+ Heb. clothed.

840.

840.

+ Heb. in the

18 And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.

19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.

20 And the Spirit of God + came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken

you.

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.

23 ¶ And it came to pass + at the revolution of end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came

the year.

$39.

in the temple, and furnishing it with vessels for the Divine service. Bp. Patrick.

17.-came the princes of Judah,] Some of the principal men, who in their hearts continued devoted to the worship of Baal," made obeisance to the king;" that is, made their addresses to him with great reverence, pretending devotion to his service, and requested leave to worship the idols which Jehoiada had destroyed. Bp. Patrick.

The great change now wrought in Joash shews of how great importance it is for men in eminent situations to have about them wise and virtuous persons, and for the ministers of religion to be endued with zeal and prudence. The death of persons of this character is a great loss; and evil counsels are ever fatal to those who follow them. Ostervald.

21. And they conspired against him, &c.] So degenerate was this prince grown, that he suffered that very temple, which he himself had piously repaired, to be profaned with the blood of a virtuous man, the son of his best benefactor, to whom he owed his life and his crown. Pyle.

To what extremities of wickedness will not wretched man proceed, when deserted by his Maker! King Joash is turned, not idolater only, but persecutor; yea, which is more horrible to consider, persecutor of the son of that Jehoiada, to whom he owed his own life. Zechariah, his foster brother, the only issue of those parents, by whom Joash lived and reigned, is, for his conscientious rebuke of the idolatry of prince and people, un

He is slain.

Before CHRIST 839.

to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of † Da- + Heb. mascus.

24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.

servants

25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.

Darmesek.

Jozachar,

26 And these are they that conspired against him; | Zabad the sonor, of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and 2 Kings 12. Jehozabad the son of || Shimrith a Moabitess.

21.

|| Or,

Shomer.

839.

27 Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the † repairing of the house + Heb. of God, behold, they are written in founding. the story of the book of the kings. Or, And Amaziah his son reigned in his commentary. stead.

justly and cruelly murdered by that unthankful hand. How possible is it for fair and pious beginnings to close in monstrous impieties! Bp. Hall.

22.. - he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.] The Prophet resigned his breath without any the least reviling word; only telling them that God would not fail to punish such outrageous impieties. The words, "The Lord look upon it," &c. are not an imprecation, but a prophecy: they are to be taken in a future sense, "The Lord will look upon it and require it." Pyle.

Assuredly, his zeal for justice, not the uncharitable thirst of revenge, drew forth these words. God heard his dying words, and soon called Joash to a severe account. His crime made him odious when living, and deprived him, when slain, of the sepulchre of his fathers, ver. 25; as if this last mark of royalty were too good for him who had forgotten the law of humanity. Bp. Hall.

all the princes of the people] Those who had advised Joash to restore the worship of Baal. Bp. Patrick.

25. buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.] Because he had been a notorious idolater. Bp. Wilson. The fate of Joash was like that of other bad kings. God delivered him up to the Syrians, though they with a small company of men," ver. 24; he was killed in his bed by his own subjects, and buried with disgrace : whence we are taught, that they who provoke the wrath of God by their sins, will experience sooner or later the severity of his judgments. Ostervald.

Amaziah beginneth to reign well.

Before CHRIST

839.

a 2 Kings 14. 1, &c.

+ Heb. confirmed upon him.

b Deut. 24.

16.

CHAP. XXV.

a

14

AMAZIAH was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

3 ¶ Now it came to pass, when the kingdom was established to him, that he slew his servants that had killed the king his father.

4 But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD

5 Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together, and made them captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, according to the houses of their fathers, throughout all Judah and Benjamin: and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them three hundred thousand choice men, able to go forth to war, that could handle

shield.

spear and

6 He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.

7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.

8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down."

9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the

Jer. 31. 30.

Ezek. 18. 20.

shall not die for the children, neither

Chap. XXV. ver. 2. - but not with a perfect heart.] It is said at 2 Kings xiv. 3, that he did that which was right, but "not like David his father." He did in fact what the law required, but not with a sincere and solid piety. Bp. Patrick.

5.- three hundred thousand choice men,] We here discern how much the iniquities of the people had now diminished their numbers since the days of Jehoshaphat, that is, in the space of about seventy years; for this king could bring only 300,000 men to the field, and Jehoshaphat brought nearly four times as many; see chap. xvii. Bp. Patrick.

6. He hired also-out of Israel] In hiring these Israelites, the king acted rashly and presumptuously. For, in the first place, he "enquired not of the Lord" upon the occasion: see Judges xx. 27; 1 Sam. xxiii. 2. 4; Sam. ii. 1; v. 19. 23; 2 Kings xvi. 15; 1 Chron. x. 14, &c. He sought not, as, upon concerns of importance, David and the other religious kings of Judah had constantly sought, those special directions from God, which, under the existing dispensation, a dispensation, into the texture of which miracles were interwoven, were always to be obtained by an immediate reference to the Most High before his altar. And, in the next place, he knew that the people of Israel had long been open idolaters; and that the heaviest calamities had fallen upon his own ancestors, in consequence of connexions which they had formed with idolatrous Israel. He could not then look for the Divine blessing upon this proceeding: but he had reason to expect that his sinful misconduct would be made the instrument of his punishment. Gisborne.

7.-for the Lord is not with Israel, &c.] The Pro

Before CHRIST 839.

to the army of Israel? And the + Heb. band.

phet here reprimands them sharply for entering into an alliance with the Israelites, a people debauched by the wicked house of Jeroboam, which was of the tribe of Ephraim. Pyle.

At the same time God, in great mercy, affords Amaziah both opportunity and encouragement to stop short in the evil course on which he had entered. Gisborne.

8. But if thou wilt go, &c.] If thou wilt go to fight against Edom, do it only with thine own men; for, though they are not a numerous army, yet God will make them to be strong enough for the battle, so as to conquer the Edomites; but, if thou take the forces of Israel with thee, "God will make thee fall before the enemy:" for God hath power to help or give thee victory by a small army, and to cast thee down or cause thee to be conquered, even with the greatest army. Dr. Wells.

9. But what shall we do for the hundred talents &c.] Amaziah was confounded at the message of the Prophet. He could not venture to retain the Israelites to go with him to the war, when he was assured that his own destruction would be the consequence. But he was far from possessing that singleness of heart, that true and lively faith, which would have taught him to obey the command of God instantly and cheerfully, whatever present sacrifice might be inseparable from obedience. His heart hankered after the money which he had advanced. Was that to be relinquished? If not, how was it to be recovered? If compliance with the Divine will would not have cost him any thing, he would readily have obeyed. But an expensive proof of obedience was required. He pondered therefore and hesitated; and "said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the

CHRIST 839.

Before man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.

+ Heb. to their place.

+ Heb. in heat of anger. about 827.

+ Heb. the sons of the band.

10 Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go + home again wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home + in great anger. Il ¶ And Amaziah strengthened himself, and led forth his people, and went to the valley of salt, and smote of the children of Seir ten thousand.

12 And other ten thousand left alive did the children of Judah carry away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, that they all were broken in pieces.

13 ¶ But + the soldiers of the army which Amaziah sent back, that they should not go with him to battle, fell upon the cities of Judah, from Samaria even unto Beth-horon, and smote three thousand of them, and took much spoil.

14 Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.

15 Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?

16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto

hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel?" Gisborne.

66

The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.] God, who is the Lord of the whole earth, has the earth, and every thing which it contains, at his disposal. Every beast of the forest is his, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts," Psal. 1. 10; Hag. ii. 8. He could have at once extended the dominions of Amaziah to the widest bounds promised to the children of Israel; from Lebanon to the confines of Egypt; from the Western sea to the great river Euphrates. He could have rendered this king an object of respect, of admiration, and of dread, to all the surrounding nations. At the present hour, all the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them, are at the disposal of the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour. All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him. Every article, in which worldly prosperity consists; every event, which contributes to

Before

He serveth the gods of Edom. him, Art thou made of the king's CHRIST counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou about 827. be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because + Heb. thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

counselled.

826.

c 2 Kings 14.

17 Then Amaziah king of ¶ Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, 8, 9. the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.

furze bush,

18 And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, The || thistle that was in Lebanon | Or, sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, or, thorn. saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife: and there passed by a wild + Heb. a beast beast that was in Lebanon, and trode down the thistle.

19 Thou sayest, Lo, thou hast smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to boast: abide now at home; why shouldest thou meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?

20 But Amaziah would not hear; for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods of Edom.

21 So Joash the king of Israel went up; and they saw one another in the face, both he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-shemesh, which belongeth to Judah.

of the field.

smillen.

22 And Judah was put to the + Heb. worse before Israel, and they fled every man to his tent.

23 And Joash the king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth

worldly greatness; every outward circumstance in any respect advantageous to men, is in his hands. Well therefore may we be assured, that whatever we lend to the Lord, by resigning it for his sake, He is able beyond measure to repay to us again. Gisborne. 13. - the soldiers of the army] army.

That is, the Israelite

and smote three thousand of them,] Thus Amaziah was punished for having entered into an alliance with idolaters, although at the Prophet's reproof he broke it off: and God, it is probable, also suffered this calamity to fall upon him, because he used his victory over the Edomites with too much cruelty. Bp. Patrick.

17. Then Amaziah-took advice,] Although he would not be advised by the Prophet, it appears that he consulted others, who led him to destruction; for he proceeded, without first desiring to have satisfaction made for the injury done to him, to make war on Joash king of Israel, and provoke him to battle. Bp. Patrick.

He is slain by conspiracy.

Before CHRIST

826.

+ Heb. the

gate of it that looketh.

810.

+ Heb. from after. + Heb.

conspired a conspiracy.

I That is, the city of

Darid, as it is

2 Kings 14. 20.

shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.

24 And he took all the gold and the silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king's house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

25 ¶ And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel?

Uzziah succeedeth him.

days of Zechariah prospereth. 16 Waxing proud he invadeth the priest's office, and is smitten with leprosy. 22 He dieth, and Jotham succeedeth him.

TH HEN all the people of Judah took a || Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.

2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.

3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.

4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did.

5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding

28 And they brought him upon horses, and buried him with his fathers in the city of || Judah.

CHAP. XXVI.

6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities || about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.

7 And God helped him against

24. — with Obed-edom,] Who had the chief care of the treasures in the temple. Dr. Wells.

27.after the time that Amaziah did turn away &c.] He survived Joash several years; but it appears he grew more and more hated by his subjects, and at enmity with God; so that at last a conspiracy was formed against him, under which he fell. Pyle.

In obedience to the command of God, Amaziah resigned the hundred talents; yet he lived in calamity, and died by violence and treason. Did the Lord God, the God of goodness and truth, forsake his servant? No: the Lord forsook Amaziah, because Amaziah drew back from being his servant. Amaziah, when he had destroyed the Edomites, brought with him to Jerusalem their idols; and with the infatuation, which belongs to presumptuous wickedness, set them up to be his gods, and burned incense to them, and worshipped them: yet the sword of Divine justice paused in its scabbard. "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." The Lord, instead of immediately cutting off the king in the midst of his ingratitude and impiety, was mercifully pleased to send a Prophet, to rebuke him and call him to repentance, ver. 15. How did the king receive the message from God? When the former Prophet had delivered his message, Amaziah obeyed his command. But he now refused to humble himself before his Maker. His heart was obstinately fixed in apostasy. He charged the Prophet with insolent obtrusiveness for daring to reprove him; and ordered him to be silent on pain of punishment, ver. 16. Then the Prophet, perceiving him not to be reclaimed, pronounced his doom, "I know that God hath determined to destroy

Or, in the

country of Ashdod.

about 800.

thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel." Hence followed the disastrous residue of his life, and his miserable end. And we may learn from his example, that no former acts of righteousness, no former sacrifices of present interest for conscience sake, will avail us as an excuse for indulging afterwards in sin. Gisborne.

28. in the city of Judah.] In Jerusalem, "the city of David," as it is stated at 2 Kings xiv. 20. Bp. Patrick. And as the old versions read in this place. Dr. Wells.`·

Chap. XXVI. ver. 5.-in the days of Zechariah,] This is not the Zechariah, whose book of prophecies is extant in the Bible, for he lived 300 years afterwards; nor Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, who was slain some years before; but probably the son of the latter Zechariah, who was called after his father's name, and was eminent for his Divine wisdom. It is not here said that he was a Prophet, but that he "had understanding in the visions of God," by which is probably meant, that he was skilful in expounding the ancient prophecies, and giving instruction out of them. Bp. Patrick.

6. And he went forth and warred &c.] From this verse to the 15th, the sacred writer shews by several instances how excellent a prince this was, and what prosperity God gave him while he was truly religious: for he shewed extreme solicitude for the welfare of his people; he was skilful in husbandry, but at the same time extremely active in warlike affairs, inasmuch as he prudently demolished the fortifications of his enemies on the frontiers, and provided his own frontiers with works,

garrisons, arms, and engines of war. Thus his power became so formidable, that the Ammonites "gave gifts," ver. 8, to preserve his friendship, and "his name spread abroad," not only to the Philistines on the west, but to the Arabians and others on the east, and to the borders of Egypt on the south. Bp. Patrick.

10. Also he built towers] It has commonly been supposed that these towers were made for sheltering the shepherds from the bad weather, or for defending them from the incursions of the enemies. It may also be conjectured, that they were designed to keep the inhabitants who pastured there in subjection, and to induce them to pay quietly their tribute. William of Tyre mentions parts of the Eastern countries, inhabited by Armenian and Syrian Christians, who fed their prodigious flocks and herds, but were in subjection to the Turks, who, though few in number, yet lived in strong places, and thus kept the peasants in entire subjection. Harmer.

14. And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, &c.] It deserves notice, that here seems to be the earliest mention on record of a magazine of military stores. Script. illust. Expos. Ind.

15. — engines,—to shoot arrows and great stones] It appears from this passage that those authors must be mistaken who attribute the invention of the engine called the Balista, and other such, to the Greeks and Romans; since we have here an instance of their being employed in the East, before the Greeks had brought the military art to any great perfection. Perhaps Uzziah was the inventor of them, and on this account it is stated that "his name" was "spread abroad." It appears that from this time they began to be used in besieging and attacking towns; and therefore Ezekiel, when describing the future sieges of Jerusalem and Tyre, makes mention of engines of war. Calmet.

his reign well.

Before CHRIST

800.

13 And under their hand was + an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the power of the king against the enemy.

↑ Heb.

an army.

of slings.

14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and † slings to cast stones. + Heb. stones 15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name + spread + Heb. far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.

went forth.

16 ¶ But when he was strong, his about 765. heart was lifted up to his destruction : for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.

17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men:

18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, Itap- ↳ Numb. 18. pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to

7.

This is probably the earliest description on record of those engines, named by the Greeks and Romans Balistæ and Catapulta; together with their use and application. Fragments to Calmet.

It appears that some of these engines were employed to shoot arrows, and others to cast great stones. 'The powers of various engines of this sort, as described by the ancients, were very great. Nonnius speaks of instruments, which threw stones of 100 or 120 pounds weight: Diodorus mentions a machine which threw stones of 360 pounds. The distance, to which they threw, is also surprising, since they reached to three stadia, or furlongs; perhaps even to a mile distant: they could throw in one night 500 stones, and by day a thousand. They were employed likewise in battle. Tacitus mentions a battalion of the enemy, overthrown by a volley of great stones. These machines had no need of stores of iron, powder, sulphur, pitch, &c. but for the most part could find ammunition, wherever a fort was to be attacked, or a city besieged. Script. illust. Expos. Ind.

16. But when he was strong, &c.] When the grandeur to which he was raised dazzled his eyes, and his pride in earthly glories made him forgetful of the laws of his infinite Benefactor. Pyle. How hard it is to bear great prosperity with moderation and humble thankfulness! Bp. Patrick.

How easy it is for the best of men to be swoln with admiration of their own strength and glory: to be lifted up so high, as to lose the sight both of the ground whence they rose, and of the hand that advanced them! Bp. Hall.

and went into the temple] What could tempt him to this folly, it is hard to explain: perhaps he had a vain ambition of imitating heathen princes, who in many places executed the priesthood. Bp. Patrick.

- It appertaineth not unto thee, &c.] What reli