What instructions does Achaz give after seeing the altar at Damascus?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Achaz sends its pattern and likeness to Urias the priest, who builds an altar according to his command. Achaz worships and offers on it, moves the brass altar to the north side, and tells Urias which offerings and blood to put on the great altar while keeping the brass altar ready at his pleasure.

Chapter breakdown

In the seventeenth year of Phacee, son of Romelia, Achaz, son of Joatham, begins to reign as king of Juda. He is twenty years old and reigns sixteen years in Jerusalem. He does not do what pleases the Lord his God as David his father did. He follows the way of Israel’s kings and consecrates his son, making him pass through fire according to the idols of the nations the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. He also sacrifices and burns incense at the high places, on hills and under every green tree.

Rasin, king of Syria, and Phacee, son of Romelia and king of Israel, come up to Jerusalem to fight. They besiege Achaz but cannot overcome him. At that time Rasin restores Aila to Syria and drives the men of Juda out. Edomites come into Aila and live there up to the account’s present time.

Achaz sends messengers to Theglathphalasar, king of the Assyrians. He calls himself the king’s servant and son and asks him to come up and save him from the kings of Syria and Israel, who have risen together against him. Achaz gathers the silver and gold that can be found in the Lord’s house and the king’s treasures and sends it as a present to the Assyrian king.

The Assyrian king agrees to Achaz’s desire. He goes up against Damascus and lays it waste, carries its inhabitants away to Cyrene and kills Rasin.

Achaz goes to Damascus to meet Theglathphalasar, king of the Assyrians. When he sees the altar there, he sends Urias the priest its pattern and likeness according to all its work. Urias builds an altar according to everything Achaz commands from Damascus, doing so until the king comes from Damascus.

When Achaz comes from Damascus, he sees the altar and worships it. He goes up and offers holocausts, or burnt offerings, and his own sacrifice. He offers libations, liquid offerings, and pours onto the altar the blood of the peace offerings he has offered.

Achaz removes the brass altar that was before the Lord from the front of the temple, from the place of the altar and from the place of the Lord’s temple. He sets it beside the altar toward the north.

Achaz commands Urias the priest to offer on the great altar the morning holocaust and evening sacrifice, the king’s holocaust and sacrifice, and the holocaust of all the people of the land, their sacrifices and libations. All the blood of the holocaust and all the blood of the victim are to be poured onto it. Achaz says the brass altar must be ready at his pleasure. Urias does according to all Achaz commands.

Achaz takes away the carved bases and the laver, a washing basin, upon them. He takes down the sea from the brass oxen supporting it and puts it on stone pavement. He also turns into the Lord’s temple the Musach for the sabbath, which he had built in the temple, and the king’s entry from outside, because of the Assyrian king.

The Challoner note explains Musach as the covert, pavilion or tribune for the king. These are the note’s descriptions, separate from the Scripture account of the change.

The account asks whether the rest of Achaz’s acts are written in the book of the words of the days of Juda’s kings. Achaz dies and is buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Ezechias reigns in his place.

The story inside

The chapter begins with Achaz’s reign and conduct, including his son’s passage through fire and sacrifices and incense at the named places. Rasin and Phacee then besiege him but cannot overcome him; separately, Rasin restores Aila to Syria, expels Juda’s men, and Edomites come to live there. Achaz’s message to Theglathphalasar asks rescue from both kings and calls himself servant and son. His present comes from the available temple and royal silver and gold. The Assyrian king agrees, lays Damascus waste, takes its inhabitants to Cyrene and kills Rasin. Achaz goes to Damascus to meet him, sees its altar and sends the full pattern and likeness to Urias the priest. Urias follows his command to build. Achaz’s return is followed by worship and the named offerings, movement of the brass altar, and a detailed order giving the great altar the morning, evening, royal and people’s offerings and blood. The brass altar remains ready at his pleasure, and Urias follows all the commands. Further changes remove bases and the laver, move the sea from brass oxen to stone pavement, and turn the Musach and outside royal entry into the temple because of the Assyrian king. Challoner separately gives three descriptions of Musach. The account closes with its royal-record reference, Achaz’s death and burial, and Ezechias’s succession. This sequence is retained without adding a general rule that foreign aid inevitably causes religious change or inventing Achaz’s private feelings.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The siege and the Assyrian intervention have stated outcomes. Rasin and Phacee cannot overcome Achaz. Achaz asks Theglathphalasar for rescue and sends available temple and royal silver and gold; the Assyrian king agrees, destroys Damascus, takes inhabitants to Cyrene and kills Rasin. Keeping each event prevents added outcomes or motives from replacing what the account actually says.
2
The altar change includes a complete command and an exception. Urias receives the full pattern and likeness, builds according to Achaz’s instruction and later follows the order for each named offering and both kinds of blood. Achaz places the brass altar toward the north and keeps it ready at his pleasure. These concrete instructions explain the change more accurately than a broad claim about all worship or Urias’s unstated motives.
3
The furnishing changes preserve particular objects and directions. Achaz removes the bases and laver, lowers the sea from its brass oxen to stone pavement, and turns the Musach and outside royal entry into the Lord’s temple because of the Assyrian king. The source gives that cause without naming fear or appeasement. Challoner’s three descriptions of Musach remain commentary, so the note and the narrated actions can be read separately.

Test your recall

How does Achaz’s request and present lead to the Assyrian king’s action at Damascus, and how does the pattern sent to Urias lead to the altar’s construction and Achaz’s detailed offering orders?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 39879–39898
4 Kings Chapter 16 The wicked reign of Achaz: the kings of Syria and Israel war against him: he hireth the king of the Assyrians to assist him: he causeth an altar to be made after the pattern of that of Damascus. 16:1. In the seventeenth year of Phacee, the son of Romelia reigned Achaz, the son of Joatham, king of Juda. 16:2. Achaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: he did not that which was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, his God, as David, his father. 16:3. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel: moreover, he consecrated also his son, making him pass through the fire, according to the idols of the nations which the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. 16:4. He sacrificed also, and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
Lines 39900–39906
16:5. Then Rasin, king of Syria, and Phacee, son of Romelia, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to fight: and they besieged Achaz, but were not able to overcome him. 16:6. At that time Rasin, king of Syria, restored Aila to Syria, and drove the men of Juda out of Aila: and the Edomites came into Aila, and dwelt there unto this day.
Lines 39908–39915
16:7. And Achaz sent messengers to Theglathphalasar, king of the Assyrians, saying: I am thy servant, and thy 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 are risen up together against me. 16:8. And when he had gathered together the silver and gold that could be found in the house of the Lord, and in the king’s treasures, he sent it for a present to the king of the Assyrians.
Lines 39917–39919
16:9. And he agreed to his desire: for the king of the Assyrians went up against Damascus, and laid it waste: and he carried away the inhabitants thereof to Cyrene; but Rasin he slew.
Lines 39921–39928
16:10. And king Achaz went to Damascus to meet Theglathphalasar, king of the Assyrians, and when he had seen the altar of Damascus, king Achaz sent to Urias, the priest, a pattern of it, and its likeness, according to all the work thereof. 16:11. And Urias, the priest, built an altar according to all that king Achaz had commanded from Damascus so did Urias, the priest, until king Achaz came from Damascus.
Lines 39930–39935
16:12. And when the king was come from Damascus, he saw the altar and worshipped it: and went up and offered holocausts, and his own sacrifice; 16:13. And he offered libations, and poured the blood of the peace offerings, which he had offered, upon the altar.
Lines 39937–39940
16:14. But the altar of brass that was before the Lord, he removed from the face of the temple, and from the place of the altar, and from the place of the temple of the Lord: and he set it at the side of the altar towards the north.
Lines 39942–39950
16:15. And king Achaz commanded Urias, the priest, saying: Upon the great altar offer the morning holocaust, and the evening sacrifice, and the king’s holocaust, and his sacrifice, and the holocaust of the whole people of the land, and their sacrifices, and their libations: and all the blood of the holocaust, and all the blood of the victim, thou shalt pour out upon it: but the altar of brass shall be ready at my pleasure. 16:16. So Urias, the priest, did according to all that king Achaz had commanded him.
Lines 39952–39958
16:17. And king Achaz took away the graven bases, and the laver that was upon them: and he took down the sea from the brazen oxen that held it up, and put it upon a pavement of stone. 16:18. The Musach also for the sabbath, which he had built in the temple, and the king’s entry from without, he turned into the temple of the Lord, because of the king of the Assyrians.
Lines 39960–39961
Musach.... The covert, or pavilion, or tribune, for the king.
Lines 39962–39968
16:19. Now the rest of the acts of Achaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? 16:20. And Achaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David, and Ezechias, his son, reigned in his stead.