17 Then Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, "Come, let us look one another in the face."
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, (p) let us see one another in the face.
(p) That is, let us try the matter hand to hand: for he was offended, that the army of the Israelites whom he had in wages and dismissed by the counsel of the prophet, had destroyed certain of the cities of Judah.
Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice,.... Not of God, nor of his prophets, but of some of his nobles like himself:
and sent to Joash--king of Israel; of his message to him here, and his answer in the two following verses, see the following notes: See Gill on 2-Kings 14:8. See Gill on 2-Kings 14:9. See Gill on 2-Kings 14:10.
Never was a proud prince more thoroughly mortified than Amaziah by Joash king of Israel. A man's pride will bring him low, Proverbs 29:23; it goes before his destruction, and deservedly brings it on. He that exalteth himself shall be abased. He that goes forth hastily to strive, will not know what he shall do in the end thereof, when his neighbour has put him to shame, Proverbs 25:8. And what are we when we offer to establish our own righteousness, or presume to justify ourselves before the Most High God, but despicable thistles, that fancy themselves stately cedars? And are not various temptations, is not every corruption, a wild beast of the desert, which will trample on the wretched boaster, and tread his haughty pretensions to the dust? A man's pride shall bring him low; his ruin may be dated from his turning from the Lord.
HE PROVOKES JOASH TO HIS OVERTHROW. (2-Chronicles 25:17)
Then Amaziah . . . sent to Joash . . . Come, let us see one another in the face--(See on 2-Kings 14:8-20).
The war with Joash, king of Israel. - Instead of following the counsel of the prophet, Amaziah consulted (sc., with his public officials or courtiers), and challenged King Joash of Israel to war. The challenge, and the war which followed, are also narrated in 2-Kings 14:8-14 in agreement with our account, and have been already commented upon at that place, where we have also considered the occasion of this war, so fatal to Amaziah and the kingdom of Judah, on account of which has been handed down to us only in the supplementary narrative of the Chronicle. לך in 2-Chronicles 25:17 for לכה, come, as in Numbers 23:13 and Judges 19:13. - In 2-Chronicles 25:20 the chronicler explains Amaziah's refusal to hear the warning of Joash before the war with him, by a reference to the divine determination: "For it (came) of God (that Amaziah still went to war), that He might deliver them (the men of Judah) into the hand, because they had sought the gods of Edom." בּיד נתן, to give into the power of the enemy. - In 2-Chronicles 25:23, הפּונה שׁער is a manifest error for הפּנּה (2-Kings 14:13). Were הפּונה, the gate that turns itself, faces (in some direction), correct, the direction would have to be given towards which it turned, e.g., Ezekiel 8:3. - וגו וכל־הזּהב, 2-Chronicles 25:24, still depends upon תּפשׂ, 2-Chronicles 25:23 : and (took away) all the gold, etc. In 2-Kings 14:14, ולקח is supplied.
Advice - About the injury which the Israelites had done to his people, and how he should repair it. He took advice. But with whom? Not with the prophet, but with his flattering statesmen. It is good to take advice: but it should be of them who are fit to advise us.
*More commentary available at chapter level.