Chapter XV.
1–15 (no parallel in Kings).
The Prophecy of Azariah the Son of
Oded and its Sequel.
¹And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
1. Azariah the son of Oded] is mentioned only in this passage. Compare xvi. 7, where a prophet (Hanani), also known to us only through Chronicles, delivers a rebuke to Asa.
²and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
2. went out to meet] Compare xix. 2.
if ye seek him] compare 1 Chronicles xxviii. 9.
Verses 3–6 contain the reflections of the Chronicler himself or a glossator on the whole course of Israelite history. The wording is too vague and there are periods in the history too obscure to make it possible to determine the reference definitely.
³Now for long seasons¹ Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: ⁴but when in their distress they turned unto the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.
3. without a teaching priest, and without law] The connection between these two is closer than the English suggests. “Law” (Hebrew tōrah) is properly “teaching, guidance.” A “teaching” priest (Hebrew mōreh) is one who gives “tōrah” or “guidance” on doubtful points of morality or ritual. Compare Malachi ii. 7.
⁵And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands.
5. vexations] Rather, afflictions; compare Acts xii. 1, “to vex (Revised Version ‘to afflict’) certain of the church.”
of the lands] The reference is probably to the Israelite territory only; compare xi. 23, xxxiv. 33; and 1 Chronicles xiii. 2 (margin).
⁶And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city: for God did vex them with all adversity.
6. nation against nation] Apparently Israel is meant. In the civil strife of the days of the Judges, and again in the contentions of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, Israel seemed at times to be a collection of related but hostile tribes: compare Judges viii. 13–17, ix. 26 ff., xii. 1 ff., xx. 12 ff.
vex] Rather, afflict; see verse 5.
⁷But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack: for your work shall be rewarded.
7. be ye strong, etc.] The prophet’s warning is continued in this verse.
⁸And when Asa heard these words, and¹ the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominations out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from the hill country of Ephraim; and he renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord.
8. and the prophecy of Oded the prophet] Some words have fallen out of the text. Read, even the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded prophesied.
the abominations] compare 1 Kings xiv. 23, 24, xv. 12, 13.
the cities which he had taken) A loose reference to those said to have been captured by Abijah (xiii. 19). There is no record of any taken by Asa himself.
the hill country of Ephraim] The term describes the hilly country between the plain of Esdraelon and the territory of Benjamin.
that was before the porch] Compare vii. 7, viii. 12.
⁹And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and them that sojourned with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.
9. them that sojourned with them] Compare x. 17, xi. 16, 17, xvi. 1.
out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon] In view of the evidence of Kings and the special character of Chronicles this statement cannot be regarded as having historical value for the time of Asa. Taking it in connection with similar notices in 1 Chronicles ix. 3 (Ephraim and Manasseh), xii. 8, 19 (Gad and Manasseh), 2 Chronicles xxx. 1, 10, 11, 18, xxxiv. 9 (Ephraim and Manasseh; also Zebulun, Issachar, and perhaps Asher) we may infer that these references have significance for the time of the Chronicler (or his source) and were inserted either (a) to gratify the wishes of certain orthodox families in Jerusalem who counted themselves descendants of North Israelite families, especially of Ephraim and Manasseh, and were eager to think that their ancestors had associated themselves with the fortunes of the true Israel at an early date after the separation of the kingdoms or at least in pre-exilic days. Or (b)—an interesting suggestion first advanced by Stade and recently developed by Hölscher (Palästina in der persischen und hellenistischen Zeit, 1903, pp. 30–37)—we may suppose that the reference is not to families resident in Jerusalem but to persons living in the territories once occupied by Ephraim, Manasseh, etc., and loyal to the faith of the orthodox community in Jerusalem. The former view seems favoured by 1 Chronicles ix. 3, the latter by 2 Chronicles xxx. 25 (despite the last words); and on general grounds the latter view seems preferable to the present writer. If so, we have in Chronicles the first traces of the extension of Judaism northwards from Judea into Samaria and Galilee. Hölscher thinks that the evidence of Chronicles can be supported from the late chapters Zechariah ix.–xiv., and from passages in Judith.
Simeon] The territory of this tribe lay in the South (1 Chronicles iv. 28–43; Joshua xix. 1–9), and it is natural to think that at the disruption Simeon followed Judah in allegiance to the house of David. Here, however, and in xxxiv. 6 it is reckoned as one of the ten tribes forming the Northern Kingdom, for what reason it is hard to say. The traditions relating to the tribe are far from clear (see Encyclopedia Britannica s.v. Simeon).
¹⁰So they gathered themselves together at Jerusalem in the third month, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa.
10. in the third month] In this month the Feast of Weeks (i.e. of wheat harvest) was held; Deuteronomy xvi. 9.
¹¹And they sacrificed unto the Lord in that day, of the spoil which they had brought, seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep.
11. the spoil] Compare xiv. 13–15.
¹²And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul;
12. they entered into the covenant] Compare xxix. 10; 2 Kings xxiii. 3.
¹³and that whosoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
13. should be put to death] According to the Law; Deuteronomy xvii. 2–7.
¹⁴And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets.
14. shouting] The word (terū‘āh) is used to denote a blast with the festal trumpets; see next note.
trumpets] The word (hăṣōṣĕrāh) means a special kind of trumpet used only for religious purposes; Numbers x. 1–10; 1 Chronicles xv. 24 (note). Driver, Amos, pp. 144–6, gives an illustration derived from the Arch of Titus.
¹⁵And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about.
15. he was found of them] A fulfilment of the promise given in verse 2.
16–19 (1 Kings xv. 13–15).
Other Religious Measures of Asa.
¹⁶And also Maacah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen¹, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah²; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
16. And also Maacah] “Maacah the daughter of Abishalom” is described as the mother of Abijam (Abijah) in 1 Kings xv. 2 and as the mother of Asa in 1 Kings xv. 10, although Asa is described as the son of Abijam (Abijah) in 1 Kings xv. 8. Most probably Maacah was the grandmother of Asa but retained her position as queen mother during two reigns, i.e. until removed by Asa.
from being queen] Or, as margin, from being queen mother.
an abominable image] Exactly what is meant by this phrase is uncertain. The image was one of peculiarly repulsive appearance, or perhaps of specially degrading significance.
for an Asherah] Revised Version margin (rightly, as representing the meaning of the Chronicler) for Asherah, since Asherah here and in a few other passages (1 Kings xviii. 19; 2 Kings xxi. 7, xxiii. 4, 7) is to be translated as the name of a goddess, about whom however very little is known. Excavations at Ta‘anach have revealed that a goddess named Ashirat (= Asherah) was worshipped in Palestine from an early period. The references here and in the passages cited above would therefore seem to be to this goddess. That conclusion, if sound, disposes of the opinion that the Chronicler was mistaken in imagining that “Ashērah” was anything more than a common noun denoting the wooden symbol of a deity. We must of course translate according to the meaning of the Chronicler whether he has fallen into an error or not. See also the note on xiv. 3, p. 224.
the brook Kidron] On the east of Jerusalem, an unclean place; compare 2 Kings xxiii. 4, “in the fields of Kidron.” Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 80.
¹⁷But the high places were not taken away out of Israel: nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.
17. the high places] Hebrew bāmōth. These were not necessarily places of idolatrous worship, but they were sanctuaries rigorously forbidden by the Law from the Deuteronomic period onwards, which in the opinion of the Chronicler of course meant from the time of Moses. Failure to “remove” the high places was therefore reckoned by him as a sin in any of the kings, no matter how early in the period of the monarchy.
were not taken away ... days] So also 1 Kings xv. 14, but a direct contradiction of the Chronicler’s statement in xiv. 3! Two explanations seem possible; either, “Israel” (contrary to the frequent usage of the word in Chronicles, see xi. 3) here denotes the Northern Kingdom as distinct from Judah, in which case xiv. 3 is to be taken as referring only to Judah, or perhaps these verses 16–19 are an addition to Chronicles inserted by someone who thought the Chronicler had wrongfully neglected 1 Kings xv. 13–15.
perfect] i.e. “whole, undivided in its allegiance.”
¹⁸And he brought into the house of God the things that his father had dedicated, and that he himself had dedicated, silver, and gold, and vessels.
18. the things that his father had dedicated] Probably spoils of war; compare 1 Chronicles xviii. 11. It is implied that Abijah had vowed a portion of his spoils, but that Asa first actually presented them in the Temple. The verse is quoted verbatim from 1 Kings xv. 15, and is most obscure, so that there is probability in the view that it is only a misplaced repetition of 1 Kings vii. 51b. No stress can therefore be laid on the suggestion that we may see in this statement an indirect confirmation of Abijah’s victory recorded in 2 Chronicles xiii.
¹⁹And there was no more war unto the five and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa.
19. there was no more war] This statement can be reconciled with 1 Kings xv. 16, 32 only by interpreting it broadly to mean that nothing serious occurred until the war with Baasha had been going on for several years: a forced interpretation. Perhaps the Chronicler deliberately contradicts Kings “there was war between Asa and Baasha all their days,” assigning to Asa’s reign a time of peace which seemed appropriate to his piety.
Chapter XVI.
1–6 (= 1 Kings xv. 17–22).
Asa asks help of Ben-hadad.
¹In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.
1. the six and thirtieth year] According to 1 Kings xvi. 8 Baasha was succeeded by his son Elah in the six-and-twentieth year of Asa. The number thirty-six may therefore be wrong. It should be noticed however that the thirty-sixth year of the separate kingdom of Judah corresponds with the sixteenth year of Asa, so that possibly two different reckonings are here confused and we should read, In the six and thirtieth year, that is, in the sixteenth year of Asa. So in xv. 19 we should read, in the five and thirtieth, that is, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. This scheme of Asa’s reign, however, agrees badly with the dominant ideas of the Chronicler, for the religious reform and covenant in the fifteenth year (verse 10) ought not to have been immediately followed by war in the sixteenth year, but rather by a period of peace and prosperity. Hence thirty-six may after all be the original text, and we must suppose that the Chronicler either ignored or overlooked 1 Kings xvi. 8; or perhaps that he quoted from a midrashic source, having a different system of chronology from that in Kings.
Ramah] The modern er-Rām, situated on a commanding hill about two hours north of Jerusalem. Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 216.
²Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus¹, saying, ³There is² a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.
2. silver and gold] In 1 Kings, “all the silver and the gold that were left.”
Ben-hadad] At least three kings of Syria bore this name, the two others being severally (1) a contemporary of Ahab (1 Kings xx. 1 ff.), (2) a contemporary of Jehoash the grandson of Jehu, 2 Kings xiii. 25.
that dwelt at Damascus] The epithet distinguishes the king of Damascus from other kings of Syria, e.g. from the king of Hamath.
Damascus] Hebrew “Darmesek”; see note on 1 Chronicles xviii. 5.
⁴And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel; and they smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and all the store cities¹ of Naphtali.
4. and they smote] The places smitten were all in the extreme north of Israel.
Ijon] The city cannot be identified, but the name is preserved in Merj ‘Iyūn, a table-land north of the Jordan valley. Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 291.
Abel-maim] In 1 Kings, “Abel-beth-maacah”; compare 2 Samuel xx. 14, 15. No doubt the two names designate one place.
all the store cities] In 1 Kings, “all Chinneroth ” (i.e. the district west of the Sea of Galilee). As this was a very fruitful district, the “store cities” of the Chronicler may be only another name for it.
⁵And it came to pass, when Baasha heard thereof, that he left off building of Ramah, and let his work cease.
5. and let his work cease] In 1 Kings and dwelt in Tirzah (Hebrew), and returned to Tirzah (LXX.). Baasha (like Jeroboam; 1 Kings xiv. 17) fixed his seat of government at Tirzah in the centre of the Northern Kingdom in order to be able to watch Syria as well as Judah. The Chronicler takes no interest in the home of Baasha.
⁶Then Asa the king took all Judah; and they carried away the stones of Ramah, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baasha had builded; and he built therewith Geba and Mizpah.
6. took all Judah] In 1 Kings summoned all Judah (so translate); none was exempted.
Geba and Mizpah] The names signify, “the hill and the watch-tower.” Geba is mentioned in 2 Kings xxiii. 8, evidently as being on the northern boundary of Judah. Yet, be it noted, it was only 7 miles north of Jerusalem, whilst Mizpah was about 5 miles north-west of the capital. For Mizpah see Jeremiah xli. 1–9. See also note on xiv. 6–8.
7–10 (not in 1 Kings).
The Intervention of Hanani.
The Chronicler stands alone both in recording the condemnation of Asa in this passage and in himself condemning him in verse 12. In 1 Kings no blame is passed on Asa.
⁷And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
7. Hanani the seer] Hanani as a seer is known to us from this passage only; but in xix. 2 and xx. 34 (also 1 Kings xvi. 1) Jehu the prophet is called son of Hanani.
the seer] an ancient title, elsewhere applied only to Samuel. Compare 1 Samuel ix. 9 “he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.” In consequence of this phrase it has been supposed that the story of Hanani is a genuinely old tradition. This is possible, but the evidence of this one phrase is not sufficient to be convincing. The term may be a deliberate archaism of the Chronicler.
therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped] The prophet declares that if Asa had not detached Syria by his presents, he might have smitten Israel and Syria combined.
⁸Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand.
8. and the Lubim] The Lubim are not mentioned in xiv. 9–13, but as they were auxiliaries of the Egyptians (xii. 3) it is quite possible that they represent the help given by Egypt to the Arabian Cushites as they passed the Egyptian border on their way to invade Judah. Compare note on xiv. 9 (three hundred chariots).
⁹For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
9. run to and fro] i.e. no event escapes the Divine vigilance, compare Zechariah iv. 10.
¹⁰Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in the prison house¹; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.
10. in the prison house] Render, in the stocks (literally in the house of the stocks). Compare xviii. 26; Jeremiah xx. 2.
oppressed] literally brake in pieces, an expression which when applied to things would mean made spoil of, when applied to persons treated outrageously, tortured, ἐλυμήνατο LXX.
11–14 (= 1 Kings xv. 23, 24).
The Epilogue of Asa’s Reign.
¹¹And, behold, the acts of Asa, first and last, lo, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. ¹²And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
11. the book of the kings of Judah and Israel] In 1 Kings the appeal is to “the book of chronicles of the kings of Judah.” See Introduction § 5.
he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians] Physicians (Hebrew rōph’īm) are condemned by implication here, perhaps as using incantations and adjurations. Contrast Ecclesiasticus (Ben Sira) xxxviii. 9–15, especially verse 15 (Hebrew text), He that sinneth against his Maker will behave himself proudly against a physician. Curtis notes the connection of the art of healing with the prophets; compare 1 Kings xvii. 17 ff. (Elijah); 2 Kings iv. 19 ff. (Elisha); 2 Kings xx. 7 (Isaiah).
¹³And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
13. in the one and fortieth year] Compare 1 Kings xv. 10.
¹⁴And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.
14. in his own sepulchres] In 1 Kings with his fathers.
which he had hewn out for himself] This clause is absent from 1 Kings.
divers kinds of spices] Mark xvi. 1; John xii. 3, 7, xix. 39, 40.
a very great burning] Compare xxi. 19. What is here meant is not cremation of the body, but only a burning of spices; Jeremiah xxxiv. 5.
Chapters XVII.–XX.
The Reign of Jehoshaphat.
Chapter XVII.
1–6.
The character of the reign.
The reign of Jehoshaphat is one of the most interesting sections of Chronicles If these chapters, xvii.–xx., be compared with the references to Jehoshaphat in Kings (viz. 1 Kings xxii. 1–35, 41–50), it will be seen that much new material appears in Chronicles (chapter xvii., and xix. 1–xx. 30), with the result that the prosperity and piety of this king are greatly enhanced. As to the historical value of the Chronicler’s account, see the head-notes to the various sections below.
¹And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel.
1. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead] These words are from 1 Kings xv. 24. All the rest of this chapter is without any parallel in Kings.
²And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken.
2. the cities of Ephraim] Compare xv. 8.
³And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim;
3. in the first ways of his father David] Omit David (so LXX.), the person referred to being Asa (1 Kings xxii. 43). Asa’s first ways (chapters xiv., xv.) were good, his latter ways (chapter xvi.), according to the Chronicler, were evil.
unto the Baalim] Baal is not a proper name, but a title meaning “Lord,” which was given to false gods generally. Israel might not call Jehovah, “My Baal” (Baali), Hosea ii. 16, 17. See the note on 1 Chronicles viii. 33.
⁴but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
4. after the doings of Israel] Compare xiii. 8, 9.
⁵Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
5. brought ... presents] Probably congratulatory gifts at his accession; compare 1 Samuel x. 27.
riches and honour] Compare xviii. 1.
⁶And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
6. furthermore he took away] But in xx. 33 = 1 Kings xxii. 43 it is said that the high places were not taken away. It is remarkable that the contradiction finds an exact parallel in what is said of Asa (see xiv. 3 and xv. 17 = 1 Kings xv. 14). How can the presence of these curious contradictions be explained? It is held by some that the Chronicler in both cases has incorporated contradictory traditions, and that “such discrepancies did not trouble the Hebrew historian.” To the present writer it seems more probable to suppose that only xiv. 3 and xvii. 6 (the statements that the high places were removed), are from the Chronicler himself; the passages which assert the contrary, viz. xv. 17 (= 1 Kings xv. 14) and xx. 33 (= 1 Kings xxii. 43) being later additions. They were added by someone who, troubled by the divergence between Kings and Chronicles, judged it desirable to supplement or correct the Chronicler’s words by adding a more or less exact transcription of the summaries of the reigns of Asa and Jehoshaphat as recorded in Kings. If xv. 17 and xx. 33 are later additions, it is evident that the Chronicler asserts the same reform to have been made in two successive reigns. But this is not a serious difficulty. He may easily have supposed that the removal of the high places (i.e. the discontinuance of worship at these local sanctuaries) was but a partial success, an official rather than an actual reform; and one suspects also that the phrase for the Chronicler was largely conventional: a reform with which all “good” kings should presumably be credited.
the Asherim] See note on xiv. 3.
7–9 (no parallel in 1 Kings).
Jehoshaphat’s Provision for Teaching
the Law.
⁷Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Benhail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹And they taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.
7–9. These verses state that Jehoshaphat was not content with the usual reforming measures of a pious king (verse 6) but proceeded to confirm his people in loyalty to Jehovah by sending leading laymen, Levites, and priests, to teach the Law throughout the land. If verses 7–9 be compared with xix. 4–11 the two passages will at once be seen to be so closely similar that they may well be variations of the same tradition. Still the description in xix. 4–11 is fuller and suggests arrangements of a permanent character; and, whilst xvii. 7–9 deals with teachers of the Law, xix. 4–11 deals with administrators of it (judges). It is argued with force that this single or dual tradition is entirely unhistorical (so Wellhausen and Torrey). Certainly the arrangements for the judiciary and for instruction in the Law correspond with conditions circa 100 B.C. (see Schürer, Geschichte³, II. 176–179), conditions which probably in the Chronicler’s day were partly existent and which he may have hoped to see more fully realised. That he should wish to ascribe the institution of such a system of instruction and justice to an early date is also agreeable to his habit of thought; and for such a purpose Jehoshaphat was obviously most suitable: a good king, whose name denoted “Jehovah is judge.” Mark further the similarity of the conclusion of each reform: “And the fear of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of the lands ...” (xvii. 10 and xx. 29) and the remarkable prosperity which properly rewarded such pious action (xvii. 11 ff. and xx. 1–28). Yet the possibility that the Chronicler in these passages has incorporated a really old tradition associating Jehoshaphat with some reform or development of judicial affairs in Judah remains open. Some see an old trait in the conjunction of laymen (princes, xvii. 7) with the priests and Levites. Again the judicial system indicated in xix. 4–11 has no little resemblance to that set forth in Deuteronomy xvi. 18–20, xvii. 8, “and might have been derived from that source.” On this theory, xvii. 7–9 and xix. 4–11 would in all likelihood be derived by the Chronicler from some “source” or rather perhaps from two “sources” giving slightly different accounts of Jehoshaphat’s procedure; and this is the view of some commentators (so Kittel and Benzinger). But close examination of the language of both passages reveals strong characteristics of the Chronicler’s style and spirit; and it seems safer to conclude that, while there may possibly have been some tradition connecting Jehoshaphat with such reforms, this account in Chronicles is essentially due to the Chronicler and reflects the situation of his own times.
9. the book of the law of the Lord] The Chronicler of course meant by this the Pentateuch as we have it. If, however, these verses are drawn from an old source (see the previous note) then the reference in the original may have been to one of the earlier codes embedded in the present Pentateuch.
10–13 (no parallel in 1 Kings).
The Greatness of Jehoshaphat.
¹⁰And the fear of the Lord¹ fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
10. the fear of the Lord] Compare xx. 29; Genesis xxxxv. 5.
¹¹And some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he-goats.
11. some of the Philistines] See the following note, and also xxvi. 6 (note).
the Arabians] compare xxi. 16. The term is here used to signify the desert tribes, in particular those on the south and south-west of Judah. It would be specially impressive to the contemporaries of the Chronicler, because by that period an Arabian people, the Nabateans, had established a powerful state to the south of Judah. On the other hand the Philistines would of course be familiar from the references to them in Samuel and Kings. The tradition that tribute was received from them and from some desert tribes may possibly be correct, especially if Zerah’s army was Arabian (xiv. 8, note) and if Asa’s victory over him is historical.
flocks] compare 2 Kings iii. 4.
¹²And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. ¹³And he had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valour, in Jerusalem.
12. castles] Hebrew bīrāniyyōth; compare xxvii. 4 (same word); and xxvi. 10 (“towers”). Such small castles or towers lie scattered along the pilgrim-road from Damascus to Mecca at the present day to make the way safe. See Introduction § 7, p. xlviii.
cities of store] compare xi. 11, 12.
14–19 (no parallel in 1 Kings).
The Number of Jehoshaphat’s Army.
In these verses Jehoshaphat is credited with an army of 1,160,000 men; and the passage may be noted as the most extreme instance of the midrashic exaggeration of numbers which is a well-marked feature of the Chronicler’s writing. If the possible proportions between the total numbers of a population and the men capable of military service at a given time be considered, it is easy to realise how monstrous an exaggeration are the figures here stated. They serve two purposes: (1) compared with the somewhat smaller numbers assigned to Abijah (xiii. 3) and to Asa (xiv. 8), they indicate that Jehoshaphat’s reign was even more prosperous; and (2) generally, they suggested to the men of the Chronicler’s own generation that in the eyes of all right-thinking men Jerusalem of old in its prosperous hours was not one whit less important and glorious than any huge and much-vaunted city of their own days.
For further examples of midrashic exaggeration, besides the passages named above, compare xi. 1; 1 Chronicles xii. 23, 24; and (as regards sums of money) 1 Chronicles xxii. 14; 2 Chronicles ix. 13.
¹⁴And this was the numbering of them according to their fathers’ houses: of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valour three hundred thousand: ¹⁵and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand:
15. next to him] Literally at his hand; the same phrase is used in Nehemiah iii. 2, 4, 5, etc.
Jehohanan] Sometimes spelt Johanan.
¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself unto the Lord; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valour:
16. who willingly offered himself] Compare Judges v. 9.
¹⁷and of Benjamin; Eliada a mighty man of valour, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield: ¹⁸and next to him Jehozabad, and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for war. ¹⁹These were they that waited on the king, beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah.
17. armed with bow and shield] i.e. light-armed troops; compare note on xiv. 8.