z Whilſt Abijah was diſcourling, Jeroboam takes the advantage of it to lay an Ambuſh,
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the batte' was before aad behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the prieſts founded with the trumpets,
15 Then the men of Judah gave a ſhout ; and as the men of Judah ſhouted, ir came to paſs that God ſmote a Jeroboam and all Iſrael before Abijah and Judah.
a By ſtrengrhning the Hearts and Hands of the Men of Judah, and taking away the Spirits and Power of their Enemies ; and it may be, by tome extraordinary Aſſiſtance.
16 And the Children of Iſrael fled before Judah : and God delivered them into their hand.
17 And Abjjah aud his people ſlew rhem with a very great ſlaughter : fo there fell down ſlain of Ifrael five hundred thouſand b choſen men.
b A vaſt number : bur it harh been oft obſerved and recorded by ſacred and profane Hiſtorians, that in thoſe ancient times there were very numerous Armies,and oft times very great Slaughters3 and if thisSlaug ter was more than ordinai y,there is notaing ftrange
nor inc:edible, becauſe the Almighty God tought agaiaſt the 1i- raclitcs.
15 Thus the children of Iiracl were brought under at that time.& the chugren of juda!: prevailed, becauſe they reiyed upon the LORD c God of their fathers.
e They pur their Truſt in him and contideatly expected Help from ham : which is a diſpoſition of heart rhat God prizeth and Taketh kindly. Sce 2 Kmgs 18: 5. 2 Cien: 20. 20, Pſal, 22; 4. Dan. 3: 28,
i9 And Abyah purſued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth-el 4 with the cowns thereof, and
* Chap. 11; 14+
+ Heb.9 fil his
LaNAf
* Ch,2:4-
ſeverely forbids. m Or, for God, as that piural word is moſt com- | vexation and horror of Mind:or with ſome painful and lingring,buc
f 1, e. jeroboam, as appears from the contrary condition of 4= b/jah deſcrib:d in the n-xt verſe. Him God mighr ſtrike either with
incurable Ditcaſe, like that of Fehvram, which tormented him two years together, and at laſt killed him, 2 Chron. 21.19, g Not pre« ſently, bur a year or two after this rime.
24 But Abjjah waxed mighty, and married fourteen
wives, and begat twenty and two ſons, and ſixteen daughters h.
þ Not now after this ViQtory, for he died preſently after ir,but | in the whole time of his Life, before he was King, and afterward. 4 22 And the reſt of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, "
and his ſayings, are written in the || ſtory of the pro-|| Or,Cct 4
li :
ap * mentary. phet * Iddo. —— CHAP. XIV. * Chivas |
Aſa is made King : he deſtroyeth Idolatry, 1 5. Having veace he t
frengthneth his Kingdom with Forts ' and Armigs, 6 - 8. Ima
[trait, calling on GId, he overthroweth Zerak, and ſpoileth the Ethiopte * ans, 9
15- | Q? Abijah ſlept with his fathers,and they buried him itt in the city of David, and * Afa his ſon reigned in* ; Kings his ſtead : in his days the land was quiet ten years #. 1x5; 8, &; | # 3. e. There was no open War, either by Baaſhs or others; © |
only there were ſecret Grudges and private Hoſtilities between his and Baafha's SubjeQs, 1 Kings 15. 16.
2 And Aſa did thas which was good and rightin the eyes of the LORD b his God. |
b Of this and the next verſe, ſee on 1 Kings 15: 11, 12.
3 For he took away the altars of the itrange gods, | and the high piaces, and brake down the + images,and 4 xx.,, / ill cut down the groves : "RY
4 And commanded Jadah to feek the LORD God of _ fathers c,and to do the law and the command- ment &. |
c By his Royal Edifts he requiced them to Worſhip God, and
him only. 4 z.e. To praQtiſe all which the Laws of Moſes required of them.
5 Alfo he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places, and the f mages : and the kingdom t Heb:ſinta was quiet before him. — iages.
6 And he built fenced cities in Judah : for the land | had reſt, and he had no war in thoſe years, becauſe che LORD had given him reſt.
7 Therefore he ſaid unto Judah, Let us build thefe cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land zs yet before us 4 : becauſe we have ſought'the LORD our God, we have ſought him, and he bath given us reſt on every fide : ſo they built and prolpencty |
d i, e. In our Power,as that Phraſe is oft uſed. See on Gen. 12.00
8 And Aſa had an army of mes e, ———_ rargets and ſpears, out of Judah, three hundred thouſand, and out of Benjamin, chat bare ſhields and drew bows, two' hundred and fourſcore thouſand : all theſe were mighty men of raijour. |
e Which, as it ſeems, he had now | { Information of Zerab's Delign againſt | coy _— OE TOLL |
9 * And there came.our againſt them Zerah the E-+ Chi6;& tchiepian f with an hoſt of a thouſand thouſand & three 1undred chariots, and came unto Mareſha g.
Or, the Arabian, as the Hebrew w I TA been noted before ; Theſe nd ron Y Erhopians,who alfo could not have come to 4/a,but thorough Ezypr, which probably the King of Egypr would not permit him to do. 3; A City upon and within the Borders of Judah, Fol, 15. 44.
10 Then Aſa went out againſt him, and they ſet —— in aray in the valley of Zephathah, at Mare-
ah.
i: And Afa cried unto the LORD his God, and faid, LORD, Þ z: 3s * nothing with thee h to help,whe- ft1cb.z # :her with many, or with them that hav for Jelp us, O LORD our God, for we reſt
Fues,
}
in thy Name ; we go againſt this multitude. O %%* whe LORD thou ar: our God. 1! ail azainſt 7,5
: r God, let not || man prevail againſt ,;,, za thee.
: | nefrrength. h 1. e. There is no difference, nor no difficulty, with thee, 7 By * 1 Sat |
tay Commiſſion, in Contidence of thy Aſſiſtance a1d for the main» 14:6. renance of thy honour, and tervice, and peop.: . || Or, mr 12 So the LORD tmoce the Ethiopiaus before Ala, fa! man,
and before Judah, and the Echiopians tied. 13 And Afa and the people char were with bim.pur- 3U2 k:ied
fore Aſa-
,
n _ *
Chap. XV. WIC HR O faed them unto Gerar &:and the Ethiopians were over- thrown, that they could not recover themſelves, for
+ Heb. they were | deſtroyed before the LORD and before his
brotzn. Hoft, and they carried away very much ſpoil.
k A City of the Philiſtines, who probably were confederate with them in this Deſign. 14 And they ſmote all the cities round about Ge-
* Gen. 35-rar /, for * the fear of the LORD came upon them :
- gs 77-and they ſpoiled all the cities, for there was exceeding
much ſpoil in them. 1 Partly becauſe they had joined with Zerah in this War ; and
partly becauſe the Erk:opians had ſheltered a great part of the Re- |