Log inSign up

2 Kings 16 · a question people ask

Why did Ahaz ask the king of Assyria to save him, and not the LORD?

In the text

2 Kings 16 doesn't give his reasons. It says only that he sent, "Come up and save me" (16:7), with the silver and gold of the LORD's house (16:8). Isaiah tells of the same war, "In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham" (Isaiah 7:1), and gives the words the LORD sent to Ahaz by Isaiah: "Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches" (Isaiah 7:4), "It shall not stand, neither shall it happen" (Isaiah 7:7), and "If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established" (Isaiah 7:9). Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz: "Ask a sign of the LORD your God" (Isaiah 7:11), and Ahaz answered, "I won’t ask. I won’t tempt the LORD" (Isaiah 7:12). Neither book says what was in Ahaz's heart. They set down what the LORD said and what Ahaz said and did.

The verses

“So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the LORD’s house, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.”
2 Kings 16:7-8 · World English Bible
“In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.”
Isaiah 7:1 · World English Bible
“Tell him, ‘Be careful, and keep calm. Don’t be afraid, neither let your heart be faint because of these two tails of smoking torches, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.”
Isaiah 7:4 · World English Bible
“This is what the Lord GOD says: “It shall not stand, neither shall it happen.””
Isaiah 7:7 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 2 Kings 16

2 Kings 16: Come up and save me

The war of 2 Kings 16:5 is the war of Isaiah 7:1. In the war in which Ahaz sent to Assyria, "Come up and save me" (16:7), Isaiah 7 gives the sign Ahaz wouldn't ask for: "the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14), which Matthew quotes of Jesus's birth (Matthew 1:22-23).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free week2 Kings 16 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about 2 Kings 16

All questions about 2 Kings →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions