the shadow] Together with the body of the Sunne it self making that shadow on the diall. in the sunne-diall] Heb. in the degrees by, or, with the Sunne. of Ahaz] Set up by him for publike use in some part of his palace. the sunne returned ten degrees] These degrees were each of them, as is supposed, halfe an hour: so that day was seventeen hours long at least; if we suppose the sunne to have retired back suddenly so many degrees; or two and twenty full; if it went back in its ordinary pace; for then five hours must be spent in his regresse, and as many in his renewed progresse unto that point, from whence he retired: whereas their ordinarie day was but of twelve hours, John 11:9. and this then within two houres twice as long as the ordinary. by which degrees it was gone down] Or, in the diall by which it had gone on. So that if we take the word of going down properly and strictly, it may seem, that this miraculous work began about five of the clock after noone, some houre before Sunne-set, the Sunne having then declined so many degrees. Howbeit, if we understand the words, not of the Sunnes, but of the shadows descending on the diall, it might commence from noon; some sort of dials being so composed, that the shadow descendeth. as the Sunne ascendeth; and ascendeth again as it descendeth. But the plainest way of interpretation will be, if the word of going down be understood to signifie any progresse simply, without consideration of ascent or descent properly so tearmed: as Judg. 11. 37. &15. 11. 1 Samuel 23:6. 2 Samuel 23:21. 2 Kings 8:29. Jeremiah 18:2. and Jeremiah 22:1.