The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 205

EXPOSITION. law," of idolatrous worship and images in CHAPTER xvn. the matter of the ce.l ves and eo on. To the contents of thie chapter, and to the Ver. 5.-All Judah brought presents to J"ehoehaphat. These presents were, of coarse, roign of Jehoshaphat, which occupies thie and voluntary gifts, though, like not a few others, the following three chapters, the Book of custom may have taken oft' from them some-- Kings furnishes ae yet no parallel. All that thing of the bloom of spontaneousneBS (I Sam. it has to say of Jehoshaphat now is summed x. 27 ; 2 Sam. viii. 2 ; I Kings iv. 21; x. 25; up in one sentence (1 Kings xv. 24), "And Ps. lxxii. 10). Ver. 6.-And his heart was lifted up in J ehcshaphat his eon reigned in his stead," the we.ye of the Lord. Although the verb till we arrive at the ten verses of 1 Kings 1'1:;q often carries a bad sense with it, it quite xxii. 41-51, with their very slender sketch as often carries with it a good one in the (see also 2 Kings iii 1-14). Old Testament, and the typical instaoce of the former (Ps. cxxxi. 1) is fully counterbalancerl Ver. 1.-J"ehosha.phat. In eh. x:x. 31 and by Isa. Iii. 13. The marginal "was en- 1 Kings xxii. 41, 42 we are told that Jeho- couraged " may be superseded with advan- shaphat was now thirty-five years of 11ge. tage by '' took courage" (Isa. xl. 29-31). He must, therefore, have been born when Asa The groves. Supersede this incorrect render- was in the sixth yea.r of his reign, and pre- ing by the .tlsherim; and upon the seeming ewnab!y not under sixteen years of age. His discrepancy, see again eh. xv. 17, and "In- reign extended to twenty-five years, i.e. from troduction to Chronicles" there quoted. u.o. 914 to u.o. 889. The name signifies "whom God judges," or ''pleads for.'' Ah11b Ver. 7-9.-He sent; Hebrew, r.~~- The is now in the fourth ye11r of his reign, and Hebrew text distinctly says, he sent to his the symptoms he manifests (1 Kings xvi. princes, not, "he sent his princes." The mean- 30-33) Bre those that the rather urge J eho- ing is-he sent orders to hls princes to see to shaph11t to strengthen himself, i.e. strengthen it that Judah was taught (ver. 9) the book of the defences of his kingdom on the Israel the Law of the Lord (Lev. x. 11 ; Deut. iv. 9 ; side. xvii. 18), not, indeed, without their own per- Ver. 2.-lle placed foroes; literally, he sonal aid in whatever way able to be given, gave (Gen. i. 17) forces, or a force, or host, but systematically and with authority by the or e.ru:y: ~:~ (Exod. xiv. 28; 2 Sam. xxiv. 2). Levites and priests (Dent. xxx:i..i.i. 10). This deeper fathoming of the needs of the time, And set g11rrisom; a.gain literally, he ga'l!e and of what constituted its real safety, was garrisons (c•:;i•~~); i.e. either the persons" set greatly to the spiritual credit of Jehoshaphat. over," prefects ·or officers (1 Kings iv. 19), 'l'he references (eh. xv. 3; xxxv. 2-4, 10- or the military garrison itself "stationed" 12) are full of point. None of these princes, (1 Sam. x. 5; xiii. 3). A villa11:e in Judah or Levites and priests, a.re elsewhere men- 11lso had the name Nezeb (Josh. xv. 45). tioned by name. In the cities of Ephraim (see eh. xv. 8). Ver. 10.-The moral effect of this peaceful Ver. 3.-The first ways of his father war of Jehoshaphat is manifestly great. David. Although there would be no diffi- Ver. 11.-The presents were probably culty in reconciling this statement with enough in the nature of tribute, the " fixed history, yet probably the name David should rate" of which is sometimes alluded to not stand here. It is not in the Septuagint. (1 Kings iv. 21; x. 25; 2 Sam. rui. 2), but it 'fhe most natural and sufficient referenoe is is doubtful whether the word~~? purports to to Asa. And sought not unto Baa.fun ; say this. The word means "bearing" or literally, to the Baalim; i.e. to tho VDrious "carrying," and then •• 11 burden, load, or false gods of sw-rounding peoples (Judg. ii. weiaht." The expression (eh. xx. 25), '' more 11), Baitl-berith (Judg. viii. 33; ix. 4, 46), tha; they could carry awe._y," where this Bae.1-zebub (2 Kings i. 2), Baal-p_eor (Numb. word is used, favours the idea that the xxiii. 28, etc.; xxv. 3), a.ccordmg to the meanina here is "silver of great weight." places where the idolatrous worship was Probably the moral signific-an~e and his- ca.rried on. (For the preposition 7, " to," torical interest, whether of thts statement after '' sought," in this and following verse, respecting the P~stilles? or_ the following see again 1 Chron. xxii. 19.) respectin"' the Arabians, hes m the fact that Ver. 4.-After the doings of Israel. This both of them brought, without more at.lo, expression probably marks the doings of ~he their payments, and did not seek to slip out northern kingdom, as both the more typical of their enaagements with Judah and Judah's throughout its whole history or the wrong, king. Note, for confirnrntion of this view, and also as the systematic beginning, " by " 2 Kings iii. 4, 5.  206 THE SEOOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. [011. xvn. 1-19.