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 ²Then there came some that told
Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great
multitude against thee from beyond the sea
from Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-
tamar (the same is En-gedi).
2. from Syria] So also LXX., but undoubtedly the correct reading
is from Edom. Confusion of two letters of almost identical shape in
Hebrew (a ‫ ר‬for a ‫ )ד‬accounts for the difference.

Hazazon-tamar] Genesis xiv. 7. The name seems to describe the

place as stony and as containing palm-trees. It is in fact an oasis.

the same is En-gedi] Compare G. A. Smith, Historical Geography

of the Holy Land as quoted above, and Bädeker, Palestine⁵, p. 171.
En-gedi is on the west coast of the Dead Sea at a point where a
rugged pass leads up into the hill country of Judah.

³And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to

seek unto the Lord; and he proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah. ⁴And Judah gathered
themselves together, to seek help of the
Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they
came to seek the Lord.
3. proclaimed a fast] A fast involved the assembling of the
people; 1 Kings xxi. 9, 12; Jeremiah xxxvi. 6, 9; Joel ii. 15. Special
fasts were proclaimed for war, famine, or any other calamity or
serious event.

5‒13 (no parallel in Kings).

The Prayer of Jehoshaphat.

This prayer should be compared with Solomon’s (vi. 14 ff.).

 ⁵And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation
of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the
Lord, before the new court;
5. stood] Rather, rose up.

before the new court] The Temple of Solomon, strictly speaking,

had only one court, but the Chronicler speaks of it in terms which
seem more appropriate to the post-exilic Temple with its inner and
outer courts (see the note on iv. 9). The terms he uses, however, are
unhappily vague and it is not quite easy to determine the precise
meaning. Thus here, the word used for “court” is ḥāṣēr, which
according to iv. 9 ought to mean the inner court, the court of the
priests, as distinguished from the outer court of the people, the
“‘azārāh.” On this view, the phrase means that Jehoshaphat was in
the ‘azārāh, standing not in but before the ḥāṣēr of the priests. But
the inner court must be the old original court, and it seems quite
impossible that the Chronicler, as he does here, should describe it as
new: that adjective can be applicable only to a secondary, outer,
court. We must therefore suppose that he here uses the word ḥāṣēr
for the court he elsewhere designates by the special term ‘azārāh.
The correct interpretation then is that Jehoshaphat stood before the
new, the outer court, i.e. he stood at the inner side of the outer court
with his back towards the inner court and looking out towards the
containing wall and the entrances where the people were grouped.
Both interpretations come to much the same thing, but the point of
language deserves attention.

⁶and he said, O Lord, the God of our fathers,

art not thou God in heaven? and art not thou
ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? and
in thine hand is power and might, so that none
is able to withstand thee.
6. art not thou God] Compare Joshua ii. 11.
 ruler over all the kingdoms] Compare Psalms xxii. 28.

is power] compare xiv. 11 (Asa’s prayer).

⁷Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the

inhabitants of this land before thy people
Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham
thy friend for ever? ⁸And they dwelt therein,
and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy
name, saying,
7. drive out] compare Deuteronomy ix. 5.

thy friend] compare Isaiah xli. 8.

⁹If evil come upon us, the sword ¹, judgement,

or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before
this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in
this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction,
and thou wilt hear and save.
¹ Or, the sword of judgement.

9. the sword, judgement] Render with margin the sword of

judgement (compare Ezekiel xiv. 17).

¹⁰And 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 aside from
them, and destroyed them not;
 10. mount Seir] Here, and in verse 23 in the enumeration of the
allied peoples, “Mount Seir” which was situated in the Edomite
territory takes the place of the “Meunim” of verse 1. It is clear,
however, that the same contingent is meant, and no difficulty arises if
Meunim denotes people from the Edomite district near the town
Ma‘īn: see note on verse 1. Even if the south Arabian Minaeans
were meant, it might be said that the two peoples were cognate and
that Minaean invaders in passing through Mount Seir would probably
bring along with them Edomite kinsmen. The region loosely denoted
by Mount Seir was practically synonymous with Edom, extending
from the south of the Dead Sea to the head of the Gulf of Akaba.

whom thou wouldest not, etc.] Compare Deuteronomy ii. 4, 5, 9,

19; see also Numbers xx. 14‒21.

¹¹behold, how they reward us, to come to cast

us out of thy possession, which thou hast
given us to inherit.
11. thy possession] A “possession” means that which one takes
possession of by the sword. Canaan is God’s “possession” because
it was conquered by His arm (Psalms xliv. 3).

¹²O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we

have no might against this great company that
cometh against us; neither know we what to
do: but our eyes are upon thee.
12. our eyes are upon thee] Compare xiv. 11.

¹³And all Judah stood before the Lord, with

their little ones, their wives, and their children.
13. their little ones ... and their children] Compare xxxi. 18, “their
little ones ... and their sons and their daughters.” “Little ones”
(Hebrew ṭaph) seems always to mean quite small children.

14‒19 (no parallel in Kings).

The Prophecy of Jahaziel.

¹⁴Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah,

the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of
Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph,
came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the
congregation;
14. Jahaziel] Nothing is known of him beyond what is recorded in
this chapter. His name is significant (“God giveth visions”).

¹⁵and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye

inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king
Jehoshaphat: thus saith the Lord unto you,
Fear not ye, neither be dismayed by reason of
this great multitude; for the battle is not yours,
but God’s.
15. the battle is not yours, but God’s] Jahaziel gives a special
turn to the general truth, “The battle is the Lord’s” (David to Goliath,
1 Samuel xvii. 47).

¹⁶To-morrow go ye down against them: behold,

they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye
shall find them at the end of the valley, before
the wilderness of Jeruel.
16. the ascent of Ziz] The exact positions of this and of the
“valley” and of the “wilderness” mentioned in this verse are
uncertain, but probably the invaders followed not the direct road from
En-gedi to Beth-lehem, but one a little to the left of this.

the valley] (Hebrew naḥal), strictly “ravine” or “water-course.”

¹⁷Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set

yourselves, stand ye still, and see the
salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and
Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed: to-
morrow go out against them; for the Lord is
with you. ¹⁸And Jehoshaphat bowed his head
with his face to the ground: and all Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before
the Lord, worshipping the Lord.
17. stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord] This saying
magnificently expresses the very essence of this story of deliverance
won by faith. And further it reveals the deepest aspect of the
Chronicler’s attitude to life. It is the living heart of the whole history
as he tells it. We are impatient of the mechanical and grandiose
elements in his work, because the taste for such exaggeration has
passed away and the necessity for laying stress on the ritual of
religion has little relevance for our times. But all criticism of the
books of Chronicles is superficial which fails to see that the writer is
inspired by a splendid faith in God and a grand determination to
maintain the religious attitude as the one ultimate key to life’s
meaning. The present story is intended to assert the value of
reliance upon God, in the midst of overwhelming peril still “trust in
God and do the right”; and to assert this in the strongest conceivable
terms. Thus it is related that the victory was gained without any need
for Jehoshaphat’s grande armée of 1,160,000 men! Turn from the
tale to the circumstances of the post-exilic Jewish community, and
the heroism of such teaching leaps to light. It is when we are
surrounded by unscrupulous and powerful foes and have not 1000
soldiers, far less 1,000,000, that the reality of our trust in God and
goodness is put to the test. “Aye,” says the Chronicler, “but, if like
Jehoshaphat you had 1,000,000, it is still the supreme duty of man to
rely on God.” Great teaching, and greatly followed by the enfeebled
yet indomitable Jews. While they were thus helpless, Jehovah
wrought for Israel, even as the Chronicler relates that He destroyed
the enemies of Jehoshaphat in the wilderness of Jeruel. “The Jews
stood still and saw the working out of their deliverance; great
Empires wrestled together—Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman
—like Moab, Ammon, and Edom, in the agony of the death struggle:
and over all the tumult of battle Israel heard the voice of Jehovah,
‘The battle is not yours, but God’s; ... set yourselves, stand ye still,
and see the deliverance of Jehovah with you, O Judah and
Jerusalem’” (Bennett, Chronicles, p. 387). Certainly the post-exilic
Jews were so weak that trust in their own armed power was at
almost all times manifestly absurd, yet this does not mean that they
were thereby driven to the policy of quiet faith. There was an
alternative ever before them—despair and unbelief: that they
resolutely refused. Such were the stern realities which ought to be
weighed when we seek to realise the moral and spiritual worth of the
Chronicler and his doctrines.

¹⁹And the Levites, of the children of the

Kohathites and of the children of the
Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the
God of Israel, with an exceeding loud voice.
19. the Korahites] The Korahites were a branch of the Kohathites
(1 Chronicles vi. 22 [7, Hebrew], 37, 38 [22, 23, Hebrew]); the
Chronicler simply defines his first statement; those who stood up to
praise were Kohathites by clan, Korahites by family.

20‒25 (no parallel in Kings).

The Deliverance.
 ²⁰And they rose early in the morning, and went
forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they
went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear
me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem; believe in the Lord your God, so
shall ye be established; believe his prophets,
20. Tekoa] The modern Teḳu‘a, a ruin on a hill 2790 feet above
the sea, about six miles south of Beth-lehem. It was an ancient
place; xi. 6; 1 Chronicles ii. 24; 2 Samuel xiv. 2; Amos i. 1. The
“wilderness of Tekoa” means that part of the “wilderness of Judah”
which was near Tekoa.

believe ... so shall ye be established] Compare Isaiah vii. 9, “If ye

will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” In both places
there is a play on the words in the Hebrew; “believe” and “be
established” representing two voices of the same verb ha’amīnū ...
tē’āmēnū.

²¹so shall ye prosper. And when he had taken

counsel with the people, he appointed them
that should sing unto the Lord, and praise the
beauty ¹ of holiness, as they went out before
the army, and say, Give thanks unto the Lord;
for his mercy endureth for ever.
¹ Or, in the beauty of holiness.

21. them that should sing unto the Lord, and praise] Compare
the preliminaries of the Battle of the Standard fought between the
Scots and English in 1138.
 the beauty of holiness] Render in holy attire, i.e. in priestly
garments. Compare 1 Chronicles xvi. 29 (note).

before the army] Contrast Joshua vi. 7, 9 (the armed men

precede the Ark).

Give thanks] compare 1 Chronicles xvi. 41.

²²And when they began to sing and to praise,

the Lord set liers in wait against the children
of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were
come against Judah; and they were smitten.
22. the Lord set liers in wait] Comparing Joshua viii. 2, where
Joshua is bidden by God to set an ambush, we might suppose that
the present phrase implies simply that the Lord suggested to
Jehoshaphat the plan of setting an ambush. Such a view, however,
seems antagonistic to verse 17, where the Judeans are told only to
stand still and see the salvation wrought by God; and indeed it would
detract immensely from the value of the tale as an awe-inspiring
marvel. It is preferable to suppose that certain supernatural Divine
agents were meant by the Chronicler. If the tradition has an historical
basis, some sudden assault was probably made by the inhabitants of
the invaded district before the main army from Jerusalem arrived
(see the Introduction pp. xlix, l). G. A. Smith (Historical Geography of
the Holy Land, p. 272) points out that the country between En-gedi
and Tekoa is well suited for attack by surprise.

²³For the children of Ammon and Moab stood

up against the inhabitants of mount Seir,
utterly to slay and destroy them: and when
they had made an end of the inhabitants of
Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
 23. For the children of Ammon] Render, And the children of
Ammon. The sudden attack of the “liers in wait” caused a panic and
a suspicion of treachery among the allies; so at Gideon’s surprise of
Midian every man turned his sword against his fellow (Judges vii.
22).

utterly to slay] Literally to devote, or put to the ban (Hebrew

ḥerem); i.e. to undertake the partial or total destruction of the foe and
his possessions as a sacred duty to be performed in honour of God
—compare Leviticus xxvii. 28, 29, and Driver’s note on Exodus xxii.
20 in this series. Compare 1 Chronicles iv. 41.

²⁴And when Judah came to the watch-tower of

the wilderness, they looked upon the
multitude; and, behold, they were dead bodies
fallen to the earth, and there were none that
escaped.
24. to the watch-tower] Rather “to the outlook-point,” i.e. some
spot from which they were able to survey the scene of the disaster in
the valley by which the enemy were advancing.

²⁵And when Jehoshaphat and his people came

to take the spoil of them, they found among
them in abundance both riches and dead
bodies ¹, and precious jewels, which they
stripped off for themselves, more than they
could carry away: and they were three days in
taking of the spoil, it was so much.
¹ According to some ancient authorities, garments.
 25. they found among them in abundance both riches and dead
bodies] The Hebrew text is faulty. Following the LXX. εὖρον κτήνη
πολλὰ καὶ ἀποσκευὴν καὶ σκῦλα, read probably they found much
cattle and goods and garments.

26‒30 (no parallel in Kings).

The Sequel of the Deliverance.

²⁶And on the fourth day they assembled

themselves in the valley of Beracah ¹; for there
they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of
that place was called The valley of Beracah,
unto this day. ²⁷Then they returned, every man
of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in
the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem
with joy; for the Lord had made them to
rejoice over their enemies. ²⁸And they came to
Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and
trumpets unto the house of the Lord.
¹ That is, Blessing.

26. valley of Beracah] A deserted village Bereikūt (south of

Tekoa) where there are some very ancient ruins seems to preserve
the name. It is possible that the “valley of Jehoshaphat” mentioned
by Joel (iii. [iv., Hebrew] 2) is to be identified with the scene of
Jehoshaphat’s deliverance.

²⁹And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms

of the countries, when they heard that the
Lord fought against the enemies of Israel.
 ³⁰So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for
his God gave him rest round about.
29. was on all] Rather, came upon all; compare xiv. 14, xvii. 10.

the kingdoms of the countries] a characteristic phrase with the

Chronicler; compare xii. 8, xvii. 10 and 1 Chronicles xxix. 30.

31‒34 (= 1 Kings xxii. 41‒45).

The Summary of Jehoshaphat’s Reign.

There are several variations of text between Kings and

Chronicles here; and in particular the Chronicler omits the statement
that Jehoshaphat made peace with Israel.

³¹And 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 mother’s name was
Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
31. reigned over Judah] In Kings, began to reign over Judah in
the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. The Chronicler will not date the
accession of a southern king by the year of an ungodly northern
king.

³²And he walked in the way of Asa his father,

and turned not aside from it, doing that which
was right in the eyes of the Lord.
32. of Asa his father] compare xvii. 3 (note).

³³Howbeit the high places were not taken

away; neither as yet had the people set their
 hearts unto the God of their fathers.
33. the high places] Precisely the contrary is asserted in xvii. 6,
where see note. On the meaning of “high place” see the note on xv.
17.

neither as yet had the people set their hearts] compare xii. 14. In
Kings it is said particularly that the people sacrificed and burnt
incense at the high places.

³⁴Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first

and last, behold, they are written in the
history ¹ of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is
inserted ² in the book of the kings of Israel.
¹ Hebrew words. ² Or, who is mentioned.

34. Jehu the son of Hanani] See xix. 2 (note).

which is inserted] Chronicles of different events were joined

together to form one continuous Chronicle; i.e. the history of Jehu
means a special section of the Book of the Kings of Israel—see
Introduction § 5, p. xxxii.

35‒37 (compare 1 Kings xxii. 48, 49).

The Destruction of Jehoshaphat’s Fleet.

The Chronicler gives a somewhat different account of this

incident from that in Kings. According to the latter, Jehoshaphat
made ships of Tarshish (i.e. a particular kind of vessel) to sail to
Ophir for gold, and refused the offer of Ahaziah to cooperate in the
enterprise. It is then added that the enterprise failed, as the ships
were wrecked at Ezion-geber. The Chronicler, on the other hand,
expressly asserts that Jehoshaphat “joined himself” with the wicked
Ahaziah in this naval enterprise, and interprets the wreck as a Divine
punishment for the sin of the alliance (the disaster being foretold by
a prophet). Further he has misunderstood the term “ships of
Tarshish” (see note, verse 36) and makes Tarshish, and not Ophir,
the object of the voyage. The whole is said to constitute an
instructive example of the freedom with which the narrative in Kings
could be handled in the interests of religious teaching. The second
divergence, “ships to Tarshish,” is only an error of ignorance, but the
first is important. Without, however, denying that the Chronicler has
been careful to point the moral of his tale, it may be urged that his
version is not obtained simply by an arbitrary alteration of Kings, but
rather reflects an independent account of the affair, perhaps more
reliable than that in Kings. Almost certainly Jehoshaphat was still
virtually subject to Israel, and the Chronicler’s tradition may be true
to fact in representing him as partner with Ahaziah from the start of
the enterprise. At least the possibility must not be ruled out because
the story suited the Chronicler’s religious predilections. Again it is
quite improbable that the story of the seer of Mareshah is wholly an
invention of the Chronicler (see notes on verse 37). The passage
therefore yields some evidence of access to traditions other than
those in Kings; and their value deserves to be fairly considered.

³⁵And after this did Jehoshaphat king of

Judah join himself with Ahaziah king of Israel;
the same did very wickedly: ³⁶and he joined
himself with him to make ships to go to
Tarshish: and they made the ships in Ezion-
geber.
36. ships to go to Tarshish] In Kings, ships of Tarshish to go to
Ophir: compare ix. 21 (= 1 Kings x. 22), note. In both passages the
reading of Kings, “ships (or ‘navy’) of Tarshish,” i.e. large sea-going
ships (compare Psalms xlviii. 7), is correct, because (1) Ezion-geber
was a port for vessels sailing eastward, while Tarshish was in the
west, (2) gold, the object of the voyage (compare 1 Kings xxii. 48),
came from Ophir (viii. 18; 1 Kings ix. 28, x. 11; Psalms xlv. 9).
 Tarshish] compare 1 Chronicles i. 7 (note).

Ezion-geber] compare viii. 17 (note).

³⁷Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of

Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat,
saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with
Ahaziah, the Lord hath destroyed ¹ thy works.
And the ships were broken, that they were not
able to go to Tarshish.
¹ Or, made a breach in.

37. Then Eliezer ... of Mareshah prophesied] Cook (Expository

Times, August, 1906, p. 191) points out how suitable Mareshah is as
the home of a prophet antagonistic to Jehoshaphat. The town was
situated in the Shephelah (see xi. 8, note; and also Peters and
Thiersch, Painted Tombs in the Necropolis of Marissa); and would be
in close touch with the Philistine and Edomite (Arabian) districts,
which were “stirred up” to revolt in the time of Jehoram,
Jehoshaphat’s son. Note also the association of Mareshah in the
tradition of Zerah’s invasion in Asa’s reign (xiv. 10). It is unlikely that
the Chronicler would have “invented” Mareshah as the home of
Eliezer; rather is it reasonable to infer that he is utilising an old
tradition, independent of Kings and at least noteworthy for its
consistency.

Dodavahu] The LXX. (Lucian), Δουδίου, indicates that the original

form of the name was Dodiah ‫דודיה‬, signifying probably “kinsman of
Jehovah”; for euphemistic reasons this was softened to Dodavahu.
The name therefore is almost certainly characteristic of an early
period, and is not such as would naturally occur to the Chronicler’s
imagination. Here again then we find reason for thinking that the
Chronicler was relying on the current form of an old tradition (see
G. B. Gray, Hebrew Proper Names, pp. 62, 232).
 Chapter XXI.
1 (= 1 Kings xxii. 50).
Jehoshaphat succeeded by Jehoram.

2‒4 (no parallel in Kings).

The Names and the Fate of the other Sons of Jehoshaphat.

2‒4. Presumably the Chronicler has drawn the information given

in these verses from traditional sources. The details of the names of
the brethren, their possessions, and their massacre by Jehoram are
not likely to be the product of the Chronicler’s unaided imagination.

¹And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers,

and was buried with his fathers in the city of
David; and Jehoram his son reigned in his
stead. ²And he had brethren the sons of
Jehoshaphat, Azariah, and Jehiel, and
Zechariah, and Azariah, and Michael, and
Shephatiah: all these were the sons of
Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2. brethren the sons of Jehoshaphat] It was necessary to define
brethren, for the word by itself means no more than “kinsmen”;
compare 1 Chronicles xii. 3 (note).

Azariah] Since this name (with a slight variation of spelling) is

repeated in the list it is probable that the text is corrupt. Yet the error
may be no more than the omission of some epithet which
distinguished one Azariah from the other in the original text of the
verse. The LXX. gives no help.

king of Israel] Compare xi. 3, note.

³And their father gave them great gifts, of

silver, and of gold, and of precious things, with
fenced cities in Judah: but the kingdom gave
he to Jehoram, because he was the firstborn.
3. their father gave them] Rehoboam did the same; xi. 23.

precious things] Hebrew migdānōth; compare xxxii. 23.

⁴Now when Jehoram was risen up over the

kingdom of his father, and had strengthened
himself, he slew all his brethren with the
sword, and divers also of the princes of Israel.
4. strengthened himself] Compare i. 1 (note).

5‒7 (= 2 Kings viii. 17‒19).

The Evil Character of Jehoram’s Reign.

⁵Jehoram was thirty and two years old when

he began to reign; and he reigned eight years
in Jerusalem. ⁶And he walked in the way of
the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab:
for he had the daughter of Ahab to wife: and
he did that which was evil in the sight of the
Lord.
6. of Ahab] Compare xviii. 1 (note).
 ⁷Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the
house of David, because of the covenant that
he had made with David, and as he promised
to give a lamp to him and to his children
alway.
7. the house of David] In 2 Kings Judah, a term sparingly used in
Chronicles; compare xi. 3 (note).

a lamp] Thus figuratively applied the Hebrew word is written nīr;

ordinarily “lamp” is nēr in Hebrew.

8‒10 (= 2 Kings viii. 20‒22).

The Revolt of Edom.

⁸In his days Edom revolted from under the

hand of Judah, and made a king over
themselves.
8. In his days Edom revolted] From 1 Chronicles xviii. 11‒13
(compare 2 Samuel viii. 13 f.) it appears that Edom was subjugated
in the reign of David, and it seems to have remained so until
Jehoram’s reign. If, as is probable, the Meunim are to be reckoned
an Edomitic tribe (see the notes on xx. 1, 10), Edom may have made
a vain attempt to throw off the Judean suzerainty in Jehoshaphat’s
time, and this would suit the remark in 1 Kings xxii. 47 “And there
was no king in Edom: a deputy was king”—i.e. a nominee of
Jehoshaphat. Moreover the tradition of Jehoshaphat’s shipbuilding at
Ezion-geber on the Gulf of Akaba implies the maintenance of his
hold over Edom.

⁹Then Jehoram passed over with his captains,

and all his chariots with him: and he rose up
by night, and smote the Edomites which
 compassed him about, and the captains of the
chariots.
9. Then Jehoram passed over] In Kings “passed over to Zair” (the
place is not otherwise known; for a suggestion that the Moabite Zoar
should be read, see Encyclopedia Britannica s.v. Moab, p. 631 ad
fin.). Without the addition of a place name the verb “passed over” in
Chronicles is somewhat awkward. It is possible that the Chronicler
used it in the meaning that Jehoram with a vanguard of chariots
passed by his main body of “the people” to take the lead. Although
the text in 1 Kings viii. 21 appears to have suffered some corruption,
it is fairly clear that Jehoram pushed on with his chariots as a
vanguard, was hemmed in by the Edomites, and, though he
succeeded in cutting his way out by a night attack, his main army
had dispersed in the belief that the king and the chariots were cut off
and lost.

and the captains of the chariots] The clause is governed by the

verb “compassed” (read perhaps el for eth in the Hebrew).

¹⁰So Edom revolted from under the hand of

Judah, unto this day: then did Libnah revolt at
the same time from under his hand: because
he had forsaken the Lord, the God of his
fathers.
10. then did Libnah revolt at the same time] The exact position of
Libnah is not known, but it was in the south of Judah, probably not
far from Lachish (Tell el-Hesi) and the Edomite territory. The active
hostility of the Edomitic (Arabian) and Philistine districts about this
period afforded an opportunity to any elements of discontent in the
townships of southern Judah; see the note on xxvi. 7. Probably the
population of Libnah included many Edomite and Philistine families,
compare the Peshitṭa rendering of this clause, viz. “Then did the
Edomites who dwell in Libnah revolt.”
 became he had forsaken, etc.] Not in Kings; a moralistic
comment by the Chronicler.

11‒15 (not in Kings).

Jehoram’s Sins and Elijah’s written Denunciation.

¹¹Moreover he made high places in the

mountains ¹ of Judah, and made the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, and
led ² Judah astray.
¹ According to some ancient authorities, cities.

² Or, compelled Judah thereto.

11. in the mountains] So Peshitṭa, but LXX., in the cities. The

difference between the two readings in Hebrew is very small.

made ... to go a whoring] a much used metaphor of Scripture,

meaning led ... into idolatry.

led Judah astray] Literally, drew or thrust away Judah, i.e. from
the presence of Jehovah.

¹²And there came a writing to him from Elijah

the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the
God of David thy father, Because thou hast
not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy
father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah;
¹³but hast walked in the way of the kings of
Israel, and hast made Judah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like
as the house of Ahab did ¹; and also hast slain