2 Chronicles 20

I... came to pass after this also, that the children of, and the childr... n of Ammon, and with them oth... r beside the Ammonites To wit, the people that dwelt in Mount Seir, who were now Confederate with them, as appears from v. 10, 22, 23. Or, This is the Name of a Peculiar People called either Mehumin, of whom you read 2 C... ron. 26. 7. (and so there is only a Transposition of two Letters in the Hebrew word, which is not unusual in that Language) or, as the LXX Interpreters render this Word; or, or, as it is in the Hebrew (the two first Letters being not Prefixes, as they are commonly made, but part of the Word or proper Name of that People) who, as it may seem, now dwelt in Mount Seir, being either of the Old Stock of the Edomites, or another Nation since come in their stead or mixed with them. Others render the Place thus, for (as the Hebrew vau is oft taken) with them (i. e. with the Moabites) were the Ammo... or children of Ammon. Which may be distinctly noted either to show the largeness of the Confederacy, in which not only the Moabites were ingaged, who dwelt nearer Jehoshaphats Kingdom, but the Ammonites also who lived at a greater distance from him: Or to intimate that the Ammonites, being possibly instigated by the Syrians, their next Neighbours, were the first Beginners and chief Promoters of the War, and engaged both the Moabites and the Inhabitants of Mount Seir in their Quarrel.,... ame against Jehoshaphat to battel.

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against the... from beyond the sea To wit, the Dead Sea, beyond which Mount Seir lay. on this side Syria Or, and from Syria, largely so called, and so it includes the Moabites and Ammonites. And it may be thus expressed to intimate that they came by the Instigation of the Syrians, who thought by this means to revenge themselves of Jehoshaphat for joyning with Ahab against them., and behold, they be in Haz... zon-tamar, which is Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat... eared Partly from Humane Frailty, and partly from the Remembrance of his own Guilt and the Wrath of God denounced against him for it, ch. 19. 2., and set himself to seek the LORD The Phrase notes his settled Resolution, Seriousness, and Earnestness in it, and the preparing and fixing his Heart for it., and proclaimed a fast Partly in token of his Humiliation and Penitence for his Sins, and partly to make himself and his People more Fervent in their Prayers. throughout all Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD Largely so called, i. e. in one of the Courts of the Temple, even in the Court of the People, and upon that Bra... en Scaffold which Solomon had erected for such a Purpose, 2 Chron. 6. 13. before the new court i. e. Besides and before the Priests Court: for there were but two Courts belonging to the Temple, as is noted 2 King. 21. 5. & 23. 12. And Jehoshaphat stood in the one, which must be that of the People; and before the other, which therefore can be no other than that of the Priests, which is called the New Court, because it... ad been lately renewed when the Altar was renewed, ch. 15. 8. as the Command of Love is called a new Command, Joh. 13. 34. Ioh. 2. 8. because it was so solemnly renewed and revived and reinforced by Christ.,

And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms o... the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee.

Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the... eed of Abraham thy friend for ever i. e. To whom thou hast engaged thy self by Covenant to be his Friend, and the Friend of his Seed for ever, and therefore we trust thou wilst not forsake us his Posterity.?

And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

If when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment Or rather, Sw... rd of Judgment or..... e. whereby thou judgest and thy People their. Compare Levit 26. 25., or pestilence, or famine, we stand be... ore this house, and in thy presence, (... or thy name is in this house) and... ry unto thee in our o..., then thou wilt hear and help.

And now behold, the children of Ammon, and Moab, and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not:

Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

O our God, wilt thou not judg them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us Thus he speaks partly though he had great Armies to be drawn together in due time upon g... eat ch. 17. 1... &c. Yet he seems t... by his were in to oppose them... ecause well knew and and wisely Humane, numerous, were a... le witho... t Gods Assistance, he feared by his Sins he and then he had really been as weak as Water.: neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee Looking to thee only for Relief and Succour..

And all Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones Whom they used to present before the Lord in times of great Distress, partly to stir up themselves to more and faithful Prayers, that their Eye being upon their harmless and tender Children, might affect their Heart with a gre... ter Sense of their Mise... y: and partly to move God to Compass... on, not as if he were capable of Passions or Changes upon such a Sight, but because God has declared himself that he will be prevailed with by such Methods as these., their wives and their children.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benajah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation He was suddenly inspired by God with the following Message..

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus says the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismaid by reason of this great multitude, for the battel is not yours, but Gods God will fight for you, and he alone will do the Work, you need not strike a Stroke..

To morrow go ye down From Jerusalem, where he and his Army now were; which stood upon high ground. against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz, and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

Ye shall not need to fight in this battel; set your selves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismaid; to morrow go out against them, for the LORD will be with you.

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head, with his face to the ground In token of his Reverence to God and his Message, his Belief of the Promise, and his Thankfulness for so great a Favour.: and all Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up... y Jehoshaphats Appointment, to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high i. e. With most loud voice, with Heart and Voice lifted up: whereby they showed their assurance of the Victory, as if it were already accomplished..

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa... and as they went forth Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hea... me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his p... ophets i. e. Gods Promise delivered to us by this Prophet and consequently all other Predictions of the Prophets that either have been or shall be., so shall ye prosper Take heed, le... t by your Unbelief you frustrate Go... s Prom... se..

And when he had consulted with the people i. e. With the Elders or Chief of the People; partly to take their Advice about the Expediency of the Thing; and partly that they might excite and prepare themselves and the People under them to this great Work of Praysing God., he appointed singers unto the LORD To the Honour and Service of God., and that should praise the beauty of holiness Or, the Glory or Magnificence or Majesty of Holiness, i. e. (by a vulgar Hebraism) the Holy Majesty; a Periphrasis of God. Or, according to the beauty or magnificence of the Sanctuary, i. e. in the same comely Order and Magnificent Manner, as they used to do it i... the Temple; where the following Song was usually, s... ng, as... Chron. 5. 13. & 7. 3, 6., as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD, for his mercy endureth for ever.

And when they began to sing and to praise So acceptable are the Fervent Prayers of Gods People to God, and so terrible to their Enemies., the LORD set ambus... ments Or, lyers in wait, either 1. the Holy Angels, who appeared in the Shape of Men, and possibly put on the Appearances and Visages of Moabites or Ammonites, and in that shape slew the rest, who supposing this Slaughter to be done by a part of their own Army, fell upon them, and so broke forth into Mutual Slaughters. Or, 2. God raised Jealousies and Animosities amongst themselves, which by degrees broke forth, first, into secret Ambushments, which one party laid for another, and then into open Hostilities and Outrages to their utter Destruction. So Vain are all Mens Attempts against God, who needs none to destroy his Enemies but themselves and their own Mistakes and Passions, which he can, when he pleaseth, arm against them. against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten.

For the children of Ammon and Moab, stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to s... ay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

And when Judah came toward the watchtower Which stood upon the Cliff of Ziz mentioned above, v. 6. or some other Hill which looked toward the Wilderness, where their Enemies lay encamped, whose Numbers, and Order, and Condition they could descry from thence. in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen upon the earth, and none escaped.

And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels Which they brought with them partly to corrupt any of Jehoshaphats Officers as they saw Occasion: partly to procure necessaries for their vast Army from time to time: and partly because they came as to a Triumph rather than to a Fight, being secure and confident of the Victory because of their great Numbers, and especially because they thought to surprize Jehoshaphat ere he could make any considerable preparations against them; God also permitting them to be puffed up to their own Destruction. (which they stript off for themselves) more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah Heb. of Blessing; so called from their solemn Blessings and Praises given to God in it upon this Occasion.;... or there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called the valley of Berachah unto this day.

Then they returned every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the... orefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy: for the LORD had made them to rejoyce over their enemies.

And they came to Jerusalem with psalte... ies, and harps, and trumpets, unto the house of the LORD To renew their Praises in the Court of the Temple, the proper and usual Place for it..

And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries Which were near, or which heard these things., when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.

So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.

And Jehoshaphat 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 the daughter of Shilhi.

And he walked in the ways of Asa his father, and departed not from it, doing that which was right in the sight of the LORD.

Howbeit, the high places were not taken away Not fully nor universally; of which see on ch. 17. 6.; for as yet the people had not prepared their heart unto the God of their fathers The Fault was not in Jehoshaphat, but in the People, who, though they did Worship the True God, yet would not be confined to the Temple, but for their own Conveniency, or from their Affection to their Ancient Custom chose to Worship him in the High Places: which Jehoshaphat was forced to connive at, lest those people being debarred from that dearly-beloved Practice, should fall into a Neglect of God and his Worship..

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

And after this This is mentioned as an Aggravation of his Sin, after so great a Favour and Obligation laid upon him by God; and after he had been so sharply reproved and threatned by a Prophet for the same thing, ch. 19. 2. yet he relapsed into the same Sin; which proceeded partly from that near Relation which was contracted between the two Families, and partly from the sweetness and easiness of Jehoshaphats Temper, which could not resist the Solicitations of others, in such things as might seem indifferent. For he did not joyn with him in a War, as he did with Ahab, but in a peaceable way only in a Matter of Trade and Commerce. And yet God sharply reproves and punisheth him for it, v. 37. to show his great dislike and detestation of all friendly and familiar Conversation of his Servants and People with Idolaters and professed... nemies of God and of Religion, as Ahaziah was, who is therefore thus stigmatized in the next words, who did very wickedly. did Jehoshaphat king of Judah joyn himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, who did very wickedly Or, who did industriously, and malitiously, and constantly work wickedness, as the Hebrew Phrase implyes, giving himself up to Idolatry and all Wickedness.:

And he joyned himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish Of which see on 1 King. 10. 22. & 22. 48.: and they made the ships in Ezion-geber Of which see on 1 King. 9. 26..

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Maresha..., prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joyned thy self with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken thy works. And the ships were broken that they were not able to go to Tarshish.