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2 Chronicles 25:11,12
And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand…

Leviticus 26:18
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.

Obadiah 1:10,13,14
Forthy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever…

captives [heb] a captivity

and attacked Judah
Judah, the southern kingdom, was often vulnerable to attacks due to its strategic location. During the reign of King Ahaz, Judah was particularly weak, both politically and spiritually, as Ahaz had led the nation into idolatry and away from God. This attack by the Edomites is part of a series of military defeats that Judah suffered during Ahaz's reign, highlighting the consequences of turning away from God. The attack also fulfills the warnings given by prophets that disobedience would lead to foreign invasions (Deuteronomy 28:49-52).

and carried away captives.
Taking captives was a common practice in ancient warfare, serving both as a means of weakening the enemy and as a source of labor or ransom. The carrying away of captives by the Edomites would have been a devastating blow to Judah, further depleting its population and resources. This act of captivity echoes the broader biblical theme of exile and redemption, seen most prominently in the Babylonian exile. It also foreshadows the ultimate deliverance and freedom found in Jesus Christ, who came to set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1,Luke 4:18).

“The Edomites” points us to the descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:1). Their centuries-old rivalry with Jacob’s line resurfaces here.

•Genesis 25:23 sets the stage, declaring that two nations would struggle in Rebekah’s womb—Israel and Edom.

•Obadiah 10-14 details Edom’s persistent hostility, showing that resentment never cooled.

• Earlier in Judah’s history, Edom had already rebelled in the days of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:8-10), so their appearance in chapter 28 is no surprise; it is another flare-up in a long feud allowed by God’s providence.

The word “again” underscores repetition. Judah faced Edomite aggression repeatedly because Ahaz, the present king, “had been most unfaithful to the LORD” (2 Chronicles 28:19).

•2 Chronicles 28:5 shows God handing Ahaz “into the hands of the king of Aram,” and now He allows Edom as a further disciplining agent.

•Deuteronomy 28:25 foretells that covenant disloyalty would open the door to enemy incursions—exactly what is happening.

Edom’s strike strikes at Judah’s heartland, not merely the borderlands.

•2 Kings 16:6 (parallel account) records Edom taking Elath, confirming the scope of the assault.

•Psalm 44:9-11 gives voice to the pain of such defeats: “You… have not gone out with our armies… You made us retreat before the enemy.” Judah is tasting that bitter reality under Ahaz.

The attack exposes Judah’s vulnerability when its leaders abandon wholehearted trust in the LORD.

Edom’s kidnapping of Judeans is a tragic echo of earlier events.

•2 Chronicles 25:11-12 describes Amaziah capturing Edomites; now the roles are reversed—sowing and reaping on national scale (Galatians 6:7).

•2 Chronicles 28:8 recounts Israel simultaneously taking 200,000 Judahites, showing Judah’s people being drained from every side.

•Psalm 137 laments exile and captivity, a sentiment beginning to form even before the Babylonian deportation.

The removal of people weakens Judah’s economy, morale, and future, illustrating the high cost of forsaking God.

2 Chronicles 28:17 condenses a grim moment: age-old enemies (Edomites) return, empowered by Judah’s sin, break through Judah’s defenses, and drag fellow Israelites into bondage. The verse fulfills covenant warnings, highlights the consequences of ungodly leadership, and urges every reader to cling to the LORD, whose faithfulness never falters even when His people do.

Smitten Judah.--Smitten in Judah, i.e., inflicted a defeat upon her. After their reduction by Uzziah, the Edomites had probably remained subject to Judah, until Rezin of Syria expelled the Jews from Elath (2Kings 16:6), and restored it to them. After that event, the disasters of Ahaz seem to have encouraged them to make a raid upon his territory.