2 Chronicles 26:15
in 2 Chronicles 26And in Jerusalem he made skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and wide, for he was helped tremendously so that he became powerful.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by skilful men, to be on the towers and upon the battlements, wherewith to shoot arrows and great stones. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
KJV
And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 26
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers, and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal,.... Such as with the Romans were called "catapultae", "ballistae" (u), "scorpiones" (w), &c. and by this it appears that these were not first invented in Greece and Rome, but in Judea.
This site's exposition
an host of fighting men
on 2 Chronicles 26:11-15
Chronicles alone gives the army's organization: Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler keep the muster under Hananiah, two thousand six hundred chief officers over three hundred seven thousand five hundred men, more than his father Amaziah's army by seven thousand five hundred, per 2 Chr 25:5. Uzziah arms them with shields, spears, helmets, habergeons, bows and slings, then adds engines invented by cunning men on the towers and bulwarks to shoot arrows and great stones, an early notice of siege technology the commentators compare to the later Roman ballista and catapult. His name spread far abroad, for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong closes the buildup and sets up the turn the next verse makes.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Of Uzziah, the ancestor of this king of whom we have been speaking, himself also praised in all things by the witness of the Scripture, after great commendation for his virtue, after countless triumphs that he achieved by the merit of his devotion and faith, learn how he was cast down by the pride of vainglory. "And," we are told, "the name of Uzziah went forth, for the Lord helped him and had strengthened him.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Uzziah’s engines seem to have corresponded respectively to the Roman balista and catapulta. The balista, which threw stones, was known to the Assyrians as early as the time of Sardanapalus I, the contemporary of Jehoshaphat. The catapult is not represented either on the Assyrian or the Egyptian sculptures. It would seem on the whole most probable that both kinds of engines were invented in Assyria and introduced from thence into Palestine.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands--He raised a strong body of militia, divided into companies or regiments of uniform size, which served in rotation. The enumeration was performed by two functionaries expert in the drawing up of military muster-rolls, under the superintendence of Hananiah, one of the high officers of the crown.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The invention is apparently ascribed to the reign of Uzziah, and PLINY expressly says they originated in Syria. he was marvellously helped till he was strong--He conducted himself as became the viceroy of the Divine King, and prospered.
Engines - to shoot arrows and great stones - The Targum says, “He made in Jerusalem ingenious instruments, and little hollow towers, to stand upon the towers and upon the bastions, for the shooting of arrows, and projecting of great stones.” This is the very first intimation on record of any warlike engines for the attack or defense of besieged places; and this account is long prior to any thing of the kind among either the Greeks or Romans. Previously to such inventions, the besieged could only be starved out, and hence sieges were very long and tedious. Shalmaneser consumed three years before such an inconsiderable place as Samaria, 2Ki 17:5, 2Ki 17:6; Sardanapalus maintained himself in Nineveh for seven years, because the besiegers had no engines proper for the attack and destruction of walls, etc., and it is well known that Troy sustained a siege of ten years, the Greeks not possessing any machine of the kind here referred to. The Jews alone were the inventors of such engines; and the invention took place in the reign of Uzziah, about eight hundred years before the Christian era. It is no wonder that, in consequence of this, his name spread far abroad, and struck terror into his enemies.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֣עַשׂ׀ | vaiyaas | and he made | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֨ם | birushalim | in Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| חִשְּׁבֹנ֜וֹת | chishevonot | war engines of | H2810 → | |
| מַחֲשֶׁ֣בֶת | machashevet | invention of | H4284 → | |
| חוֹשֵׁ֗ב | choshev | an inventor | H2803 → | 124 times |
| לִהְי֤וֹת | lihyot | to be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמִּגְדָּלִים֙ | hamigdalim | the towers | H4026 → | 48 times |
| וְעַל־ | veal- | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַפִּנּ֔וֹת | hapinot | the corners | H6438 → | 29 times |
| לִירוֹא֙ | liro' | to shoot | H3384 → | 80 times |
| בַּֽחִצִּ֔ים | bachitzim | with <the> arrows | H2671 → | |
| וּבָאֲבָנִ֖ים | uvaavanim | and with <the> stones | H68 → | 273 times |
| גְּדֹל֑וֹת | gedolot | large | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וַיֵּצֵ֤א | vaiyetze' | and it went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| שְׁמוֹ֙ | shemo | name his | H8034 → | 864 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| לְמֵ֣רָח֔וֹק | lemerachok | <to> from a distance | H7350 → | 84 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הִפְלִ֥יא | hifli' | he made wonderful | H6381 → | |
| לְהֵעָזֵ֖ר | leheazer | to be helped | H5826 → | 81 times |
| עַ֥ד | ʾad | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| חָזָֽק׃ | chazak | he was strong | H2388 → | 291 times |
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ׀and he made
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֨םin Jerusalem
birushalimH3389 →643 times
חִשְּׁבֹנ֜וֹתwar engines of
chishevonotH2810 →
מַחֲשֶׁ֣בֶתinvention of
machashevetH4284 →
חוֹשֵׁ֗בan inventor
choshevH2803 →124 times
לִהְי֤וֹתto be
lihyotH1961 →3559 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַמִּגְדָּלִים֙the towers
hamigdalimH4026 →48 times
וְעַל־and on
veal-H5921 →5755 times
הַפִּנּ֔וֹתthe corners
hapinotH6438 →29 times
לִירוֹא֙to shoot
liro'H3384 →80 times
בַּֽחִצִּ֔יםwith <the> arrows
bachitzimH2671 →
וּבָאֲבָנִ֖יםand with <the> stones
uvaavanimH68 →273 times
גְּדֹל֑וֹתlarge
gedolotH1419 →526 times
וַיֵּצֵ֤אand it went out
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
שְׁמוֹ֙name his
shemoH8034 →864 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
לְמֵ֣רָח֔וֹק<to> from a distance
lemerachokH7350 →84 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הִפְלִ֥יאhe made wonderful
hifli'H6381 →
לְהֵעָזֵ֖רto be helped
leheazerH5826 →81 times
עַ֥דuntil
ʾadH5704 →1261 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
חָזָֽק׃he was strong
chazakH2388 →291 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Chronicles 2:14He is the son of a woman from the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 2:7
Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 2:7
Through
Matthew 4:24News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.
it leads to
- Matthew 17:15
“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.
- Matthew 8:6
“Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.”
- Matthew 12:22
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.
- Matthew 17:18
Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
- Luke 5:15
But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
- Matthew 17:15
Through
2 Chronicles 2:7Send me, therefore, a craftsman skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with my craftsmen in Judah and…
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 2:13–14
So now I am sending you Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 2:13–14
Through
Exodus 31:4to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,
it leads to
- 1 Kings 7:14
He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Kings 7:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Cassian, INSTITUTES 11.11; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.