Matthew Poole and continuators on 2 Kings 16:15

15 And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt-offering, and the evening meat-offering, and the kings burnt-sacrifice, and his meatoffering, with the burnt-offering of all the people of the land, and their meat-offering, and their drink-offerings, and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt-offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice : and the brazen altar shall be for me to enquire by .

i. e. This new Altar; which was greater than Solomon's, either in quantity, or in his estimation.

Whatsoever is offered to the true God, either in my name (for possibly he did not yet utterly forsake God, but worshipped Idols with him), or on the behalf of the people, shall be offered upon this new Altar: Which he seems to prescribe, not onely to gratifie his own humour, but also in design to discourage, and by degrees to extinguish the worship of the true God: for he concluded, that the Worshippers of God would never be willing to offer their Sacrifices upon his Altar.

That shall be reserved for my proper use, to enquire by; i. e. at which I may seek God, or his favour, or enquire of his will, to wit, by Sacrifices joyned with prayer, when I shall see fit. He saith onely to seek, or to enquire; not seek the Lord, or, to enquire of the Lord, as the Phrase is more largely expressed elsewhere; but he would not vouchsafe to mention the name of the Lord, whom he had so grosly forsaken and despised.

Marginal references: Exod. 29 39, 40, 41.