“The King”
By Peter Leithart
2 Kings 16:12 describes Ahaz’s consecration of the altar built from the prototype in Damascus. Three times in that verse he is called “the king,” and in this designation, the author of Kings picks up the technique employed in 1 Kings 13 to describe Jeroboam’s consecration of the altar at Bethel. The parallels are clear: Both are consecrating illicit altars of their own design; Judah has its own Jeroboam in Ahaz. (Dale Ralph Davis makes this point).
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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