alſo ſeems to be called the Hoſe of Fudah, 2 Chron. 22, 10, and more
the Kings Matters as the Ruler of the Kings Houſe 2 4d For Civil Cauſes or Controverſies which might ariſe cither between the King to ſee them juſtly decided. e They ſhall beat your command to
to the Levites, as perſons who might add their Inſtructions to the:
an Argumentto encourage the Judges to proceed couragiouſly and
them and affiſt them. #7. -, Shall prote& and bleſs good Judges in
F other beſide the Ammonites «, came againſt Jehoſhaphat + Gr. of ch to battel. | Mireans:
Confederate with chem, as appears from wv. 10, 22, 23. Or, This < .26.,7,$- | you read 2 Chron. 26-7. ( and fo there is only a Tranſpoſition of
Language ) or Minzans, as the LXX Interpreters render this word ; or Ammonium, or Mehaammonim, ag it is in the Hebrew' ( the two
of the Word or proper Name of that P: ople) who, as it may ſeem,
Edomites, or another Nation ſince come in their ſtead or mixed with them» Others render the place thus, for ( 25 the Hebrew way ts oft $ VU 4 gaken |
Chap. XX. TH ICIH RO
the largeneſs of the Contederacy,
Mount Ser in their Quarrel. - 2 Then there came ſome that told Jehoſhaphat,
ſaying, Therecomethagreat multitude againſt thee from beyond the ſea b on this fide Syria e, and behold, they
be in Hazazon-tamar, which is Engedi. b To wit, the Dead Sea, beyond which Mount Serr lay. c Or, and from Syris, largely ſo called, and fo it includes the Moabites and Ammonites, And it may be thus exprefled, to intimate that they Came by the Inſtigation of the Syrians, who thought by this means = revensc themſelves of Fehoſbaphat for joyning with Ahab againſt TNEMe. 2 R
; And j-hoſaphat feared d, and ſet j himſelf to ſeek the LORD e, and proclaimed a faft f chroughout
all Judahe
d Partly from Humane f..'!ty. and partly from the Remembrance of his 6wn Guilt and the Wrath of God de::ounced againſt him for .it, <<. 19. 2. e ThePhraſe notes his et: 'c_ N olution, Scriouſ- neſs, and Earneſtneſs in it, and the prep. i:.;, +24 7 forit. f Partly in token of his Humiliativ 4a Point ac? for his Sins, and partly tro make himſelf and his peoplic nv Fervent 10 their Prayers. ;
4 And Judah gathered themſelves together, to 9+!
+ Heb.
T1 face.
they came to feek the LORD.
And Jehoſhaphat ſtood in the congregation of Judah. and Jeruſalem, in the houſe of the LORD g before the new court h. £ Largely ſocalled, #.e. in one of the Courts of the Temple, even in the Court of the People, and upon that Brazen Scaffold which Solomon had Ere&ed for ſuch a purpoſe, 2 Chron. 6. 13 +h7. e. Belidevsand before the Prieſts Court : for there were but two Courts belonging to the Temple, as is noted 2 Kings 21. 5. & 23.12. Aad Fehoſhaphar ſtood in the one, which muſt be thar of the People ; and before the other, which therefore can be no other than that of the Prieſts, %hich is called the New Court, becauſe it had been lately renewed when the Altar was renewed, ch. 15.8. as the Command of Love is called a new Command, Joh. 13. 34, 1 John 2. 8. becaule it was ſo ſolemnly renewed, and revived, and reinforced by Chriſt.
6 And ſaid, O LORD God of our fathers, ar? not thou God in Heaven ? and ruleſt ne: thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen ? and in thine hand is there »ot power and might, ſo that none is able to withſtand
thee.
7 Art not thou our God, + who didft drive out the inhabitantsof this land before thy people rael,and gaveſt it to the ſeed of Abraham * thy friend for ever 3?
#5, e. To whom thcu haſt engaged thy ſelf by Covenant to be his Friend, and the Friend of his Seed for ever, and therefore we truſt thou wilt nor forſake us his Poſterity.
$8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a
K: ſanQuary therein for thy name, ſaying, 4 hy 4 9 * If when evil cometh upon -us, as [| the ſword. +332 84 judgment &, or peſtilence, or famine, we ſtand before
Chap. 6. 28. this houſe, and in thy preſence, ( for thy name 3s in
_ zhe” this houſe ) and cry unto thee in our affliction, thou then wdement, Wilt hear and help. | " k Or rather, the ſword of Judgment-or of Vengeance, 3. e- War where- by thou judgeſt and puniſkeſt thy People for their Sins. Compare Levite 26. 25.
ro And now behold, the children of Ammon, and 4,9, 19. Moab, and mount Seir, whom thou * wouldeſt not Jer * Numb. Tſrael invade, when they came our of the land of Egypr, 20. 21. but * they turned from them, and deſtroyed them
nor : 11 Behold, I ſay, how they reward us, to Come to
caſt us out of thy poſſeſſion, which thou haſt given us
to inherit. 43's : 12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we
have no might againſt this great company that cometh againſt us 1: neither know we what to do, but oureyes
are upon thee 7.
I Thus he ſpeaks, partly though he had great Armies to be drawn together in due time upon great Occaſions, <<. 17. 14, &c. Yet he ſeems to have been ſurprized by theſe Men before his Forces were in readineſs to oppoſe them, and partly becauſe he well knew and piouſly and wiſely conſidered that no Humane Forces, though numerous and valiant, were able ro defend him withour Gods Aſſiſtance, which he feared by his Sins he had forfeited, and then he had really been as weak as Water. m Looking to thee only tor
Reliefand Succour. 13 And all Judah ſtood before the LORD with their
little ones », their wives and their children.
» Whom they uſed to preſent before the Lord in times of great Diſtreſs, partly to ſtir up themſelves ro more fervent and faithful Prayers, that rheir Eye being upon their harmleſs and render Canils dren, might affe& rheir Heart with a greater Senſe of their Miſery : and partly to move God to Compaſſion, not as if he were capable
of Paſſions or Changes upon ſugh a Sight, but begauſc God bath
| Heb. hou.
* Jam, 2. *
EDeut. 2.
taken ) with them ( 3.e. with the Moabites ) were.the Ammonites or children of Ammon. Which may be diſtinQly noted, either to ſhew
in which not only the Meabz#es were engazed, who.dwelt nearer Jehoſhapbats Kingdom, bur the | Ammmites alſo who lived at a greater diſtance from him: Or to intimate that the Ammonites bein poſſivly inſtigated by the Syrians their next Neighbours, were the firſt Beginners and chief Promoters ofthe War, and Engaged both the Moabirer and the Inhabitants of
fixing his Heart '
help of the LORD : even our of all the cities of Judaii *
A ICIS.
---> 5600 himſelf that he will be prevailed with by ſuch Methods as