on <>: 16.1. C H A F. AETL Aſa maketh a League with the Syrians againſt the king of Iſrael, 1——5. Fir which the Prophet reproving him, he putteth him intopr/[on, 7 19. He is ſick, and ſeeketh ro the Phyſicians, and not.to God : hus death and burial, 11 ! 4. N che lix and thirtieth year of che reign of Afa a, * Baaſha king of Iſrael came up againſt Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come into Aſa king of Judah 6. a Or, of the Kingdom of A[s, 3. e. of the Kingdom of Judah, which was now Aſa's Kingdom; or from the time of the diviſion of the two Kingdoms. Rehoboam Reigned 17 Years, ch, 12.13. Abijah 3 Years, >. 13. 2. Aſa had now Reigned 15 Years, ch. 15. 10. All which put together, make up the 35 years mentioned ch. 15. 19. And in the next year Basſba wars againſt him ; and the ground of War was the defe&tion of many of his Subje&s to 4ſs, ch. 15. 9. whom Aſa endeavoursto engage together with his own SubjeCts, by an Oath and a Covenant, to be true and faithful to God, and conſequently to ; himſelf; which was done in has 157þ year, ch. 15. 9, 10. and there- fore inhis 16:þ year, called here the 36th year of his Kingdom, he commenceth an open War againſt him. If it be obje&ed, Thar the R-ign, or Kingdom of Aſa is otherwiſe underftood of the time of Aſa's perſonal Reign ( as I may call it) <<. 15.10. The anſwer is obvious, That there are many inſtances in Scripture ( ſome of which have been formerly given, and -thers will be given in their proper places, ) where the ſame Word or Phraſe 15 taken differently, and that in the very ſame Chapter and Hiſtory- And particularly this variety is elſewhere ufed both by Sacred and Prophane Writers, 1n the Computation ofthe years of Princes, which are ſom-times rec- koned from the beginning of their Reign, and ſomerimes from other remarkable Times and Occurrenees. Thus Nebuchadnezzar's years are ſometimes compured from the beginning of his Reign, as 2 Kings 25. 8, %er. 52. 12. 29, 30. and ſorietimes trom his compleat Conqueſt of Syria and E£gypr, &c. as that Paſſ:ge, Dan. 2. 1. In the ſecons! year of Nebuchadnezzar, is by the general ftream of Interpreters underſtood. Thus A4haziab's years. which doubtleſs were uſuaily computed from the time of his Birth, and compured from another Head. ch. 22+ 2. where fee the Notes. And the like differences are obſerved in computing the years of ſome of the Syrian Monarchs and Remen Emperors ; and particularly of Auguſtus, the years of whoſe Reign are variouſly acc-unted by the Rowan Hiſtorians ; ſometimes from his tirſt Conſulſhip, ſometimes from the time of the T:-iurnvirate, and ſometimes from that Famous Viftory at AFium, where he utterly overthrew his Competitor, and made himſelf ſole and vnqueſtionable Emperor. And therefore it is not ſtrange if it be ſo here. And that it muſt neceſſarily be thus underſtood, appears from hence, that it cannot be the 36:þ year of the Reign of 4/s in his own perſon, becauſe Baaſhs began to Reign in 4ſa's 34d year, r Kings :5. 28. and Reigned only 24 years. and conſequently died in ſas 26th, or 27th year, as it is ſaid he did, 1 Kings 1g. 8. b That he might keep his SubjeQs from revolting to Aſa, as he perceived they b<gan to do, ch. 15. 9. and keep Aſa's Subje&s from coming into his Dominions to ſeduce his People from their Obedience to hi
*1K10gs | 15; 379
m.
2 Then Afa brought out ſilver and gold c out of the treaſures of the Houſe of the LORD, and of the kings Houſe, and ſent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at F Damaſcus, ſaying,
c This Verſe, & wv. 3, 4. 5, 6. areexplained, 1 Kings 18+ 18, XC.
3 There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father : behold TI have ſent thee ſilver and gold, go, break thy league with Baaſha king of Iſrael, that he may depart from me.
4 And Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Aſa, and ſent +1, the captains of | his armies againſt the cities of Iſrael, with we and they {mote Ton, and Dan, and Abel-maim, and | ki, all the ſtore-cities of Naphzali.
5 Andit came to paſs, when Baaſha heard r, thathe left off building of Ramath, and let his work ceaſe.
6 Then Aſa the king took all Judah, and they carri- ed away the ftones of Ramath, and the timber thereof, wherewith Baaſha was a building, and he built there- with Geba, and Mizpah.
7 And at that time * Hanani the ſeer came to Afa Cig.2 King of Judah, and faid unto him, Becauſe thou haſt
* relied on the king of Syria, andnotrelied on the LORD
thy God, therefore is the hoſt of the king of Syria eſcaped out of thine hand 4.
4 And ſo reſerved to be a Scourge to thy Kingdom and Poſterity hereafter : Whereas if he had j'\yyned with Baaſha againſt thee, thou ſhouldeſt have overthrown them both, and prevented all that Mit- chief which that Monarch will do one day to thy Family.
8 Were not * the Ethiopians and the Lubims e, F a huge hoſt, with very many chariots and horſemen ? yet becauſe thou didit rely on the LORD, hedelivered them into thine hand.
e Either the L:9/ax5 in Africa ; or another People, poſſibly deſcen- "ec. :, ded from them, but now ſeated in ſome part of Arabia.
% f.agy 9 For* the eyesof ths LORD runto and fro through- "toldw;t, Our the whole earth, || ro ſhew himſelf ſtrong in the xc. behalf of :hew, whoſe heart is perfect f roward him ; 5: 32.5 herein thou haſt done fooliſhly ; orth ® thou thalt haye wars g.
f Heb. Dirmcſek,
Th 466 t Hey 5:
"NE" Waarce,
* HRONICERMS
©Y Chap. XVI | f 7. e. Upright and ſincere, as thine 18 not, Obj. The heart of Als bl is ſaid to be perfe? all by days, ch. 15. 17, Anſw. He was perfe&t and ſincere in the things there ſpoken of, in the Eſtabliſhment of the outward Worſhip of God ; but notin the inward Worthip of God, truſting, and fearing, and loving him with all his heart, of which he here ſpeaks. Or thus ; He was perfett or ſincere in the general Courſe of his Life, thaugh in ſome particulars, whereof this is one, his heart did not perfe&ly cleave to God, as it ſhould have done« g With Baaſjha, c}. 16. 4. > bes 404 | 10 Then Aſa was wroth with the ſeer, and put him ,,.,, 4 | :ſon-houſe h, ſor he was in a rage wich him, T2, in f a priſon-houle þ, lor as In a rage with him
becauſe of this thing, And Aſa + oppreſſed ſome of the on Juby people the ſame time. + Heb