28 And they came to ſeruſalem with plalteries, and harps, and trumpets, unto the houſe of the LORD f
7 To renew their Praiſes in the Court of the Temple, the proper and uſual pſjace for it.
29 And * the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of thoſe countries g when they heard that the LORD fought againſt the enemies of Iſrael.
g Which were near, or which heard theſe things. -
20 So the realm of Jehoſhaphat was quiet : for his God gave him reſt round abour.
21 * And Jehoſhapat reigned over Judah : he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jeruſalem : and his mothers name was Azubah rhe Daughter of Shilhi.
22 And he walked in the ways of Aſa his father, and departed not from it, doing tht which was right in the tight of the LORD.
33 Howbeit, the high places were not taken away 6; for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts un- to the God of their fathers z.
h Nor fully nor univerſally ; of which ſee on «<<. 17.6. 5 The Fault was not in Jehoſhaphat, but in the People, who, though they did Worſhip the true God, yet would not beconfined to rhe Tem- ple, but for their own Conveniency, or frem their affection to their Ancient Cuſtom, choſe to Worſhip him in the High Pjaces; which Jehoſhapha: was forced to connivear, leſt thoſe People being debarred from that dearly-beloved Practice, ſhould fall into a Neglect of God
34 Now the reſt of the ads of Jehoſhophar, firſt and laſt, behold, they are written in the } book of Jehu the ſon of Hanani, * who Þ is mentioned in the
' 35 And after this & did Jehoſhaphat king of Judah joyn himſelf with Ahaziah king of Iſrael, who did very wickedly }.
k This is mentioned as an Aggravation of his Sin, after ſo great a Favour and Obligation laid upon him by God; and after he hid been ſo ſharply reproved and threatned by a Propher for the ſame thing, eþ. 19; 2+ yethe relapfes into the ſame Sin; which procee- ded partiy trom that near Relation which was contracted between the two Families, and partly from the ſweetneſs and eaſineſs ef Je- hyhaphat's Temper, which could not refift the Sojicirations of o- thers, in ſuch things as might ſeem indifferent. For he did nor joyn with him ina War, as he did with Abad, bur in a peaceable
of David, becauſe of the covenant that he had made
# Two ſons called by the ſame Name, though doubtleſs diſtin« | /
oviſhed by ſome additional Title, which is not mentioned here, becauſe it did not concera ſucceding Ages ro know it- Though indeed there is a Difference in their Hebrew Names, the one being Azaria, the other Azariahu, hu being the laſt Syllabe in his name, aS in Elihu, and others» b So he is called either, 1.» Becauſe he was ſo by Right: Or 2» Becauſe he was King not only of Judah and Benjamin, but of a great number of !/-ae/ices, who had come into, and ſett]-d themſelves in his Kingdem, in his and in his Prede- ceſſors days; who being a conſiderable, and the pureſt and beſt part of 1ſrael, may well be called J/r««!, being more truly and properly Gods {ree! than their Apoſtate Brethren, who were no longer wortby of that Name. Or 3. Becauſe all his Subjects were Iſraelites; and therefore he was King of 1/[ratl, though not of all 1[rael. Or, 4. With ſome reflection upon his Memory, for making fo ſtrict an Alliance and Friendſhip with the King of 1ſrael, whoſe Cauſe he defended with his own and his Kingdoms great hazard, as if he had been the King not ſo much of Judah, as of 1/rael. And this miy be the rather noted here,b-cauſe here ſpeedily follows aſad, Effect of that wicked and curſed Match. Some ſay I/rae! was foiſt- ed into ſome Copies by the tranſcriber inſtead of Judah, as it was firſt writren. IN x $40 | 3 And their father gave them great gifts of ſilver and of gold, and of precious things, with fenced cities in Judahs but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram, be- cauſe he was the firſt-born ec. c Whom he conceived rhat he ought to prefer by vertue of that Law of God, Deut. 2:. 15. though otherwiſe he would nct have dene it, having probably ere this time perceived his perverſe and wicked Inclinations, and how much he was ſwayed by tus Idola- tcrous Wife, Now he ſaw his Error when it was coo Jate. | Now * when Jehoram was riſen up to the king- _ dom of his father, he ſtrengthened himſelf d,. and flew * all bis brethren with the ſword e, and divers alſo of the princes of Iſrael f. ;- d He rook C-urage and hardned his heart, 2s that word ſome= times ſignihes. e Partly becauſe they either did,or he knew that chey would, oppoſe him in his wicked Deſigns ; and partly for his own Security, leſt his people, who, as he believed, would be high- ly exaſperated with the Execution of his Counſ?!s, ſhou}d advance any of them to the Throne, and depoſe him. F Either x. of J«- dah, here called Iſrael, of which ſee rhe Notes on wv. 2. Or, 2. The Princes or Chief Men of Iſrae!, properly fo called; not the Princes of a!l Iſrael or of the ſeveral Tribes thereof, bur the Chief of thoſe Iſraelites, who out of love to God, and to the true Religion, had forſaken their Eſtates and worldly Advantages in the Kingdom of Iſrasl, and were now incorporated with the Kingdom of Judah. Theſe he eſpecially ſtruck at, either 1+- Becauſe his Wife inſtigared him thereunto, both to puniſh them for their Revolt fiom her Fax ther, and to deter others from following their Example : Or, 2. Becauſe ke juſtly and truly rhoughr theſe would be moſt firm and conftant to, and zealous for that Religion which he was reſolved to oppoſe, being both by their Conſcience and Intereſt obliged to ir,.
5 Jehoram was thirty and two years old'g when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Je- rufalem. JE x
g Of this, and v. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.ſee the Notes on 2 Kings 8.17, &Cc.. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Iſrael, like as did the houſe of Ahab : for he had the daugh- ter of * Ahab to wife: and he wrought that which wss +» Ch, 22, evil in the eyes of 'the LORD. | 26 |
7 Howbeit, the LORD would not deſtroy the houſe.
with David b, and as he promiſed to givo a Þ light to
him, and to * his ſons forever.
h For which in 2 Kings 8 1G. it is for David his ſervants ſake ; i. e. T Heb. Not for David's Merits, but for Gods free promiſe and Covenant, lamp or 2S iis here explained. candle, ; 8 In his days the Edomites revolted from under thef * 2 Sam-;