The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 321

confirmation of this in the minor prophets (Hos. viii. 14; xii. 2; Amos ii. 4). 2. A seeJ.·er a:fter God. "And be sought God." (1) How? By observing bis worship, keering his comme.ndments, honouring his prophets, and studying bis Law-the only true way of seeking God still. (2) When? In the days of Zechariah, "who bad under- standing," or "gave instruction" (Revised Version, margin), "in the vision of God." Nobler distinction than the former, better employment than the latter, can no man have, (3) How long? Until Zechariah died, after which his fervour declined, the remem- brance of his teacher faded, his devotion to Jehovah and the true religion diminished. So ,Toash behaved wisely and religiously while Jehoiada lived (eh. xxiv. 17). Human .~oodness too often short-lived (Hos. vi. 4). (4) With what result? Prosperity, which kept pace with his piety. "As long as he sought Jehovah, Elohim made him to prosper" (ver. 5)-a remarkable combination of words, which perhaps teaches that, whilst prosperity or success is from God, the Supreme Being as such, it is never con- ferred upon good men except on the ground that they are worshippers of him as the covenant God of grace and salvation. 3. A pupil of Zechariah. "Zechariah had understanding," and perhaps gave him instruction" in the vision [or, 'seeing'] of God." That this Zechariah was neither the priest whom Joash slew (eh. xxiv. 20), nor the prophet who lived in the second year of Darius (Zech. i. 1), is apparent. That he pos- sessed that special gift or capacity of beholding God in vision which pertained to the prophetic calling cannot be inferred from the Chronicler's statement, "since this beholding of God, of which the prophets were conscious only in moments of highest inspiration, cannot be thought of as a work of human activity and exercise" (Bertheau). Most probably be was one who, like Daniel (i. 17), "had understanding in all visions ind dreams," and who acted as Uzziah's counsellor and teacher. III. A BRILLU.NTWARBIOR. (Vers. 2, 6, 7, 8.) 1. Thefortificationof Eloth. (Ver. 2.) His father's conquest of Edom (eh. x.xv. 11, 12) had either not been pushed as far as this important harbour-town upon the Red Sea (see on eh. viii. 17), or the town, though taken, had been given up and not annexed to Judah in consequence of Joash's defeat of Amaziah (eh. x:.xv. 23). On attaining to the throne, Uzziah rectified his father's oversight by capturing the town, erecting it into a fortress, and restoring it to Judah. Without it Edom was of little consequence to Judah. This exploit, which happened in the early part of Uzziah's reign, was probably that from which he derived his name .Azariah (2 Kings xiv. 21, 22); while its introduction at this stage in the narrative, before the chronological statement which follows it (ver. 3), may have been due to a desire on the part of the Chronicler to introduce Uzziah to his readers as the well-known monarch who had conquered, recovered, and fortified Eloth (Bertheau). 2. The war against the Philistines and Arabians. (Vera. 6, 7.) These had together invaded Judah upwards of eighty years previously (eh. xxi. 16), and Uzzia.h may have purposed to inflict upon them chastisement for that aggression (Keil); but the assump- tion is as rational that Uzziah either dreaded or experienced a combination against himself similar to that which had assailed Jehoram, and that, either (in the former case) taking time by the forelock, he fell upon his enemies ere they could strike at him, or (in the latter case), meeting the emergency with couraie, he repelled the attacks they made upon him. His success in dealing with the Philistines was complete. He broke down the walls of Gath (see on eh. xi. 8), which, formerly taken from the Philis- tines by David (1 Chron. xviii. 1), had latterly been recovered, most likely in the reign of Jehoram; the wall of Jabneh, here mentioned for the first time, but probably the town in Judah named Jabneel in the days of the conquest (Josh. xv. 11), Jamnia in the period of the Maccabees, at the present day Jabneh, eighteen miles north-wes~ of GatL, "situated on a slight eminence on the west bank of the valley of Sorek ( Wady e,; Siurar), about four miles from the sea coast" (Warren, in' Picture~q_u~ Palestine,' iii. 161); and the wall of .Ashdod, one of the principal cities of the Ph1listm~s (1 Sam. v, 1), and now a village called Esdud, after which he erected cities !n the ?om~m of Ashdod and in other parts of Philistia. In like manner, he was entirely VICtonous over the Arabians in Gur-baal-not the city Petra (LXX.), but perhaps the town of Gerar (Tar- gum)-e.nd the Meunims, who dwelt in Me.an (1 Chron. iv, 41). 3. The submission ?f the Ammonites. These, whose settlements lay east of the bead Sea, and who, m Jehosbaphat'11 time, had come up against J ud~h (c~. xx. 1), we~e now so rc~-~ced that t 11ey rendered tribute to Judah, as the Moab1tes did Wlder Dav;d (2 Sam. vm. 2), aod OH. xxvr.1-23.J THE SECOND BOOK OF 'fHE CHRONICLES. 323