Chuiv.y.8—rg. I.
every fide; had fet up his pure worfhip, reformed abules in it, and removed idolatry from it, and clofely attended to the fervice of the fanctuary, which was well pleafing to God; the happy effec of which they experienced, reft from all their enemies round about them: /o that they built, and profpered; they began, and went on, and finifhed, there being nothing to hinder them.
y, 8. and Afa had an army of men that bare targets and pears, out of Fudab 300,000, &c.] Thefe were armed with a large fort of fhield, to protect them, and with fpears, to pufh at an enemy when they came near them, and to clofe quarters with them: and out of Benjamin that bare fields and drew bows, 280,000; thefe had alfo a leffer fort of fhields, to defend their bodies, and bows and arrows, to annoy an enemy at a diftance; ai/ thefe were mighty men of valour; able-bodied men, valiant and courageous; perhaps 4/a gathered thefe together, on hearing that the E¢hiopians were preparing to attack him, as follows.
¥. 9. And there came out againfi them, Zerah the Ethiopian, with an boft of 1000,1000, and 300 chariots, &c.] According to Fo/epbus”, this army confifted of 900,000 foot, and 100,000 horfemen, _and certain it is there were horfemen among them, ch. xvi. 8. fome fay thefe were not the Ethiopians in Africa, beyond Egypt, being, as is faid, too far off for fuch an army to travel, and it would be hard to fay what fhould induce them to it; and befides it is urged, the king of Egypt would never have fuffered them to pafs through his dominions, as they muft to come to ‘Fudea; but that they were the Cufrite Arabs, that inhabited Midian, part of Arabia Petrea, and Arabia Felix, near Fudea, fee the note on Numb, xi. 1. but fince this great hoft confifted of Lubim or Lybians, inhabitants of 4frica, as well as of Ethiopians, ch. xvi. 8. thefe Ethiopians feem to be rather thofe in Africa, who were matters of Egypt and Lydia, as well as Ethiopia, quickly after the death of Shifbek, or Sefofris, fee ch. xii. 2, 3. which accounts for the Jargenefs of this army, and their paffage through Egypt: that there were two forts of Erbiopiaus, the weftern and eaftern ones, the one that dwelt in Africa, the other in fia, appears clearly from Homer ‘*, Herodotus *, and Heliodorus*, the former of which feem here meant; nor need this army be thought incredible, efpecially fince they were joined by the Ludim or Lybians, and affifted by the Pdiliftines, as appears by what follows; befides, the two armies of J/rael and Fudab we read of in the receding chapter, when put together, exceed this; fee alfo, ch. xvii. 1418, fo the armies of Tamerlane and Bajazet, that of the former being 1,600,000 and that of the latter 1,400,000': and came unto Marefoah acity in the tribe of udab, on the borders of it, ch. xi. 8.
¥..10. Then Afa went out againft him, ‘&c.] Notwithftanding he brought fo great an army with in diftrefs; this dhe did before the battle began, at the head of his army, and for the encouragement of it: and faid, Lord, it is nothing with thee ta help; nothing can hinder from helping, his power being fuperior to all others, and even infinite, and none befides him could: whether with many, or with them that have no power; numbers make no difference with him, nor the condition they are in; whether numerous and mighty, or few and feeble, he can as eafily help the one as the other, fee 1 Sam xiv. 6. help us, O Lord our God; who are few and weak in comparifon of the enemy: for we reft on thee; wrult in thee, and rely upon thee for help; the Zargum is, ‘on thy Word we lean:” and in thy name we go againft this multitude, expreffing faith in him, expecting help from him, encouraging and {ftrengthening themielves in him, going forth not in their own name and ftrength, but in his; the Zargum is, “‘ in the name of the Word of the Lord:” O Lord, thou art our God; and thou only we know, and ferve no other, and we are thy people, called by thy name: Jet not man prevail againft thee; for thould this enemy prevail againft them, it would, be interpreted prevailing again{t their God.
¥. 12. So the Lord /mote the Ethiopians before Afa, and before fudab, 8c.) With confternation and terror; they were thrown into a panic: and the Ethiopians fled; before them, juft as Jerodoam and J/rael had, as related in the preceding chapter, War 5,16,
¥. 13. And Afa, and the people that were with him, purfued them unto Gerar, &c.} A city of the Philiftines, Gen. xx. 1. and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themfelves, they were thrown into fuch a fright, and into fo much confufion, that they could not put themfelves in order, and rally again; or there fell fuch a vaft number of them, that there were fcarce any remaining alive, which feems to be the fenfe of the words ufed: for they were deftroyed before the Lord, and before his boft; the army of J/rael, which the Lord was, as it were, the commander of, fought for, and led them in the purfuit, and gave them victory; or it may mean an hoft of angels, employed in deftroying this great army; and fo the Syriac and Arabic verfions of ¥. 12. read, “ the angel of the Lord fmote the Erhiopians:” and. they carried away very much fpoil; which they found in their camp, and with their flain; even much gold and filver, as Yofephus * fays.
¥. 14. And they finote all the cities round about The cities of the Pbiliftines, who were auxiliaries and confederates with thefe E¢biopians, and colonies from them, according to Theodoret, and who fays, about Eleutheropolis was a place, called, in his time, Geraron Saton: for the fear of the Lord came upon them; fo that they had no power to defend themfelves, and op-_ pofe the men of Yudah: and they fpoiled all the ci- him: and they fet the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Marehah; where the Ethiopians were; he did not ftay till they got farther into his ties; of the goods and fubftance that were in them: for there was exceeding much Jpoil in them; great wealth and riches of one kind or anather.
‘country, but marched againft them when on the
¥. 15. They fiote alfo the tents of cattle, &c.)
frontiers of it, and chofe the valley to pitch in, as being more; to the advantage of his fmaller army; The people thac dwelt in tents for the fake of the pafturage of their cattle; the Scenite Arabs, fo
$. ktev And Ale cried untetbe Lord bis,God, ec.)
Or. prayed, as the Targum, with vehemence, being which this great army brought with them for called from dwelling in tents: and carried away face; which thofe Arabs were feeding in Paleftine, and fapport: and camels in abundance, whichis another ciicumftance proving them to be drabs, who
$4 returning from the battle, and with the fpoil of the enemy, was met by a prophet of the Lord, who encouraged him to go on with the abounded with camels: and returned to. Ferufalem; S with their {poil, and-with great joy. Sy
: Peenibe 2s law; fince the Sankedrim fhould ceafe;” but according to our fupplement, and which feems righteft, it refers to time paft, not to the cafe of the ten work of reformation, promifing the prefence and help of God with him, ¥. 1—7. which infpired him with frefh courage, and he went about the tribes from the times of Feroboam; nor to the cafe of Yudeb from the times of Rekoboam; but to times more remote. even the times of the judges, work with grearvalacrity; and having offered facrifices, he and his people entered into a folemn covenant with the Lord, to ferve him, ¥. 8—15. upon which he deftroyed his mother’s idol, brought the dedicated things into the houfe of God, and the effect of this was peace for a long time, ¥. 16—19.
y.1. And the fpirit of God came upon Azariah the fon of Oded, &c.| The fame with Jddo, as Hillerus * thinks; and fome fuppofe this to be the name of the fon as well as the father, but called “zariab, to diftinguifh him from him, fee ¥. 8. on whom came, as the Zargum, the fpirit of prophecy, inftructing him what to fay to A/a; and the Fews fay‘, he is the fame with Jddo, and he the fame that was fent to Yeroboam, to reprove him for the alrar he built.
when they worfhipped Baa/ and Afbtaroth, and not the true God, Fudg ii. 10, 11. yet at the fame time fuggefting, that fhould the prefent inhabitants of _ Judab go into the fame practices, their cafe would be like theirs, defcribed in the following verfes: and without a teaching prieft; as they were under the judges, from the times of Phinebas to thofe of Eli, which was a long {pace of time: and without law; every man doing as he pleafed, there being. no king in J/rae/, nor any regard paid to the law of God, moral or ceremonial, Fudg. xvii. 6..
\ ¥. 4. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Irael, &c.| When being carried captive by neighbouring nations, and oppreffed; and they cried unto the Lord, and repented of their fins, and.turned from them to him:° aad — fought bim; by prayer and fupplication.s be was y.2. And he went out to meet Afa, &c.] From Serufalem, as Afa was coming to it: and faid unto found of them; and appeared for their help and de-. liverance, of which there are many inftances in the him, Hear ye me, Afa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the principal inhabitants of which tribes had been colleéted, and.went to this war, and were now returning: the Lord is with you, while ye be with him; it was aclear cafe he had been with them, in giving them the victory over the Ethiopians; and as long as they continued in the fervice of God, and abode by his pure worfhip, they might expect he would yet be with them, otherwife not: and if ye feek him, he will be found of you; you will fee his face, and enjoy his favour, and have his prefence, and help from him in every time of need, when they fought him by prayer and fupplication,as A/a had, and attended his worfhip and ordinances: dur
¥. 5. And in thofe times there was no peace to: him that went out, nor to him that came in, &e.]- There was no fatety in going abroad for travellers from one part to another on account of trade and’ bufinefs, the highways being infefted with thieves: and robbers, dut great vexations were upon all the inbabitants of the countries; of the country-villages which were deferted, becaufe of the plunders and depredations of them, Fudg. v..6, 7. Serre
¥. & And nation was deftroyed of nation, and city of city, &c.] Or-one tribe of another; as the Epbhraimites by the Grleadites, and the tribe of Ben- ha jamin by the other tribes; and Shechem by Abime- forfake you and leave you to fall into the hands of your enemies. ¥.. 3. Now for a long feafon Ifrael hath been without the true God, &c.} The fear, worfhip, and fervice of him being greatly neglected by - them for a long time; what period of time is referred to is not exprefled, whether paft, prefent, or to come, but left to be fupplied; the Targum refers this to the time of the feparation of the ten tribes, and the days of eroboam, when the calves were worfhipped, and not the true God, and the teaching priefts of the Lord were caft out, and the law of the Lord, efpecially with refpect) to worfhip, was not regarded, in which it is followed by many interpreters; others think it refers to time to come, and to what would be the cafe, fhould they forfake the Lord; and »was fulfilled in the Badylonifh captivity, fee Hof. iii..4. and the Fews * fay, that ‘* Oded prophefied that the days fhould come, when J/rael would be without the true God, fince.
judgment fhould not be done in the world; and without a. teaching prief;, fince the high priefthood fhould ceafe, (fee Heb. vii. 12.) and without the
44—48. for God did vex them with albadverfity,* both with foreign enemies and inteftine wars 5 and! - now it is intimated that this would be their cafe” again, fhould they not keep clofe to the Lord their God. que 3 £4 BUTT MNT y.7. Be ye firong therefore, and let not your bands~ be weak, &c.] Be hearty, earneft: and. vigorous, — and not languid and remifs in reforming the worfhip of God, which A/a had) begun: for sour work foall be rewarded, with peace and profperity at. home, and fuccefs againft enemies -abroad, of which they had had a recent inftance. 9. 2 4 ¥. 8. dnd when Afa heard thefe words, andthe prophecy of Oded the prophet, &c.) Some: - that befides the above words of Azariab.the a Oded, a prophecy of Oded his father was related by ~ him, though not recorded; but rather Oded hefe is > the fame. with the fon of Oded; and fo the Vulgate Latin and Syriac verfions read Azarieab the fon of Oded; and fo does the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint verfion: he took courage, and put the abominable idols out. of all the land of.9 Benjamin; which were abominable to God, anc