The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 299

Kings xiv. 5). The hiph., to" make strong," of the northern kingdom (Ie11. ix. 8; xvii. or "oonflrm," ne it ie rendered here, is 3 ; xxviii. 3 ; Bll't/eral time• in almost e11ery found in 2 Kings xv. 19. Ago.in and a.go.in chapter of Hoeea, and for a t11pical instance, the disorders of the kingdom and the violent cf. Hos. xiv. B). dee.the of prophets and kings must have Ver. 7.-(See foregoing chapter, ver. 19.) greatly oontributod to nervous apprehen• The no.me of this man of God does not tran- sions, in fact only too just, when o. new king spire. To wit, with. These three words, all ascended the throne. In the po.rallel and in italic type, if entirely omitted, and not in pe.seo.ge last quoted the worcls, "in his even the preposition adopted, as in the Re- hand," follow the verb. Amazie.h both vised Version, into the ordinary type, will ntieded to get his own hand in, according to leave the intention of the writer clearer rather modem phrase, a.nd to get things well into than less clear. his he.nd. His servants. It ma.y be held Ver. 8.-It is hard to feel satisfied as to surprising that they should have been found the correct rendering of this verse. The "in the place," or should now be his ser11ants drift of the nezt verse, which shows Ama.zio.h at a.ll. '.rhe explanation may be either that e. convert to the strong exhorto.tion of the their guilt had not yet been known, or, if man of God, makes either alternative allow- known, had not been fixed upon them. able under th!) present text very untimely, Ver. 4.-Slew not their ohildren. Em- and not very much in accortl with what we phasis ( the emphasis of mention, at a.ny rate) should look for at the lips of the man of is le.id upon this, perhaps partly to show that God. The very conceivable way out of the Ama.ziah did in some measure walk by "the difficulty is to read it~, hyphened to ot-i (all La.w of the Lord," a.nd partly because of the rather the.t no vau is present in t<::i, as numerous ea.see that had grown up to the the present text is), and proceed to supply opposite (2 Kings ix. 8, 26; Josh. vii. 24, 25, NZ or 111:.i again before ni;i~. crediting some where, however, very posBibly all were more or copyist with confusion of eye through these less aiders and abettors of the wickedness). having come close together in his manuscript. For Moses' clearly written rehearsal of '' the The rendering will then be straightforward, commandment of ihe Lord," on this subject, e.nd prepare the way for Amaziah's yielding see the marginal references, Deut. xxiv. 16; conforme.bly with the tenor of the next Jer. mi. 29, 30; Ezek. xviii. 4, 19, 20. verse. "But ifnot''(i.e. ifthouwiltuot be Ver. 5.-Thisand the following five verses guided by my remonstrance as to Ephraim), a.re entirely omitted in the parallel, which "go thou, be on the alert, exert all the contents itself with giving in its ver. 7, in strength possible for the bo.ttle, and vet fewer words, but with the supplement of nevertheless God will cause thee to stumble." other matter, what is contained in our ver. 11. And the remaining sentence may bear this l!'ound them three hundred thousand. Com- significance, "For God hath power to help pare Asa's "five· hundred and eighty thou- thee though a.lone, or to cast thee down so.nd" (eh. xiv. 8), and Jehosha.phat's though supported by an extra hundred "eleven hundred a.nd sixty thousand " ( eh. thousand." If such a.Iteration or conjectural x vii. 14-19 ; see note, however, on these restoration of the text be not accepted, we verses, and the impi·obability of numbers so may harmonize the facts of the case with the high). The Hebrew text of the second clause most utter faithfulness of lip on the part of of this verse simply says, " he set them" the prophet, by translating, "For in very (o:rt?P,:), or placed them according to . . . truth, if thou go at all, and though thou make fathers' hoU'BeB, under captains, etc., glancing the best preparations, God shall make it go ill most naturally at Numb. i. 2-ii. 34. Twenty with thee.'' And Amaziah is persuaded to years old and above (comp. 1 Chron. this point, that he will neither risk the lives xxvii. 23). of them of Ephraim vainly, nor risk the like- Ver. 6.-0ut of Iara.al. '.rhe next verse lier displeasure of God on himself. He tells us that "all the children of Ephraim" yields only partly, and therefore is nothing (which was strictly the northern Isrnel's benefited. The difficulty is left untouched, chief tribe) a.re hereby designated. It is not the.t the prophet did not simply in toto for- quite clear that this Israel is exactly con- bid Amaziah to go, and that, saving them terminous with the Israel of oh. xiii. 3, the of Ephraim, be snves them to be a second identity of which, however, with Joab's Ismel scourge for the back of Amaziah, though be (2 Sam. xxiv. 9) is very probable. The took his prophet's odvice so far, and lost his boundaries of the strict tribe of Ephraim, own money. A careful and devout observer whose cmcestor was Joseph's younger sou, of huma.n life and perverseness, when once are described in Josh. xvi. 5. The tribe these commit themselves to the vain struggle were located o.s nearly o.s possible in the with God, and equally va.in attempt to centre of the lo.nd. Ephro.im, however, is huggle with his providence as_to how much here, as in many other places, e.s the no.me to yield and how much to resist and with- of the royal tribe, so no.mad upon the whole hold, oonnot but be struck with the photo-  800 THE SECOND BOOK OF 'l'HE ClIRONICLES. [oH. xxv.1-28,