2 Kings 20:13 - Exposition

And Hezekiah hearkened unto them. Hezekiah was dazzled by the prospect that opened upon him. It was a grand thing that his fame should have reached so far as Babylon, a still grander thing to be offered such an alliance. It must be remembered that he and his counselors were inclined from the first to meet Assyrian menace by calling in foreign aid ( 2 Kings 18:21-24 ; Isaiah 20:6 ; Isaiah 30:2-7 ; Isaiah 36:6 ). He had not yet accepted the view of Isaiah, that human aid was vain, and that the only reasonable ground of hope or confidence was, in Jehovah. And showed them all the house of his precious things ; i.e. his treasury. Hezekiah did not do this in mere ostentation, though he may have had a certain pride in exhibiting his wealth. His main wish, no doubt, was to make known his resources, and show that he was a valuable ally. So Oroetes acted towards Polycrates (Herod; 3:123), and Hannibal towards the Gortynians (Com. Nep; 'Vit. Hannib.,' § 9). It is to be borne in mind that Hezekiah's treasures were, in B.C. 712, still intact, and included all that ample store which he sacrificed to save Jerusalem at the time of the first expedition of Sennacherib. The silver, and the gold, and the spices. Compare the description of the wealth of Solomon ( 1 Kings 10:25 ). "Spices" always form an important portion of the treasure of Oriental kings (comp. Herod; 2. 97, sub fin.). And the precious ointment ; rather, the precious oil— שֶׂמֶן , not רֹקַץ . It is thought (Keil, Bahr) that the valuable balsam oil, which was obtained from the royal gardens, is intended. And all the house of his armor ; or, of his vessels ; but arms and armor are probably intended. It would be almost as important to show that he had abundant arms in store, as that he had abundant riches. And all that was found in his treasures —a clause implying that there was much more which had not been specified, as precious stones, ivory, ebony, and the like— there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not. This is a manifest hyperbole; but it can scarcely mean less than that he gave orders for them to be shown the collections of arms and stores which existed in his other strongholds besides Jerusalem. Hezekiah, no doubt, had many " store cities," as Solomon ( 2 Chronicles 8:6 ) and Rehoboam ( 2 Chronicles 11:5-12 ) had.