The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 314

and this word has the prefix of the prepoei• temple, the duty of offering incenee attached tion 7; nor is the rendering " valour" for to one chosen by lot each morning our Hebrew text ',,_ri so likely a rendering e.nd evening of the inferior priests, yet originally the high priest was solenrnly ns that found in the foregoing verse, "boat." appointed for this office. The following Hender, The whole number of the chief of the a.re among the most important references to f athcrs in the mighty men of the host was, the matter of the incense and it~ offering oto, So in tho next veree, "with mighty (Exod. xxv. 6; xxx. I, 7, 8, 34, 37, 38; power " will be better rendered " with the Lev. xvi. 13; Luke i. 21 ; Numb. vi. 2-!- strength of o. host." 26; xvi. 1-35; xviii. 1-7; 1 Kicgs iv. Ver.13.-An army; Hebrew,N:;;i; ''i:!• "A 20). force of host" would render this expression, Ver. 17.-Aze.riah the priest. Ver. 20 though by an o.mbiguous use of tbe word states what was otherwise w be supposed, ',,i:!, conBtruct state of ':>•n. This verse gives that he was the chief priest (~~i:;,). We the number of the body of the army proper, foil to identify his name with any in the which shows it seven thousand five hundred typical list of 1 Chron. vi. 4-15, where more than that of Amaziah in the foregoing the Aza.ria.h of ver. 11 is too early, and the chapter (ver. 5). Azaria.h of ver. 13 too late, for our present Ver. 14.-Habergeons . . . slings to cast Azariah. With hlm four score priests. This stones. Revised Version right in rendering, passage suggests to us an idea. of how many ccats of mail ... and stonu for slinging. deeply interesting details are wanting, which On the Israelites' employment of the sling, would fill in the interstices of Old Testa- note Judg. xx. 16; 1 Sam. xvii. 40; 2 Kings ment history. Probably the intention of iii. 25. tbe king, ambitious to simulate the self- Ver. 15.-Engines; Hebrew, nii::i~i:,; used assumed religious ways of neighbouring Gentile kings, was no secret; a.ad possibly only here and Eccles. vii. 29 ( wIiere it is the king may have given time for the chief rendered "inventions"), but the related priest to collect his auxiliaries, through some word Ji:!ff'i:J is found three times : Eccles. vii. ostentatious display on bis own part, in the 25 (the " reason"), 27 (the "account"); ix. very performance of bis desecration. The 10 (" device ") ; while the ,erb root ::i~q, to number and the character of these helping "devise," occurs about a hundred and thirty priests (':>~t;:i"".P) give the idea that they had times, as in next sub-clause ::i1i11n n::i~no. their work to do, and purposed doing it A strict rendering of the clause ~ould ~;ke promptly, or that they would over-awe, and it read, " He me.de inventions, the inventing obviate the use of actual force, by their of e.n inventive man; " and the force of the imposing number. words might be to appraise very highly the Ver. 18.-They withstood. A somewhat virtue of the invention or me.chine, while more forcible rendering would be justified to himself may have been due the credit by the Hebrew text, such e.g. as, "They con- thereof. The balista which dischuged fronted Uzziah to bis face," or "They stood stones is depicted on Assyrian soul ptures ; in the way of Uzziab," since onr •• with- not so the machine for discharging darts stood" almost always conveys the idea. and arrows, the catapult. Although, e.s just of o.rgumentative confronting only. There suggested, it were conceivable that to was expostulation here, as we are immedi- Uzzie.h himself was due in pa.rt the invention ately told, but there was sometbin.g else also, or the great improving of the machines as ver. 20 makes very plain, "They thrust in question, yet the verse may be regarded him out." as simply saying that the introduction of Ver. 19. - Render, Then Uzziah was them into Jerusalem was his work. He w1·ath, and in his hand (:i.t that moment) was marvellously helped (see ver. 7). was a censer to burn incense, etc. From the Ver. 16.-To (his) destruotion; Hebrew, most literal rendering of tbe Hebrew te:s:t, n•i:,fr1!:1?-,J!, hiph. conjugation infin. of nci~. not unfrequently the most forcible Bible This conjugation frequently occurs in the English results. From beside; render, at sense of" destroying," but also as well with- the ve:ry side of (comp. Numb. xii. 10; 2 out an o.oousative as with, in the sense Kings v. 27). of "doing corruptly " (Gen. vi. 12 with Ver. 20.-They thrust hlm ont. This nccuso.tive; but without Dent. iv. 16; xx.xi. hiph. conjugation of kn.I Si}~ does not point 29 ; Judg. ii. 19; Isa.. i. 19; and next to the force adopted, but to the trembling chapter, ver. 2). He transgressed. 'fhe am;iety with which, for horror's sake of " trnnsgression " of o. heart that had wo.xed such a monstrous catnstropho. a, "leper \,_y wanton through prosperity took that peou- tbo altar ond with It censer iu hid h,rnd, liiuly nggravatod form of sinning ogainst eto., the prio,ts urged him out. Evidoutly, holy things aud o. holy ceremonial. from the next chiuso, no grellt force in the Although, in the de.Uy servioc of tho second ordinary seUBe was needed. Yea, himseJ.1  316 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES, [cn. xxvr. 1-23,