h Or, in the houſe of the ſtocks, in which the Feer, or, as ſome of c1/h44s the Hebrews ſay, the Necks of the Priſoners were locked up. See Fer. 20. 2. & 29. 26.
11 And behold, the acts of Aſa firt and laſt, lo, they are written in the book ofthe kings of Judah and If{rael.
12 And Afffa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diſeaſed in his feet until his diſeaſe was exceedin
great : yet in his diſeaſe he ſought not to the LORD, but to the phyſicians 2. | |
7 He did not humble himſelf before God, nor earneſtly deſire his Help, bur pur all his Confidence in the Skill and Faithfulneſs of his Phyſicians, of whom it ſeems, he had great experience.
13 And Afa ſlept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his age.
14 And they buried him in his own ſepulchre, which he had + made for himſelf in the city of David, and, ,; + laid him in the bed which was filled with ſweet odours, + Hh
and divers kinds of ſpices prepared by the apothecaries —_— art &: and they made a very great burning / for him.
k As the manner of thoſe Nations was. See Gen. 50. 2. 2 Chron, 21. 19. | To wit, of precious Spices ; thereby teſtifying thei Thankfulneſsfor many Benefits which they enjoyed under his Go« vernment, and their Reſpe& to him notwithſtanding hiz Miſcarris
ages. CH A P: XVII
Tehoſhaphat is made King, reigneth well and proppereth, 1 6. He ſendetk L-wvites with the Princes, to teach Judah, 7 9. He # feared by thi
Nations round about, who bring him preſents and tribute : his greatneſs, captains, and armies, 10 19.
N D * Jehoſhaphat his ſon reigned in his ſtead an! |
ſtrenthened himſelf againſt Iſrael a. * 1Kingh
s Againſt the King and People of 1rael, who had moleſted the 15+ 24s
Kingdom of Juazh, with Wars all the day: of 4ſa, after that Sin of his mentioned, ch. 16. 2, &c.
2 And heplaced forces in allthe fenced cities. of Judah, and ſet gariſons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Aſa his father had taken.
2 Andthe LORD was with Jehoſbaphat, becauſe he
walked in the firſt ways of his [| father David 5, and p or of 6 {ought nor unto Baalim. father, and
6 Which David walked in before he fell into thoſe horrid Sins of D&vid. Murder and Adultery, Or, # the ways of David, and hu Father's firſt ways. For the beginning of 4ſa's Reign was laudable, as we have ſeen, though he declined ar laſt. For it ſeems more probable that this Paſſage is a RefleQion upon Aſs, whoſe laſt ways were much his worſt, and of whoſe Repentance we haye no Evidence, than upon David, who, though he fell dreadfully in the matter of Uriah, yet did manifeſtly repent of it, and return to his firft and holy courſe of Life, in which alſo he continued until death; having this CharaGter given himby the Holy Ghoſt, after his death, That be aid right in all things, ſaving that of Uriah, 1 Kings 15: 5.
4 But ſought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Iſrael c. |
c 1.e. Their Wozſhip of the Calves, or other Idols.
5 Therefore the LORD ſtabliſhed the kingdom in his hand, andall Judah + brought to Jehoſhaphat preſents d, and he had riches and honour in abundance.
d As SubjeQts in thoſe times and places uſed codo to their Kings,® asa Token of their Reſpe& and SubjeRion to them. See 1 Sam. 10. 27. 28. 1 Kings to. 25: 2 Chron: 32: 23,
6 And his heart || was lifc up. e in the ways of the, . ..... LORD : moreover, * he took away the high places | That 33, and groves f out of Judah. ne ney,
_ raged. e Above all diſcouragements, and difficulties and fears, by which rage
- Mens Hearts uſe to be caft down: He was Valiant and Reſolute for EW , God and his Ways. f To wit, ſuch only wherein Idols were Wor- ſhipped, as appears by comparing this with ch:20: 33. And theugh 4ja had done this before, yet either he did not do ir throughly ; or the Jews ( who were many of them mad upon their Idols ) had ſecretly made new Ones, inthe Jatter part of his Reign, when he grew more infirm in Body, and more remiſs in Gods Catiſe.
7 Allo in thechird year of his reign, he || ſent to his
prunces, even to Ben-hail, and to Obadiah, and to
+ Het
aV8,
[| Or, fer:
Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michajah, co pr ps teach g in the cities of Judah. :
hail: g Toinform the People of their Duty, and ofthe Kings pleaſure. As Judges or Juſtices of Peace teach or inſtrut the People in the Laws of the Land, when they deliver their Charges upon the Banch; lo did thele Princes in the Kings Name, ad moniſh and require the Pcople to obſerve and obey rhe Laws of God, which were the Municipal Laws of that Land : The particular Explication and Intorcement whereof, they Jeft to the Levites and Priefts here
therefore from hence- |
iollowing, who were ſent tor this end,)and accordingly ranghz rhe
People, v. 9. * U-9 S Ard
hap. XVIIL. in ic art O
| 8 And with them be -/ent Levites, eve» Shemajah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Afahel, and She- miramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobi- jah, and Tob-adonijah, Levites ; and with them Eli- ſhama and Jehoram, prieſts.
9 And they taught in Judah, and had the book of che law of the LORD with them, and wentabour througn- out allthe cities of Judah, and taught the people.
ro And * the fear of the LORD Þ fell upon all the
© Gen. 35' kingdoms of the lands that were round abour Judab 5, +Heb +. {o that they made no war againſt Jenoſhaphar. ets Hm b Jultly concluding from this ſingular Picty that God would emi- | nently appear for him, and againſt all thoſe who had ill Will to him, which was their Caſe. For even the Heathens could nor bur obſerve, that the King of Judah were either Proſperous or Unhappy, accor- dingly as they ſerved God or forſook him. :1 Alſo ſome of the Philiſtins ; brought Jehoſbaphat reſents, and tribute-ſi'ver : and the Arabians & brought Fim flocks. ſeven thouſand and ſeven hundred rams, and