Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 14
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 14
Charles Ellicott Commentary
2 Chronicles 14
"So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years." — 2 Chronicles 14:1 (ASV)
So Abijah slept ... in his place. —Verbatim as 1 Kings 15:8 (Abijam).
In his days the land was quiet ten years. —Mentioned here as a result of Abijah’s great victory. The land was quiet, or had rest (Judges 3:11; Judges 5:31). The phrase is explained in 2 Chronicles 14:6, He had no war in those years.
During this period of repose Asa strengthened the defenses of his country (2 Chronicles 14:5; compare 2 Chronicles 15:19).
The name Asa may perhaps mean "healer" (compare the Syriac ’ôsç, "physician," and 2 Chronicles 16:12); or "spices" (Syriac ‘ôsô; compare 2 Chronicles 16:14).
"And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of Jehovah his God:" — 2 Chronicles 14:2 (ASV)
REIGN OF ASA (2 Chronicles 14-16).
(a) EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT ILLEGITIMATE WORSHIPS, AND TO STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEM OF NATIONAL DEFENCES (2 Chronicles 14:2–7; compare 1 Kings 15:9–15).
That which was good and right. —Literally, The good and the right, an expression defined in 2 Chronicles 14:3–4. It is used of Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 31:20. See 1 Kings 15:11, And Asa did the right in the eyes of the Lord, like David his father.
For (and) ... the altars of the strange gods. —Literally, altars of the alien. Vulgate, “altaria peregrini cultus.” Compare the expression, gods of the alien (Genesis 35:2, 4). (Compare 1 Kings 15:12b, and he took away all the idols that his fathers had made; a summary statement, which is here expanded into details.) But both here and in 2 Chronicles 12:1–2, the chronicler has omitted to mention the qedçshîm (Authorised Version, “Sodomites”) (1 Kings 15:12a).
And the high places. —i.e., those dedicated to foreign religions. It is clear from 2 Chronicles 15:17, as well as 1 Kings 15:14, that high places dedicated to the worship of Jehovah were not done away with by Asa.
Brake down the images. — Brake in pieces (or shattered) the pillars. They were dedicated to Baal, and symbolised the solar rays, being, no doubt, a species of obelisk. (Exodus 34:13; Judges 3:7.)
The “high places, images, and groves” of this verse are all mentioned in 1 Kings 14:23.
"and commanded Judah to seek Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment." — 2 Chronicles 14:4 (ASV)
And commanded Judah to seek. — amar with infinitive. (Compare to 1 Chronicles 21:17.) The chronicler’s own style is visible in this verse.
To seek the Lord God of their fathers. —The same phrase recurs in 2 Chronicles 15:12.
The law and the commandment. —Exodus 24:12, That I may give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment that I have written (Deuteronomy 6:25).
And the images. — Hammanîm. (Compare to the word hammah, “sun.”) Pillars or statues to the sun-god, standing before or upon the altars of Baal, are intended (Isaiah 17:8; 2 Chronicles 34:4.) Compare to the Phenician deity Baal-hamman.
The kingdom was quiet before him. —Enjoyed peace under his oversight. Compare the use of the word “before” in Numbers 8:22; Psalms 72:5 (“before the moon”).
"And he built fortified cities in Judah; for the land was quiet, and he had no war in those years, because Jehovah had given him rest." — 2 Chronicles 14:6 (ASV)
And he built fenced cities. —See 2 Chronicles 11:5; 2 Chronicles 12:4; and for the expression had given him rest, 2 Samuel 7:1.
"For he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars; the land is yet before us, because we have sought Jehovah our God; we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered." — 2 Chronicles 14:7 (ASV)
Therefore. — And.
These cities. — The “fenced cities” of the last verse. Their names are unknown. Geba and Mizpah were fortified by Asa, but that was after the war with Baasha, which began in the twenty-sixth year of Asa (1 Kings 15:33); see 2 Chronicles 16:6. A general system of defence, like that of Rehoboam, who fortified as many as fifteen cities, seems to be indicated.
Walls. — A wall.
Gates (doors) and bars. — 1 Samuel 23:7 and 2 Chronicles 8:5 (referenced above), where “bars” is, as usual, singular, bariach. Here it is plural.
While the land is yet before us. — It is open to us, free from hostile occupation. The phrase is apparently borrowed from Genesis 13:9. (Is yet, ‘odennû, masculine pronoun, instead of feminine; probably a clerical error). Omit while, and put a stop at bars. “The land is still before us, for we have sought the Lord,” appears to be the connection of thought.
So they built and prospered — that is, they built prosperously, without hindrance.
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