separated the troop that had come to him from Ephraim, to return to their place; and their anger burned fiercely against Judah, and they returned to their place in great wrath.
Amatzyahu heeds the prophet, separates the troop that had come to him from Ephraim, and sends them home. Metzudas David explains that this provoked great fury, "for it was considered a disgrace to them": soldiers had arrived ready for battle, only to be told to go home, that they were not needed.
As is well known, the perennial debate around the cabinet table is between the generals and the statesmen: the generals always push for war, while the inner cabinet applies the brakes, knowing the costs, the casualties, and the diplomatic consequences. The generals have spent years warming up their engines; they have planes and bombs, and a war also allows them to extract a budget from the government. So too here: those who came for battle were eager to fight, and suddenly they are told to head home. This is not like a child running out of school; who among us does not remember the joy of a teachers' strike when everyone was sent home? These men were not happy at all. A warrior thirsts for battle, and even if he might return in a coffin, that does not deter him. And we will soon see that when a man readies his weapons, he does not let them cool down; they made sure these weapons saw action in the end.
The Malbim explains what sparked their fierce anger: they assumed the people of Judah had protested to Amatzyahu, telling him they did not want them and did not trust them. After all, there had been eras of war between Shomron and Judah, so why bring along a fifth column? They were convinced this was the reason they were sent away. Therefore, their anger burned against Judah - meaning against the people as a whole, not against the prophet or the king - because they understood that the army rejected them out of mistrust.
The Victory over the People of Seir and Hurling Them from the Cliff
וַאֲמַצְיָהוּ הִתְחַזַּק וַיִּנְהַג אֶת־עַמּוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ גֵּיא הַמֶּלַח וַיַּךְ אֶת־בְּנֵי־שֵׂעִיר עֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים׃ - Amatzyahu strengthened himself and led his people, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck down ten thousand of the people of Seir.
וַעֲשֶׂרֶת אֲלָפִים חַיִּים שָׁבוּ בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה וַיְבִיאוּם לְרֹאשׁ הַסָּלַע וַיַּשְׁלִיכוּם מֵרֹאשׁ־הַסֶּלַע וְכֻלָּם נִבְקָעוּ׃ - And ten thousand alive the people of Judah took captive, and brought them to the top of the cliff, and cast them down from the top of the cliff, and they were all dashed to pieces.
The victory was decisive: he took courage, led his people, reached the Valley of Salt, struck down ten thousand of the men of Seir, and captured another ten thousand alive. They brought the captives to the top of the cliff (the exact location is not specified), and cast them down from there so that they were all dashed to pieces. The Malbim cites that Chazal criticize him for this act, as he acted unlawfully: either you kill combatants in battle, or you take them captive as slaves; but throwing people from the top of a cliff is not the way of the Torah.
The Dismissed Troop Raids the Cities of Judah
וּבְנֵי הַגְּדוּד אֲשֶׁר הֵשִׁיב אֲמַצְיָהוּ מִלֶּכֶת עִמּוֹ לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיִּפְשְׁטוּ בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וְעַד־בֵּית חוֹרוֹן וַיַּכּוּ מֵהֶם שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וַיָּבֹזּוּ בִּזָּה רַבָּה׃ - But the soldiers of the troop whom Amatzyahu had sent back from going with him to battle raided the cities of Judah, from Shomron to Beit Choron, and struck down three thousand of them and took much plunder.
These are the same one hundred thousand men from Samaria who had already readied their weapons for battle. While Amatzyahu is fighting the children of Seir, they raid the cities of Yehudah and fight against the people of Yehudah: You did not want us fighting shoulder to shoulder alongside you, so we will fight against you instead.
The commentary attributed to Rashi makes an insightful observation: Scripture states, "from Samaria to Beit Choron," whereas it seemingly should have said from Beit Choron to Samaria, since from where they stood, the direction of movement was from Beit Choron toward Samaria. Rather, perforce, they had already returned home, and there they assembled and reorganized. There were apparently agitators who stirred up the matter and said: Let us go out and fight them! Therefore, they set out from Samaria and struck all the way from Samaria to Beit Choron.
The Gods of the Children of Seir: A Sin Devoid of Rationality
וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי בוֹא אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת־אֲדוֹמִים וַיָּבֵא אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי בְּנֵי שֵׂעִיר וַיַּעֲמִידֵם לוֹ לֵאלֹהִים וְלִפְנֵיהֶם יִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְלָהֶם יְקַטֵּר׃ - And it was, after Amatzyahu returned from smiting the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir and set them up as his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them.
Here we see the incomprehensible conduct of the leaders of that generation. There is simply no rational explanation for it, unless we grasp that the yetzer hara for avodah zarah was utterly irrational and illogical. Amatzyahu returns from smiting the Edomites and brings with him the gods of the children of Seir - the very deities that could not save their own worshipers from his hand! This was a powerless god, completely useless to its own people. Furthermore, you received a promise from the prophet that if you sent away the hundred thousand mercenaries you would succeed with three hundred thousand, and the prophet's words were fulfilled; you witnessed supernatural success. Yet your gratitude to the Master of the World is to bring back avodah zarah from there, introduce it into your realm, and bow down to it! Who can understand such a thing intellectually?
וַיִּחַר־אַף יְהֹוָה בַּאֲמַצְיָהוּ וַיִּשְׁלַח אֵלָיו נָבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לָמָּה דָרַשְׁתָּ אֶת־אֱלֹהֵי הָעָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הִצִּילוּ אֶת־עַמָּם מִיָּדֶךָ׃ - And the anger of Hashem burned against Amatzyahu, and He sent to him a prophet, who said to him: "Why have you sought the gods of the people who did not deliver their own people from your hand?"
That was their own god, whom they worshipped continually, and it could not save them. And you now choose new gods and imagine that it will save you? You have a God who proves Himself, and you saw that you triumphed in battle over that very god, yet you abandon your God to take such gods for yourself! This is why it is evident: this does not belong to the realm of reason, but to the realm of raw lust. And when one understands that it is a matter of lust, there are no logical questions to ask of lust, and lust cannot be reasoned with. That was the nature of avodah zarah.
In Midrash Eichah Rabbah, the verse from Mishlei is applied to him: "Whether he rages or laughs, there is no rest" - a verse explored in the study of Mishlei. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, deals with the wicked, whether He rages at them or laughs with them, there is no rest. If He deals with them harshly and with wrath, there is no rest; and if He smiles upon them, shows them favor, and grants them victories in war, still there is no rest. Whatever is done with them, nothing good comes of it.
"Have You Been Appointed a Counselor to the King?"
וַיְהִי בְּדַבְּרוֹ אֵלָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הַלְיוֹעֵץ לַמֶּלֶךְ נְתַנּוּךָ חֲדַל־לְךָ לָמָּה יַכּוּךָ וַיֶּחְדַּל הַנָּבִיא וַיֹּאמֶר יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־יָעַץ אֱלֹהִים לְהַשְׁחִיתֶךָ כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ זֹּאת וְלֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ לַעֲצָתִי׃ - And it was, as he spoke to him, that he said to him: "Have you been appointed a counselor to the king? Desist! Why should they strike you?" Then the prophet ceased and said: "I know that God has counseled to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel."
What is the meaning of this exchange? The prophet did not deliver his rebuke with the formal prophetic opening, "So said Hashem," but offered it in the form of sound counsel. Therefore the king challenged him: "Are you coming to offer me advice? Who asked you for counsel?" To this the prophet replied: "I did not speak on my own accord. I knew through prophecy that God has determined to destroy you because of this sin, and therefore I approached you by way of advice so that you would repent. Since I know that Hashem has resolved to destroy you, I had good advice for you: go and do teshuvah, and there is a chance you may overturn Hashem's decree, so that He removes His fierce anger from you and accepts your repentance. But now I see that you have refused to heed my counsel to avert the wrath of Hashem, and therefore I know that the price you pay will be exceedingly heavy."
Bad Counsel in Place of the Prophet's Counsel
וַיִּוָּעַץ אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז בֶּן־יֵהוּא מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר לְכָה נִתְרָאֶה פָנִים׃ - And Amatzyahu king of Yehudah took counsel, and sent to Yoash the son of Yehoachaz the son of Yehu, king of Yisrael, saying: Come, let us face each other.
Notice the juxtaposition: he had said to the prophet, "Have they appointed you counselor to the king?" - meaning, did I ask you to be my adviser? And immediately afterward, scripture states: "And Amatzyahu king of Yehudah took counsel." Instead of seeking counsel from the prophet of Hashem, he goes and takes evil advisers for himself. You do not want the adviser who came to counsel you in the service of Hashem? Come and see what wicked advisers gave you bad counsel, and what the consequences will be.
We have already mentioned that there was a Yoash in Yehudah and a Yoash king of Yisrael, two distinct kings. Now Amatzyahu sends to Yoash son of Yehoachaz son of Yehu king of Yisrael: "Come, let us face each other." Pseudo-Rashi explains: to display our might with horses and spears. The Metzudat David brings this closer to rational understanding: it is a challenge to battle. In other words, there is no bravery in your men raiding suddenly and striking my people; a hundred thousand men attack unexpectedly, strike, plunder, and flee - there is no greatness in that. Let us stage an orderly confrontation, face each other directly, and then we will see who possesses true might. The Malbim adds that here scripture describes how "God counselled to destroy him": by placing the thought in his heart to wage war against the king of Yisrael, which would become his downfall. And from here to the end of the chapter, the Malbim notes, the narrative is parallel to the Book of Melachim.
The Parable of the Thistle and the Cedar
וַיִּשְׁלַח יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר הַחוֹחַ אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן שָׁלַח אֶל־הָאֶרֶז אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן לֵאמֹר תְּנָה־אֶת־בִּתְּךָ לִבְנִי לְאִשָּׁה וַתַּעֲבֹר חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר בַּלְּבָנוֹן וַתִּרְמֹס אֶת־הַחוֹחַ׃ - And Yoash king of Yisrael sent to Amatzyahu king of Yehudah, saying: The thistle that was in the Levanon sent to the cedar that was in the Levanon, saying, "Give your daughter to my son as a wife"; and a wild beast that was in the Levanon passed by and trampled the thistle.
Yoash sends back words of blunt contempt. A "thistle" is a thorn: you are the lowliest of men, like a lowly bramble, yet you send word to the cedar, the prince and greatest of trees, saying to him, "Give your daughter to my son as a wife." Could such a match ever be fitting?
This is like the story of the matchmaker who proposed a match to Rothschild with one of the simplest paupers in the town. They asked him, "What are the chances?" He replied, "The truth is, I already have fifty percent agreement; I spoke to the fellow and he agreed." Of course, we all understand this is not fifty percent but zero, because on the other side stands the cedar of Levanon. What basis does such an offer even have to stand on?
The parable continues: "And a wild beast that was in the Levanon passed by and trampled the thistle." Pseudo-Rashi explains: it is beneath the cedar's dignity to trample the thistle, for they are not on the same level or station at all. This is comparable to someone shouting insults at a distinguished dignitary; could anyone imagine that dignitary stepping down from the podium, walking over to him, slapping him, and walking back? What a humiliation it would be for the dignitary to demean himself by engaging him! He yelled, so what? Would you descend to his level just to slap him? Doing so would only reveal pettiness. Therefore Yoash says: the cedar considers it a disgrace to deal with a thistle; rather, a wild beast simply passed by and trampled it along the way, without even noticing. And you are like a thistle, ruling over merely two tribes, and when my servants hear of this insult, they will come and trample you.
אָמַרְתָּ הִנֵּה הִכִּיתָ אֶת־אֱדוֹם וּנְשָׂאֲךָ לִבְּךָ לְהַכְבִּיד עַתָּה שְׁבָה בְּבֵיתֶךָ לָמָּה תִתְגָּרֶה בְּרָעָה וְנָפַלְתָּ אַתָּה וִיהוּדָה עִמָּךְ׃ - You say, "Behold, you have struck Edom," and your heart has lifted you up to boast; now stay at home. Why should you provoke trouble, so that you fall, you and Yehudah with you?
He tells him: Where did this arrogance go to your head from? Because you succeeded in battle against Edom. And because of this, "your heart has lifted you up to boast" - that is, to multiply your honor; you earned prestige in that war, and now you crave further prestige by defeating me as well. To this he replies: in the Book of Melachim the wording is "Enjoy your glory, and stay at home," while here it is "Now stay at home," expressing the same idea: you acquired honor, so you would do well to preserve it. For if you now go out to war against me, all the honor you gained will turn into disgrace. Remain honored - that is, stay content with the honor you acquired - and sit at home. Why provoke misfortune, only for you and your people to fall before me?
"For It Was from God"
וְלֹא־שָׁמַע אֲמַצְיָהוּ כִּי מֵהָאֱלֹהִים הִיא לְמַעַן תִּתָּם בְּיָד כִּי דָרְשׁוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי אֱדוֹם׃ - But Amatzyahu would not listen, for it was from God, in order to deliver them into the hand [of the enemy], because they had sought the gods of Edom.
The reason he did not listen is simple: "for it was from God." Since he was unwilling to accept the word of Hashem when they came to rebuke him for clinging to the gods of Edom, it was from God to bring him down in battle so that he would pay the price for his actions. "In order to deliver them into the hand" - into the hands of the people of Israel in Samaria - "because they sought the gods of Edom," and that was the claim against them.
The Defeat at Beit Shemesh
וַיַּעַל יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּתְרָאוּ פָנִים הוּא וַאֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בְּבֵית שֶׁמֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה׃ - So Yoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amatzyahu king of Judah confronted one another at Beit Shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
Yoash king of Israel goes out to battle, "and they confronted one another" - the war was face-to-face. And Scripture emphasizes "at Beit Shemesh, which belongs to Judah," thereby resolving the question that arises later: why did they take the captive king specifically to Jerusalem? Logically, a conqueror captures the opposing king and takes him back with him to his own capital, to Samaria, rather than to the captive's kingdom. But Beit Shemesh, which belongs to Judah, is close to Jerusalem; therefore, when he fell, his enemies brought him to Jerusalem.
וַיִּנָּגֶף יְהוּדָה לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּנֻסוּ אִישׁ לְאֹהָלָיו׃ - And Judah was defeated before Israel, and every man fled to his tent.
וְאֵת אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה בֶּן־יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז תָּפַשׂ יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבֵית שָׁמֶשׁ וַיְבִיאֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וַיִּפְרֹץ בְּחוֹמַת יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם מִשַּׁעַר אֶפְרַיִם עַד־שַׁעַר הַפּוֹנֶה אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת אַמָּה׃ - And Yoash king of Israel captured Amatzyahu king of Judah, the son of Yoash, the son of Yehoachaz, at Beit Shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and breached the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, four hundred cubits.
Judah is defeated before Israel, and they flee, each man to his tent. Yoash captured Amatzyahu alive at the battle site in Beit Shemesh and brought him to Jerusalem. Here another reason for bringing him to Jerusalem becomes clear: he wanted to display his victory in Jerusalem itself, to enter it and triumph there.
And what did he do? He breached the wall of Jerusalem. Why? So that from now on he would no longer rebel against him. A wall is an expression of strength, indicating that no one can approach - fortified behind walls, gates, and bars. Once the wall is breached, it is no longer possible to rebel against the king, for you have no walls. And the breach was very wide: four hundred cubits, about two hundred meters. The site of the breach was from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate (Sha'ar HaPoneh). One might say there is a poetic element here: "the Ephraim Gate," as if to say, this is our gate, since the conquerors are from the tribe of Ephraim. And what is "Sha'ar HaPoneh"? In the Book of Melachim it is called "Sha'ar HaPinah," because it was at the corner (pinah); here it is called "HaPoneh" (the turning gate), because whoever turns (poneh) there at the corner looks out and beholds its complete beauty.
The Plunder and the Hostages
וְכׇל־הַזָּהָב וְהַכֶּסֶף וְאֵת כׇּל־הַכֵּלִים הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּבֵית־הָאֱלֹהִים עִם־עֹבֵד אֱדוֹם וְאֶת־אוֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת בְּנֵי הַתַּעֲרֻבוֹת וַיָּשׇׁב שֹׁמְרוֹן׃ - And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels found in the House of God with Oved-Edom, and the treasures of the king's palace, and the hostages, and returned to Samaria.
He takes from there all the gold, the silver, and all the vessels in the House of Hashem - and there were immense quantities, for all the vessels of the House of Hashem were made of gold. And what does "with Oved-Edom" mean? The Malbim explains that Oved-Edom and his descendants were overseers over the treasuries throughout their generations. The Metzudat David explains differently: as we know, the Ark rested in the house of Oved-Edom the Gittite before King David brought it up to Jerusalem, and some of the sacred treasures remained there even after the Ark was taken, and he guarded them until they would be needed; therefore, Yoash went there as well to take the treasures kept there.
"And the hostages [benei hata'aruvot]" - he takes them as well. Who were they? In those times, it was customary that to ensure the ministers would not rebel, the king would take their sons and raise them in his court. This ensured that the ministers would not cause trouble, for if they did, their sons would be killed. This is practiced to this day in Russia, Iran, and other totalitarian regimes: the ruler ensures he holds the person's relatives. A diplomat sent abroad is never sent with his family, to ensure he returns; if he were to go with his family, there have been many cases where people chose to stay. Who would return willingly to North Korea? Once someone reaches such a place, he defects. With Putin, it does not pay to get involved, for you might get an injection at some train station; there was a woman who spoke out against the war and got an injection, and they said she fell. But where it is not Putin, the chance of escaping is great, so what do they do to ensure you do not flee? They hold your children. This is the meaning of "benei hata'aruvot": ta'aruvot is related to areivot (guarantees, pledges) - your child is held as a guarantee in his hand.
And what did Yoash do? He took those children who had been held until now by Amatzyahu, the sons of the ministers, and took them for himself to ensure that Yehudah would not rebel against him, the king of Shomron. Pseudo-Rashi cites another explanation in the name of Rabbeinu Yosef: that the hostages were guarantees the king held from other nations, who gave their sons as a pledge so their fathers would not rebel against him. However, Pseudo-Rashi raises a difficulty with this, saying: We do not find that the hand of Yehudah prevailed over others to such an extent that they would need to give their sons to Yehudah as collateral. Therefore, it is simpler to say that the hostages were the sons of the ministers of his own kingdom.
The Final Days of Amatzyahu
וַיְחִי אֲמַצְיָהוּ בֶן־יוֹאָשׁ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה אַחֲרֵי מוֹת יוֹאָשׁ בֶּן־יְהוֹאָחָז מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה׃ - Amatzyahu son of Yoash, king of Yehudah, lived fifteen years after the death of Yoash son of Yehoachaz, king of Yisrael.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי אֲמַצְיָהוּ הָרִאשֹׁנִים וְהָאַחֲרוֹנִים הֲלֹא הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים עַל־סֵפֶר מַלְכֵי־יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - The rest of the acts of Amatzyahu, the first and the last, are indeed written in the book of the kings of Yehudah and Yisrael.
"The first and the last": the first, in which he did good; and the last, in which he corrupted his ways and sinned. And why does it say "in the book of the kings of Yehudah and Yisrael"? Initially, his history was written only in the book of the kings of Yehudah, which was his own; but once he became subjugated to the kings of Yisrael, his history was also recorded in the book of the kings of Yisrael.
The Conspiracy and His Death in Lachish
וּמֵעֵת אֲשֶׁר־סָר אֲמַצְיָהוּ מֵאַחֲרֵי יְהֹוָה וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו קֶשֶׁר בִּירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וַיָּנׇס לָכִישָׁה וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ אַחֲרָיו לָכִישָׁה וַיְמִיתֻהוּ שָׁם׃ - From the time that Amatzyahu turned away from following the Lord, they conspired a conspiracy against him in Yerushalayim, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and put him to death there.
Pseudo-Rashi explains that they formed a conspiracy against him in Yerushalayim to kill him because their hearts were grieving, each man for his son, his brother, and his relative who had been killed on his account. He had gone and gratuitously provoked the king of Yisrael, causing their sons, brothers, and families to die as a result of his actions. How did we reach this terrible low? Because of Amatzyahu's reckless adventures. Had you not embarked on this adventure, we would not have lost our loved ones.
The Malbim explains that it was the Kohanim of Hashem who conspired against him, the reason being: "from the time that Amatzyahu turned away from following Hashem," when he went and brought idolatry here. Once the conspiracy broke out, he fled to Lachish, where he had supporters for a long period, until the conspirators reached him there as well and killed him. The Malbim already explained in Sefer Melachim, based on the necessary chronology of the verses, that three years after Amatzyahu's war with Yoash the conspiracy erupted, at which point they crowned Uzziyahu during his father's lifetime. That is to say, Uzziyahu his son reigned in Yerushalayim while his father was still alive, and Amatzyahu fled to Lachish and reigned there; and after twelve years, the conspirators prevailed and killed him. It was regarding this that Michah said: "Harness the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish."
"They Carried Him on Horses": The Horses of the Sun
וַיִּשָּׂאֻהוּ עַל־הַסּוּסִים וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ עִם־אֲבֹתָיו בְּעִיר יְהוּדָה׃ - They brought him back on horses and buried him with his ancestors in the city of Yehudah.
This is a puzzling verse: what difference does it make whether they carried him on horses or on mules? Seemingly, it would have been enough to say that they buried him with his ancestors in the city of Yehudah. However, the Malbim in Sefer Michah (chapter 1, verse 13), on the verse "Harness the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish," explains the matter. In those days, there were sun worshippers, idolaters whose worship was directed to the sun, believing that the sun ruled in the heavens, and they designated horses and a chariot for this worship. When the sun began to rise, they would go out toward the east to meet it with the chariot and horses, "with their backs toward the Temple of Hashem and their faces toward the east" - that is, their backs to the Beit HaMikdash and their faces toward the sunrise. Proof of this comes from what is written in Melachim II, chapter 23: "He did away with the horses that the kings of Yehudah had dedicated to the sun... and burned the chariots of the sun with fire." These were the instruments used for that idolatrous worship.
Amatzyahu kept special horses in Lachish for this sun worship. Therefore, when the servants of Hashem gained the upper hand - those Kohanim who were involved in the rebellion against him because he had abandoned the House of Hashem and gone to worship idols - they put him to death and carried his corpse upon the sun horses, for disgrace, contempt, and humiliation: Here, receive what you chose. You wanted this chariot with which to worship the sun; see where you are now.
The Malbim adds: It was their practice to make the sun chariots from broom wood (retamim), because broom wood retains heat for many days. For this reason it is said that whoever speaks during Torah study is as if fed coals of broom wood, for the broom coal can burn for even a year, as the Gemara cites. Through this it was meant to represent the heat of the sun, whose heat is perpetual, for the worship of the sun is done through fire. And this is the meaning of "Harness (ratom) the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish" (Michah 1:13), where "ratom" also bears the connotation of broom coals (gachalei retamim).
In summary: Amatzyahu began with righteousness: he avenged his father's blood and did not put the children to death, in accordance with the law of the Torah. Yet "not with a whole heart" accompanied him all along the way. He hired one hundred thousand mercenaries from Ephraim, thinking that success depends on the number of soldiers, and the man of God came and taught him the fundamental principle: the Holy One, Blessed is He, either assists those who trust in Him or causes those who rely on an arm of flesh to stumble; therefore, with Hashem you will succeed even with few, and without Him an immense army will not help. Amatzyahu listened, dismissed the troop, and merited a miraculous victory over the people of Seir; yet the repayment for his deed was bringing the gods of Seir and bowing down to them - a sin that lacked any rational logic, born purely of desire. Since he did not listen to the prophet, God placed poor counsel in his heart to provoke Yoash king of Israel, leading to the defeat at Beit Shemesh, the breaching of the wall, the plundering of the treasures of the House of Hashem, and the taking of hostages. And in the end, from the time he turned away from following Hashem, they formed a conspiracy against him; he fled to Lachish and was slain there, and his corpse was carried upon the sun horses with which he had served idols. "Whether he rages or laughs, there is no rest": for one who abandons his God, neither rage nor laughter will be of any avail.